I found the UGLIEST painting in the world at Goodwill. I want to paint over it, but not sure if it's acrylic?

Question

First, how can I tell for sure if it's acrylic vs. oil? Second, is there a special gesso for acrylic? Third, there's a very slight (almost unnoticable) dent in the canvas. Any way to repair this? Would adding some sort of texture help? If so, what are some ways to do that? (Sorry for my ignorance. I'm almost exclusively a pencil artist. I haven't painted since high school!)

FYI: It is a very ameauturish painting. Just black paint on what looks like a naked gesso background. The subject matter is unmentionable. I got a strange look from the store clerk when I bought this and a fellow customer was very vocal about her discust!!! There are just no words to discribe how ugly this is!!

Please, help me! I would love to put this poor canvas out of it's misery!!!

Uh...well....there's really no way to discribe it. Picture half-naked winged demon (male) giving a slightly "gothified" half-naked angel (female) a hickey. OK, whatever you're picturing right now is not ugly enough.

Answer 1

painting it black acrilic is a good idead black oil would take days to dry.

Answer 2

To remove the dent use a damp towel to wet the dent. When it dries it will stretch back to the original shape.

Sand it down, prime with gesso (not all gesso is the same but it will work for all paints) and you have a very nice canvas to paint on.

For texture ad anything you want to the paint. Best results can be had from wheat flour, rice, macaroni, saw dust, sand, leaves (crushed or whole) Anything that has surface area enough to stick to the paint will do. I even used empty tubes one time. No glue needed.

Answer 3

Can you re-stretch it to take out the dent? Filling it in will work.
If a chip of the paint softens in water, it is acrylic.
Sand the whole thing. If it is acrylic just paint it with an underpainting of more acrylic. If it is oil, you have to sand and cover the surface with gesso for acrylic or oil based wall paint if you intend to use oils.
C. :)!!

Answer 4

The quickest way to clean it up and clear up the dents is to stick it in the shower and scrub it. If it's on a lightweight frame you may want to dry it flat and weight the corners so that you don't get any warpage though, generally, that will pull out when you work on it.

Soaking it that way will re-tighten it to as tight as it was originally if not tighter... if it's not actual canvas or is some sort of synthetic blend it may get pretty tight.

...I generally do that for canvases that have been rolled... It brings them back very nicely.

Personally, I'd just use the frame and stretch a new canvas...

Answer 5

i think you'll be pretty safe just applying a few coats of regular gesso over the original painting. you could also try maybe spray painting over it too. it'll dry fast and be even and be just fine if you paint with acrylic paints over it. when you're done and the acrylic is dry you could spray a clear coat acrylic over it. i'm kind of interested in what the original looked like. there's a pretty good market for bad art (i being a lover of horrible art myself). what was the subject matter? inquiring minds want to know.

edit: oh man that sounds like a bad-rad painting! i wish i had found it at goodwill, i'd cherish it along with my poorl rendered napoleon bonaparte and my african american last supper.

Answer 6

they sell black gesso do that cause painting over it with any other paint like oil acrylic or spray cause you have to put more coats on with paint so gesso will do it

Answer 7

I agree with dan, maybe you should consider offering it here first, if they want it, The Museum of Bad Art:
http://www.museumofbadart.org/

Answer 8

have you seen that show where people find out later that there stuff they bought at a yard sale valuable