If you are an artist or an art connoisseur, you have surely noticed the differences in the texture of works made using different techniques and on different materials. However, the legacy of the great painters of old shows that an effective and durable way to get a beautiful work of art with a smooth texture is to use art canvases. Canvas guarantees the resilience of the painting and its survival for many years. Nowadays, however, we have access to different types of materials and techniques used to produce canvas for painting. Find out what to look for when choosing canvas for oil painting and other painting methods.
Choose the right canvas material for paintings
Canvas for painting can be made of different materials, but if you want good quality, it’s worth paying attention to the following types:
- linen canvas
- cotton canvas
Both linen and cotton are characterized by adequate strength, allowing the painting to survive for many years. However, there are certain differences between them. Those differences determine the technical details on which the strength and how the canvas is stretched over the frame.
In the footsteps of great artists – linen art canvases
Traditionally linen fibres have been used to make painting canvas. Linen is a very strong material that provides paintings with high and long-lasting resistance to external conditions. Their weave is strong, but this is associated with low elasticity. For this reason, it can be a challenge to stretch a linen canvas onto a frame by yourself and evenly. Fortunately, there are ready stretched canvas panels available on the market, which is a great convenience, especially at the beginning of the painting journey.
Large stretched canvas for painting
If you need a large canvas area for your painting, linen canvas is a better choice. Linen, due to its low elasticity and high strength, needs a strong panel and strong stretching, so an extra large linen canvas will work well on a large frame. Linen art canvases stretch less, so it will work better than cotton canvas for applying a lot of paint. Note, however, that oil primed linen is not a suitable canvas for acrylic painting.
At the beginning of the artistic road – cotton painting canvases
Canvases made of cotton are somewhat cheaper and more readily available than linen canvases. They are often available already primed and ready to work with. You can choose a variety of primers best suited to your painting. Cotton canvases are more flexible than linen canvases, so they are easier to stretch by themselves on a palette or painting frame. However, they are slightly less resistant to damage and have a shorter lifespan. They may also stretch overtime on the pallet and require re-stretching. Because of their price, however, they are a good choice for beginning artists.
What form of canvas for painting do you need?
The market today is saturated with different forms and shapes of art canvases. Below you will find a brief description of a few of them:
- Canvas panels – wooden or cardboard panels with a stretched canvas to which a frame must be applied for the finished painting
- Pre-stretched canvas – canvas placed on stretched bars, usually already covered with primer; does not require a frame
- Canvas rolls – rolls of canvas material, which should be stretched using a chosen technique; they give the most artistic freedom, but also require the most advanced preparation
- Canvas pads – small pads ideal for testing techniques or paint samples, perfect for experimenting without using a lot of expensive materials
Pay attention to the quality of canvas for painting
An important factor in choosing the right canvas is its quality. This can be determined by parameters such as:
- the weight of a given surface unit
- the density of the weave
- type and number of ground layers
The higher the weight and the denser the weave, the higher the quality of the cloth. Better quality also means higher canvas strength and smoother surface texture for painting. Also, check if the material you choose is already primed. In most cases, the canvas already has one or two layers of primer.
Material is not everything
Equally important as the type of material used for the canvas is the raw material from which the painting module or stretched bars are made. Wooden bars are most commonly used, so make sure they have the right thickness and strength. Also check that the canvas is evenly stretched; that it has no loose areas or wrinkles, and that it does not tear. Remember that quality comes with a higher price, however, so you should determine your needs requirements for your planned project before you decide to buy. Sometimes it’s better to start with cheaper materials and do a few trials before moving on to more advanced and more expensive techniques. It’s also a good idea to try out a few different types of canvas – this will help you learn the characteristics of different materials and better choose a canvas for your project in the future.
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