An oil painting should be done on canvas, right? Wrong. It can be painted on a whole host of supports and the choice can be baffling. What are the differences between types of canvas? What should a beginner use? What do you use?
I quite like experimenting and reading up about various materials and techniques. So I do spend time asking my fellow artists about their materials, read technical forums about the longevity of a primer or the difference between types of canvas. Of course you don’t always need professional materials. For studies and other stuff that won’t end up on a gallery wall there is as much (perhaps even more) choice in supports. Where do you start?
Your Choice
The choice of supports is incredibly large and growing all the time. Which one you choose depends on quite a few things. You might prefer the ‘feel’ of one support over another one. And that might well depend on how you paint. Some might work with big brushes and heavy paint applications. Others, like me, might work very detailed and with small brushes. Some love the bounce of a stretched canvas, others prefer less movement.
Different brands produce differently canvases, not only in quality and weight but also in texture and priming.
Cost
Budget is an important factor of course. Professional linen can be hugely expensive. But there is a vast amount of choice in the student range as well as the professional range so it doesn’t have to be costly if you don’t want it to be. Adding a bit of DIY into the mix will also reduce costs dramatically (stretching your own canvas can save you around 20% of costs). If you can prepare your own support you can save yourself a lot of money. However you prefer to work, the choice of supports is endless. I hope you will find this (by no means comprehensive) list useful.
Different Types of Oil Painting Supports
Canvas
The word canvas usually refers to primed fabric, stretched onto stretcher bars. The stretcher bars are usually made of wood. The quality of the wood is important as nobody wants their stretched canvas to warp, shrink or expand. Aluminium stretchers are available too which has the advantage that it will not react to the environment.
The fabric used for canvas is oftencotton or linen, but can also be jute or polyester. Priming and stretching can be done in your studio fairly easily but to save yourself time and hassle you could opt for ready-made primed and stretched canvas from an art materials store.
Many shops not only sell stretched canvas direct from the manufacturer but they also offer a stretching service. I find the canvas stretched by good professional art materials shop much better than the pre-stretched ready-made ones.
Cotton or Linen
Much has been said in the past about the difference between linen and cotton canvas. For a long time people thought that linen is of a better quality and longer lasting than cotton, but most artists would now agree that this is not true.
Linen and cotton are simply different. Cotton is more widely produced so it is cheaper, but by no means is it of less quality for a canvas. The choice between the two is a matter of personal preference.
Linen canvas has an irregular, natural weave. Cotton has a regular, more bobbly weave. You can buy either in various degrees of coarseness.
Two ‘extra fine linen’ canvases from different manufacturers: Claessens on top and Belle Arti below.
A coarse or heavy canvas is usually heavier in weight than a fine canvas. A fine canvas has minimal texture and can be almost smooth, while a rough canvas has a very pronounced weave.
The choice of texture in a canvas is partly prescribed by how you paint and which brushes you use. I like to use a lot of very small sable brushes. These brushes are delicate and on a coarse textured canvas they would wear in no time at all. For a coarse canvas you need to use strong brushes.
Linen is more expensive than cotton, but this has little to do with the quality. There is much more cotton canvas on the market than linen, and cheaper student grade canvas is usually cotton. But there is some wonderful, professional quality cotton out there as well.
Cotton is more elastic than linen and so will stretch more beautifully. It is bouncy and will not sag or wave once stretched. Linen, on the other hand, is a bit stiffer and less elastic. It is therefore harder to stretch and if the stretcher or the linen expands or shrinks a tiny bit, the linen will sag or wave and will need re-tightening. Good stretching methods are vital when working with linen.
Some artists prefer the qualities of linen, others prefer cotton. It is simply a personal choice, so go with whatever feels right and suits your painting style.
Priming
Most primed canvas comes with a universal primer applied in numerous coats. This primer is an acrylic base which is suitable for painting on in oils and acrylics. It has a varying degree of absorbency which you will notice while painting. Usually it is a little absorbent, which means it will soak up a little bit of the paint, making the paint adhere very well to the support but limiting its ‘spreadability’ (is that even a word?).
