Many times we are disappointed with the final result of our paintings and we blame it on our lack of practice, talent or who knows what. Practice - indeed - is important, but many times the failures of our work do not have anything to do with it, but rather with technical problems. We just don't know enough about our materials. Luckily experienced painter Dudi Berkowitz Chicago can help you solve these problems with a little thought and study.

When Dudi talks about materials, he isn’t just referring to the paints or media that he uses to paint,  as we also must pay attention to the materials from the frame and the fabric on which we are going to paint. Choosing a frame is not as simple as going to a store and buying a pre-made frame, especially if you have a clear idea of ​​the result you want. There are several factors that intervene in the final appearance of our paintings, which if not considered from the beginning, can drastically diminish our work.

The factors to consider are:

• What technique are we going to work with?
• What kind of texture do we want the painting to have?
• How much weight will the rack carry?
• The size of the frame in relation to the other factors.
• What technique will you work with?

The technique with which you are going to work is the most important element to consider when choosing a frame. The main thing is to know if the technique is flexible or rigid. With this in mind, we can determine if the canvas to be used should be flexible - like a canvas frame - or rigid - like a board frame. From the technique we use we will also know if it is convenient to use imprimatura and of what type, but the Chicago artist will talk about that in another post.

The flexible techniques are:

• Oil
• Acrylic
• Oily temples
• Watercolor

Rigid Techniques are:

• Encausto
• Casein
• Temper
• Gouache

Frame for flexible techniques

Flexible techniques can be worked on soft or rigid frames alike, however there are some advantages that flexible frames offer in terms of transportation convenience that should be taken advantage of. In fact - as a cultural breviary - the oil technique was widely adopted by European painters during the 16th century, because they realized that pictures painted on canvas in this technique could be much larger than tempera without cracking. This flexibility also gave them the benefit of being able to be rolled up when drying and easily transported.