Icon Panel Construction

DominICON

Materials

· ¾” Birch Plywood – the very best available, cut to size or cradled maple panel e.g. 14925-1009 Maple Cradled Art Board 9”×12” from: www.dickblick.com

· Superior Quality Panel Gesso – available from: www.art-boards.com

This is absolutely the only acrylic gesso that I use. It is a remarkable product, reproducing the absorbent quality of traditional gesso. Do not use other commercially available products such as Liquitex Acrylic Gesso if you want a quality panel.

· Flat Acrylic Brush (suggested - #16)

· Mulberry Paper (often called rice paper – available at any real art supplies store)

· Box Cutter – sharp

· Roller – clean and at least 4” wide

· Sandpaper – 100, 220 & 320 grit

· Sanding Block and/or Finishing Sander

· Blocks – to raise panel off work surface

Cut panel to size. If you are using a table saw, invest in a blade made for cutting plywood. Lightly sand all surfaces. Bevel the top edge using sandpaper and sanding block or a router.

Seal all surfaces with polyurethane.

Thin gesso: 1.75 parts gesso to 1 part water.

Place panel on blocks - apply gesso to front and sides, and let dry thoroughly.

Don’t be afraid to be a little sloppy. You want to get the gesso on, but the gesso will dry very quickly. As the gesso is absorbed by the panel, and as it begins to dry, stroke the gesso horizontally and then vertically, covering the panel evenly. Stop before it becomes sticky, but in advance of that you should begin to get a “feel” for it.  This is important because as the panel progresses you will “coax” the gesso through different stages.

Apply one or two more coats of gesso, letting the panel dry thoroughly between coats.

Cut mulberry (rice) paper a few inches larger than front of panel and lay it on work surface with rough side up.

Apply gesso to panel as above, then immediately apply gesso to rice paper.

Pick up panel, flip it over and press gessoed front of panel to gessoed rice paper. Turn panel upright, press paper onto sides of panel and gently use acrylic roller to smooth out paper surface. This takes gentle but persistent action. What you are removing are air/gesso bubbles until surface is flat. Do not rub rice paper with your fingers as it will quickly disintegrate. Run the brush around the edges of the panel to remove any large concentrations of gesso.  Allow the panel to dry thoroughly.

With a box cutter trim excess rice paper, but avoid the temptation to sand out imperfections.

Apply 3 coats of gesso to the front and sides of the panel, allowing the panel to dry thoroughly between applications of gesso.

Sand thoroughly but gently (150 grit up to 220 grit) – front, sides and back of panel. A finishing sander is very useful here. This is the “beginning of the finishing,”

So pay attention to how the panel looks and feels.

One or two coats of gesso to cover over imperfections reveled by the sanding. Let panel dry thoroughly.

Clean back of panel by sanding (50 grit). Gentle, finishing sanding (320 grit) of sides and front.

If necessary, re-seal back of panel with polyurethane.