Canvas Painting 101: Everything You Need to Know to Ensure Success
Canvas Painting for Beginners
In a previous post, I discussed the different grades of watercolor paper so, in all fairness to the other mediums, this art supplies tutorial will give insight on how to prepare your canvas for the opaque mediums: oil, acrylic and pastel.
In leading art stores you will find already manufactured canvases and canvas boards. Some are very costly, such as linen ($20 for a 12- x 16-inch canvas), and you can even find the same size in a dollar store ($2.00 for a 12 x 16) cotton fabric. Is the cost worth it? Are the cheap canvases worth the savings?
I have tried the dollar store ones and discovered some of them are under-gessoed, so I add another layer of gesso. Shall I opt for the middle range? Artists are faced with this dilemma all the time, and I believe my professional insight will help you make the right decision.
Linen vs. Cotton Canvas
Linen is the most costly surface of them all. Many professionals note their plein air paintings are done on this surface. This gives the impression they can afford it and are successful. In fact, you will often see the title of the painting plus “on linen” specified under their paintings.
I admit linen is more cooperative than cotton as a painting surface. But I don’t feel it’s worth the additional cost unless you are being paid for that painting or know you will sell it. The collector will feel prouder of the acquisition knowing you used the top materials.
Additionally, duration isn’t a reason to justify favoring either cotton or linen because both use the same primers. Some artists complain the weave of a cotton canvas is too mechanical, whereas with linen it is more random. Also worth noting, many top landscape artists resort to dry brushing; linen lends itself nicely to these effects because some areas of the weave bulge more.
Unless you have money to spare I don’t think the expense merits working on a linen canvas for painting. Both cotton and linen canvases are either primed with acrylics or oil. Acrylic gesso-primed surfaces have a bit more friction, giving you more brush control for detail, whereas oil-primed surfaces are more slippery (Note: Do not use oil-primed canvas for acrylics.)
Neither one is better than the other. It’s a personal preference. Both of these fabrics are either stretched and mounted on wooden bars or glued on cardboard boards and commercially sold. In my opinion, presenting a painting on a cardboard board looks cheap to a collector even if linen is mounted on it. It also will not offer enough protection against humidity or insects.
Stretched canvases will increase the price. Some artists like the spring or feeling of a tight drum of the stretched canvas. To me, it makes no difference. As a side note, I feel too much instructional attention goes to art supplies rather than to the building blocks of good painting design. If you are competent in techniques, the surface is not much of an issue.
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