A New Mouse in the House

Yesterday Frank gave me my very own Studio Mouse. A Black and Decker Mouse Hand Sander! Perfect timing for preparing a board for the Different Strokes Challenge. It's so cute I just had to chat about it. Using the sander, my 16" x 8" board was ready for Gesso in no time along with two 6" x 8" pieces. First I sand, then I paint the back and edges with white craft acrylic paint (which costs less than gesso). When that is dry, the front is gessoed and left to dry totally. Then, another sanding. These steps may be repeated if necessary. These prepared boards are my favorite supports. The surface is smooth for detail whether painting in oil or acrylic. I even got started on Diana for the Challenge after printing Karin Jurick's reference photo. This start is in acrylic but I may finish in oil.