Why This Page Is Here
Welcome to the authoritative hub for the care and preservation of professional art panels, catering to both artists and collectors. Our comprehensive articles delve into the reasons behind choosing ACM art panels as the premier method to safeguard your artwork and investment. Discover invaluable insights on how to safeguard and maintain your Artefex aluminum composite panels, making this page your ultimate resource for varnishing, cleaning, ,material testing and protecting your artwork for generations.
Explore detailed information about our cutting-edge ACM (aluminum composite material) and CCM (copper composite material) panels, including the grounds we employ and tutorial videos for a seamless experience. If you have questions not answered here, PaintingBestPractices.com awaits is great resource. If specific queries about ACM panels persist, reach out to our experts at acct@artefex.biz. Trust in Artefex for unparalleled expertise in the care of your artistic investments.
Why Paint On ACM?
ACM art panels offer a superior support for painting and mounting compared to wood panels because ACM panels have very low response to environmental changes, such as relative humidity (RH) and temperature. They are built with two strong sheets of aluminum bonded to a solid polyethylene core. The unique composition of these 3 mm (1/8″) panels makes them lightweight, dimensionally stable and strong. The light weight and thin profile of these art panels makes them ideal for plein air and studio painting. They transport easily and store perfectly in tight spaces.
Most Common Problems With Stretched Canvas
While the way we paint has changed over time, what we paint on has not. The same problems artist had over a hundred years ago painting on stretched canvas still remains today. The most common of these are
- Stretching
- Cracking
- Tearing
- Warping
- Reactions to changes in environment such as humidity and temperature
Why Canvas Is Not The Best Choice For Painting
This article written by George O’Hanlon, Director of Natural Pigments goes more into detail on why painting on stretched canvas is not the best support for artist.
How Well Do Grounds Adhere to ACM Panels?
Painting Best Practices is an information-packed online classroom that includes all aspects of painting from the support and ground to the final layers.
Written by George O’Hanlon, Director of Natural Pigments, this article goes more into detail on how well grounds will adhere to an ACM panel.
About the Grounds We Use
Rublev Lead Alkyd Ground is a blend of white pigments and alkyd for a semi-absorbent ground ideal for oil painting. It is formulated for coating non-absorbent supports, such as ACM, and absorbent rigid supports, such as hardboard.
Canvas Reacting To Humidity Levels
This video made by the Canadian Conservation Institute and it is a time-lapse of traditional canvas reacting to changes in the humidity levels. To learn more, visit their website, clicking the button below.
How To Hang ACM Panels
Artefex art panels are easy to hang, especially using our aluminum C-channel hanging system. Watch this video to see how to hang your Artefex art panel using our hanging system. You can purchase our hanging system by clicking the button below.
How To Fix Yellowing Panels
Yellowing is a common issue that comes up with oil primed surfaces. This yellowing is completely normal and can be easily fixed. If you have purchased one of our oil-primed panels before and have noticed this, check out this short video on how to fix it.
How To Clean A Copper Panel
This video will show you how to properly clean a copper panel. To learn more about our copper panels click below.
To obtain the materials used for cleaning a copper panel, click the button below!
How to Clean Your Artefex Panels.
How to Resize your Honeycomb panels.
How to Fix Delaminated Canvas Panels
How to Fix Your Corners.
How to Resize Your Artefex Panels
Do You Really Need to Wait Six Months to Varnish?
The age-old advice to wait at least six months before varnishing oil paintings is a good practice, but one that is resisted by many artists. And it is understandable why because when a painting is completed it often needs to be delivered immediately for exhibit or into the customer’s hands.
Cleaning Artwork
This article by Natural Pigments shows step-by-step instructions on how to properly clean your artwork. If you have more questions, check out Painting Best Practices Facebook Group.
Rublev Mini Picture Cleaning Kit
How To Lead Prime An ACM Panel
When priming your own ACM panels it is best to use a ground suitable for non-absorbent surfaces. We use and offer Rublev Lead Alkyd Ground and Rublev Tempera Ground, which can be purchased from Artefex.
Rublev Tempera Ground
Lead White: The Most Important White In Art History
Lead white is the most important white pigment used in painting throughout history. It was known to the ancient Egyptians, Greeks and Romans and commonly used in the preparation of ointments and plasters, as well as cosmetics. It was first identified in literature as a pigment by Pliny, who mentions it, among other colors, as used by the ancients to paint ships.
Vision X Live 2021 – Olga Krimon
“Why Copper and Is All Copper Made the Same?”
Vision X Live Conference 2021 with Olga Krimon In this video, Anton O’Hanlon from Artefex and Olga Krimon discuss painting on copper and the different types of copper artist panels that are available on the market.
Vision X Live 2021 – Suchitra Bhosle
“Choosing the Right Painting Surfaces”
Vision X Live Conference 2021 with Suchitra Bhosle Anton O’Hanlon and Suchitra Bhosle talk about the variety of surfaces she has used, what she enjoys, and the challenges of painting on different surfaces. At the end is a presentation of Artefex’s findings from testing of various panels artist paint on.
“Working Large and How To Do It Right”
Vision X Live Conference 2021 with Casey Childs Anton O’Hanlon and Casey Childs sit down to talk about working on large surfaces and some of the challenges that can be presented.
Painting Best Practices is an information-packed online classroom that includes all aspects of painting from the support and ground to the final layers.
There is also a Painting Best Practices Group on Facebook. You can join for free and connect with other artist to ask questions or learn new techniques.