Some canvas is available with an oil primer applied, but you can buy oil primers in tins as well, which you can apply over an acrylic universal primer (but not the other way round!) if you like. As the name suggests, oil primers are meant for oil painting only. They create a very smooth and slippery surface to paint on with almost no absorbency whatsoever. This takes some getting used to for some but I personally love it. The paint sits on top of the canvas (while still adhering sufficiently) and it can really bring colours out in their full glory. It is also much easier to move paint around on the canvas on such a smooth surface, which is something that is much harder on an acrylic surface where the canvas is immediately stained by the paint once it is applied. Oil primer or acrylic primer – many brands have their own characteristics and it is a matter of trial and error to find the one you like best.
Alternatively you can buy clear primed canvas – which will show the pale brown canvas through it- black primed canvas or unprimed canvas. Unprimed canvas must be primed before being painted on as the oil in oil paint will eventually rot the canvas fibres away. So the paint and the fabric must be kept separated by a good size and primer if you want your painting to last at all. You can buy acrylic primers and oil primers in pots and tins. I have used Golden Acrylic Gesso ( a confusing name as it isn’t actually gesso but an acrylic primer) and Roberson’s Oil Primer for many of my paintings. I can’t really go into sizing and priming as I tend to opt for the time-saving-but-expensive option of the bespoke and ready-made and I only have experience applying primers to already primed stretched canvas. Perhaps one of my readers can give us some details or links to the topic of sizing and priming.
Rigid Surfaces
To avoid oil paint cracking over time it would help if the painting is painted on a rigid surface. Common sense tells us that this goes withouth saying: an oil painting on stretched canvas will undoubtedly move somewhat, either by the slight bounce that a stretched fabric gives, or else by the potential expanding and shrinking of the materials in various circumstances. If we paint on a rigid surface that will not move or react we can remove a very large risk of cracked paint in works of art. Rigid surfaces like alumium or wood therefore are much preferred if longevity is important to you.
MDF
Many artists love MDF. It is cheap, lightweight, easy to cut and smooth. And generally it is fine to work on primed MDF. Something to keep in mind is the chemical formaldehyde which is present in the resin that keeps the wood fibre together. This chemical is damaging to health and art. However, EU regulations specify that only a very small amount of it is allowed in wood products. From December 2018 the US is also introducing tighter rules on the use of formaldehyde in wood products. Since artists are only using small panels to work on, contrary to being surrounded by the stuff, I do not think we have an awful lot to worry about. Many art shops sell canvas MDF panels (aff. link) ready to paint on.
Wood Panels
Many art shops supply wood panels, often made of plywood or hardwood. Some are unprimed, others are primed with an acrylic primer. Of course you can make your own easily, but brands like Belle Arti and Ampersand sell wonderful boards with a high quality primer that makes them a pleasure to work on. The gesso boards by Belle Arti (aff. link) are made from poplar panels with a gesso primer. They are very absorbent, but have a decent thickness and are beautifully smooth. Ampersand (aff. link) does gesso boards, made from hardboard with their own special coating. It has a hint of a texture but is pretty smooth. The absorbency is medium and I have only recently discovered this wonderful material. Ampersand claims the boards are completely archival (meaning they will stand the test of time) but the high price might put many artists off.
Metal
The latest kid on the block in the world of oil painting supports is aluminium (aff. link). Many artists have found a particular sandwiched panel of aluminium, which is generally used for road signs, to be particularly good for painting on. Dibond is a brand name that makes these panels in huge sheets. They are easily cut to size, fairly lightweight, thin and rigid. To be able to use them as an oil painting support you need to sand the surface with a fine sandpaper, clean it and prime it. I have tested painting on the surface directly, with an oil primer, and with an acrylic primer, and the acrylic primer was by far the best choice. Other artists have found the same results. The adherence is incredibly good.
If you want to use a rigid support you can opt for primed wood or aluminium. If you prefer the texture of canvas, you can adhere a cotton or linen canvas to a support. This way you can benefit from the rigidity that the support offers as well as enjoy the weave, feel and look of canvas. To apply canvas to a wooden panel always use an archival PVA glue or gel, smear it out with a spatula or brush so that every inch is covered, and place your canvas on it, smoothing out any remaining air bubbles. Turn it upside down and put some heavy books on top and let it dry. When dry, trim the sides of the canvas off with a knife.
Dibond, Aluminium and Copper
Large Paintings
Unfortunately, large paintings on wooden panels are very heavy and can warp if not cradled properly. Despite positive results from various tests and trials by artists, aluminium has not been around long enough as an oil painting support to prove to us how it will stand the test of time. So stretched canvas remains the only lightweight option for large paintings that has shown us how it will behave in the future. It might not be ideal, but at least we know what will happen to it. Many artists and collectors also still prefer the traditional texture of canvas, despite its drawbacks.
My Choice
Most of my paintings are on stretched linen. I do not really like cotton because of its incredibly regular and fairly coarse texture. I do like cottons’ elasticity as stretched cotton rarely sags or waves, a problem that happens with stretched linen much more often. I prefer a very fine, almost smooth-but-not-quite, linen texture. It must be fine enough for me to paint extremely small details, but I prefer it to have enough texture to give the painting some life and character. I must admit I missed this when I worked on aluminium where every brushstroke from the priming to the final stroke remains visible on the super smooth surface.
I like the wooden panels made by Ampersand a lot. They are very smooth but do have a very slight texture to it and the absorbency is not too bad. I love oil primed linen as the paint just dances around on top of the canvas, in all its full-colour glory. But I have found oil primed stretched linen to be stiff and have a tendency to sag over time. So I have now settled on an acrylic primed extra fine French linen which I enjoy working on very much. For smaller pieces I use Ampersand Gessobord or linen on MDF/hardboard.
I hope this overview of supports that are generally available here in the UK can be useful to you. Do let me know if you can add anything to the list, if you have experience with a particular support or just want to add some pleasant comment. I look forward to hear about your experiences in the world of painting supports!
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Hi, you mention that linen stretches and sags more easily. It also contracts back, whereas cotton tends to stay saggier after it has stretched out. If I have a painting that sags, or has been stretched in storage by touching on something else, I rectify it by wetting it lightly from the back. As the linen dries, it will shrink and tighten right back up. So I actually think of this as a plus for linen.
I have noticed that at two separate but very respectable places in NYC I have purchased custom oil pre primed and then stretched linen and it is cracked at the edges of the canvas. The makers said it’s due to strain but I can’t help but be concerned about the longevity of the piece and more so about putting paint onto the surface as the edges are a significant and important part of the painting still.
I would love any advice! Thank you
Can I use alkyd paints on raw paper? I bought a oil primer house paint that seems to work great. I do not want to size the paper due to cockling.
Hi Wayne, I don’t think that’s a great idea as the oil in the paint will soak into the paper and break it up. House paint also not ideal for longevity etc. Hope that helps! Happy Painting!
Hi Sophie – thank u fir sharing your vast knowledge and expertise.
May I ask u a question please?
I am about to start a painting on oil primed linen. It may b lead primed. I’m unsure.
I want to create my drawing on the linen but don’t want to use thinned paint as I am concerned about using solvents to thin paint.
I understand I can’t use acrylic ink etc.
Can I please ask, What would u recommend I use for my under drawing ?
I need it to b permanent and to dry quickly. ( I only have one month to complete this portrait commission ).
I also need to b able to wipe back to it – if needed.
Thank u so much.
Susan.
I usually work with some dry burnt umber and an old bristle brush. I just ‘srub’ the drawing on and adjust with some titanium white if needed. Hope that helps!
I have 2 old canvases. One still has the plastic wrapper and says it's for oil painting. I do acrylics. Is there any way I can treat them with anything to accept the acrylic paint or are they toast?
hmmmm You can apply an oil primer to an acrylic primer but I don’t think it is a good idea to do this the other way round. I am assuming this canvas has an oil primer on it. I would not use acrylics on it, sorry.
I've grown to rather like the slick, non-absorbent oil primed finishes. I've a couple of tins of the Roberson one, which gives the performance I like, but they're currently short on ingredients to make it, and so are out of stock. I wonder if anyone has tried Jackson's Thixotropic Alkyd Oil Primer, and found it comparable?
I've tried a good number of primers over the years, but in terms of providing a slicker finish, Gamblin' s oil painting ground is great, and you can maintain brush texture (if that's your thing), but where I live, the tins are small and pricey. Michael Harding's non absorbent acrylic primer is not a bad alternative either. Although it goes on much whiter than Roberson's, and doesn't smell, is easy to clean and quick to dry, I still find myself favouring the former.
Thanks for the useful info! I’ve only ever used Roberson’s so I cannot say much about the Jackson’s one, but hopefully someone else might know more.
Michael Harding non absorbant primer has become my go- to ground for stretched canvas, homemade canvas on masonite, wood panel and straight masonite. Can be used with acrylics and oils and avoids the issue of sinking in. It's also available in colours so you don't need to tone the canvas if you don't like white.
Thank you Sophie,
I really profited from this information about canvas and other supports.I usually oil paint on acrylic gesso on a cotton pre -stretched canvas .I was concerned to learn that canvas can rot over time and wondered if I could safely put oil gesso over the acrylic gesso before painting in oils.I think I have found the answer in your article which is that I could and therefore I shall experiment to find out.
Hi Diane, yes you can apply oil primer (alkyd) over acrylic primer, I’ve done that often! Happy painting!
This was really helpful, thank you. I am very new to oil painting and was really struggling with the paint consistency and thickness. I now think a lot of the trouble was my canvas being too coarse. Will play around with different textures and primers… so much to learn but loving the challenge 🙂
Hi Sophie
This article is great! So much excellent information! I'm hoping you can help with a small problem I have. I'm wanting to glue oil-primed linen (Claessens) to an MDF board, and no-one near me (in Australia) seems to know what glue to use. Is it the same as for acrylic primed linen? EVA? Could you please share what glue you use (if you do this!). I'm desperate!.Hoping you can help.
Hi Pam, I would use an archival PVA glue. I think you can use the same glue for any primed linen, it makes no difference. This article by Jackson’s might help too. Good luck!
Thanks Sophie. I’ll chase that up!
Your explanations very clear. Thank you.
A few years ago I took a class at Daniel Smith Art Store in WA on stretching canvas. With the help of their store Mgr, I bought raw linen and canvas and stretcher bars along with their fabulous Gesso. No mention was made of sizing.
I used three layers of Gesso on linen, sanding in between on 24”x24.”
Recently I posted my portrait painting on FB and it went viral. I was delighted but after learning about sizing, I’m heart sick.
Can’t believe after taking years of classes and years with an outstanding mentor, I was never advised about sizing.
Should I be worried?
It depends. Modern ‘Gesso’ is usually acrylic primer and no sizing is required. So in that case you should be fine!
Hi … thanks for your info … I am a budget buster and am wanting to re use old paintings I did at art school as they are on great substrates. We built and stretched our own and because of that, I went big. I have improved and changed my style considerably and just don’t want to waste these canvases. I also don’t wish to use either titanium white as I have seen suggested to paint over them as this would be exorbitant. I am talking 2m x 3m canvas. I also am loathe to buy oil primer from the art store as it also pretty expensive so am wondering your thoughts on a good quality oil prep base from the hard ware store. Our art school teacher who was also a practising artist was all about using such things but used acrylic primer in the first instance.. I am now talking about going over old paintings…. thoughts? and again thanks for a great blog. Jo
Hi Jo, thanks for your comment. I am afraid I am no expert in this area and it all depends what you are painting for. Using hardware store materials is obviously not intended for fine art. So the longevity will be useless. I don’t think you could ever sell paintings with such materials in there. But if it’s just for fun and practise and your own use – then why not. Experimenting with budget materials is fine, but I don’t think you can ask anyone to pay money for that. So, it all depends on what you are going to do with the paintings. Hope that helps!
Hi Sophie,
Great advice. I have an issue with canvas boards tho. They are pre primed, but suck up my oil paint as soon as I put it on.
Is there anyway I can stop that so I have a fighting chance to blend?
Regards,
Simon
Hi Simon, thanks for your comment! Glad you enjoyed this blog post.
