Preparing my panels for painting

I get asked quite often about the surface I paint on.  As more and more artists are using Dibond it is becoming very popular.  Dibond is the trade name for what I used in the Sign Industry for years to make outdoor signs.  It is a corrugated heavy plastic material sandwiched between two slices of Aluminum that has been painted.  It comes in many thicknesses but I used the 1/4".  In Tupelo I buy it from Duncan Signs and Shane cuts it exactly to size for me.

First off, I take my panel outside and with medium sandpaper I dull the finish of the polished panel and give the board some tooth so that my guesso with adheir well.

Then after wiping as much of the dust off outside as I can I bring it in and wipe down with denatured alcohol.  Once it is dry,

I apply Guesso.  Make sure your Guesso says it is an

Acrylic Dispersion Ground.  Golden Artist Colors is a good one.

I apply 3 coats of Guesso letting the layers dry about an hour between each layer.

I apply the layers vertically then horizontally then vertically again.  I just use a foam brush.

This gives the look of canvas.

The next day I take it outside again and sand a little with light sandpaper.

If I know the layout of the painting I like to sand where my head will be

to make sure it doesn't have any lines that may be distracting.