Painting on plywood

Oil on wood, 5"x7" ($80 USD)

Straw Herring (aka davesbit) for Julia Kay's Portrait Party. 

It's been 30+ years since I've gessoed a board so it was a relaxing Saturday event. I gessoed a few boards, varying the texture and will reserve some for multiple coats. While I LOVE the feel of a brush on canvas, I figured I'd try an alternative to decide which I like better. And I must say the sound of a brush on a board is luscious but it's pretty hard on my sable brushes. I'll need to break down and get me some hog hair or synthetics for the early stages of the painting and save my sables for the finishing touches. I say luscious because it is an audial experience as well. Running my brush across a board (I didn't sand it by the way, opting for more texture) ... was a bit like painting sandpaper. I can imagine my sables getting whittled down to nubs! It grabs the paint very unlike a canvas. I like it. I'll need to test the boards out a bit more but I think it may be a new fave.