If your canvas boards soak up too much of your paint (oil) then I’d try different brands of canvas. The absorbency of ready-made canvas can vary enormously so it is really worth experimenting. Some artists like the immediate staining of their canvas, others like to move things around a bit more. I also prefer a non-absorbent canvas (or the lowest absorbency I can find). So try different brands, you’ll be amazed.
Of course the least absorbent paintings supports are metals, like copper or aluminium. Also oil-primed canvas is beautifully non-absorbent and the paint will slide around like you’re painting on glass. Worth a go perhaps! ‘Universal’ acrylic priming, as said, can vary a lot, but I quite like Belle Arti (from Jackson’s) and Artfix canvas. Have fun experimenting!
Hi Sophie,
Thank you for this information. I use to paint on canvas that I stretched myself. Now I paint on Ampersand gesso panels. The gallery that I show my work at in group exhibits does not seem to have a preference when it comes to supports, but I am hoping to get gallery representation in the future. Do galleries generally prefer one support over another? I think that the Ampersand panels are of a very good quality and I am reluctant to go back to priming my own hardboard panels like I did in college because I don’t think that I could match their quality. Thank you in advance for any advice.
Elizabeth
Hi Elizabeth, sounds like you’re doing really well. I hope you’ll get the gallery! I can’t speak for galleries but as far as I know they would expect you to use archival and professional materials so they can sell your work with integrity. And good quality stretched canvas or Ampersand panels are that! Should be fine. Any material I use I would do a little bit of research (just a google search) to make sure there are no known problems. Ampersand is a great brand. Good luck!
Hi Sophie, I love your blog and appreciate the information so much. After reading this post, I’m tempted to try Jackson’s aluminium panels, for which you provided a link. Jackson says the panels need no priming and can be used as such, which would be great, as I would love a very smooth surface. What would you recommend based on your experience ? I’ve been searching the net and FB groups such Traditional oil paintung/Best painting practices etc., but am still a bit confused as people seem to say you should not paint directly on aluminium. If I understand correctly, you need to prime Dibond panels or any other ACM panels. But Jackson panelss seem to be different as they are pure aluminium (I’ve just bought a small sample) and have received a special treatment, so I don’t know what to do. I’d love to have your advice ! Thanks, Kim
Hi Kim, thanks for your comment! I have a couple of these panels on my shelf but must admit I haven’t tried them yet! If Jackson’s says they can be painted on as they are I would definitely take their word for it and when I use them (hopefully soon) I will do just that. Dibond is a sandwiched product, with layers of aluminium and other materials. It has a coating on it so it not the same as the panels from Jackson’s. I tried Dibond with and without priming and found the one with acrylic primer much stronger as a painting surface than the one without or the one with oil primer. I hope that helps! Happy painting!
I buy pre made standard doors and cut them up and seal the cut edges…spray all over with rustoleum ( outside )_2 coats and it is ready to go under an hour. If you use acrylic gesso, it will suck the oil from overlayers of paint and create flat spots _ the dreaded suede effect. You should also seal under paintings in umbers as they are oil thirsty. Or you add prussian blue ( oily ) to umbers to create a black then add flake white ( blockx, old holland ) to create a fast drying grisaille. Doors today are built as torsion boxes and dont warp. They are flat and you can easily secure hooks on the back ready to hang. This is the cheapest and easiest and quickest solution for hard panels I have found. They are light _mostly hollow and easy to drop into a box frame.
I have also tried cross – laminating 3 mm coreflute sheets to about an inch thick. They are very strong and lighter than dibond, alucabond, etc. But they still require finishing to create a flat surface to paint on.
Ciao now
Thanks for the suggestions! I’ve heard more people that paint on doors! Funny thought. I’ll stick to the more traditional supports…
Hi Sophie, I really appreciate the information and the blog, very informative. I am an architect by training and professional practice since the early 80’s and I am now getting back into drawing and painting again. However, I prefer pencil and paper (heavy watercolor Arches) as a starting point, then lead Flake White oil paint over the granite. This is not a sustainable image due to rot and degrading of the paper over time. