Few words about canvas - my recommendation

Canvas is one the most sophisticated surfaces for oil and acrylic paintings mainly due to the way in which it responds to the brush. It is also rather simple and straightforward to prime and stretch it yourself once you take that challenge.

Since artists started using oil paints in the 15-th century, canvas holds a leading position as a surface to paint on, primarily to that very special filling of the response of stretched canvas to the brush. None of the other existing painting surfaces matches its springy spontaneity. Unlike other surfaces, the taut fabric gives a little with each dab of colour and as a result reach, resonant paint surface ideally suitable for oil and acrylic paintings. It is also important to mention that canvas painting are light and easily portable. Once painting is completed you can remove canvas from stretcher, roll it and store.

Canvas is usually produced from several types of fabrics and are categories into: flax canvas, linen canvas and a cheaper alternative of cotton canvas. However nowadays most of artists may forget about priming and stretching canvases themselves. A wide range of stretched and primed canvases are available from multiple vendors on the market. Usually pre-primed canvases stretched over lightweight wooden frames are offered in a wide range of standard sizes. They could be made out of linen or cotton duck and usually also contain a proportion of synthetic fibres to achieve the right texture and increase the durability. Some of those ready-to-go canvases have a fine grain texture and are good for detailed work, while the others are coarser so that the weave of the canvas might become visible even through the paint thus producing more rugged effect of your final painting.

Sample of oil on canvas covered-board

Iceberg by Nadya Temper

It is also worth of mentioning that there is another cheaper alternative to stretched and pre-primed canvases – canvas-covered boards. Rather popular among beginners due to a good tooth and are also available with a very fine or slightly coarser surfaces.

Please pay attention that most ready-to-paint canvases and canvas-covered boards are already primed with an acrylic ground, which makes them suitable for use with either acrylic or oil painting. While others are primed with an oil-based primer which limits their use to oil paints only! It is extremely important not to use acrylic paint on an oil primed canvas because the oily surface will eventually cause the the paints to peel and flake. Carefully read manufactures instruction and make sure you use right primed canvas.

I myself usually use acrylic-primed canvas-covered boards.