**Authentically Human! Not Written by AI**
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| "Circle of Light" 11x14 Oil - Available I painted this on the 3mm ACM panel that had been prepped with an oil ground. I really liked the slight texture of the panel. Using a knife and a Gamblin Gesso and Ground blade, I was able to make the most of the texture. (See farther down for a close-up of the texture.) |
While researching materials for a recent painting project, I came across a company that was new to me, Mako Art Supply. I was looking specifically for ACM panels prepped with a ground for oil painting. (ACM stands for aluminum composite material, and one brand is Dibond.) Mako, a company founded in 2022, makes exactly what I was looking for, so I contacted them about my project.
I was surprised when a box landed on my doorstep with a generous assortment of samples. Inside was a set of 11x14 panels: a 3mm ACM panel prepped with an oil ground, another with acrylic gesso, a third unprimed, plus a Gatorfoam panel mounted with Claessen's 09 linen. Each panel is beautifully crafted and finished with nice edges.
I've tried one of the panels so far – the oil ground one – and it has been a delight to work on. It has a slightly textured surface that holds the paint well, and being an oil ground, it's not as absorbent as acrylic gesso, so I can easily wipe down areas to the "white" if I want to. I'm looking forward to trying the others. As for the unprimed panel, I'll be prepping it with Gamblin's Oil Ground. Stay tuned!
Here are a few images of the panels. By the way, if you're a first-time buyer, you can get 10% off the order with the code FIRSTMAKO10.
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| Backs of the four panels |
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| Close-up of three of the panels. Sorry I didn't get a photo of the oil ground one, but I had already painted on it by the time I decided to write this post! |
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| Detail of the "Circle of Light" painting. You can see the slight texture of the panel coming through. |
By the way, the 50% Studio Sale continues! You can get 50% off any painting over $300 with free shipping to the continental US. For details, click here.
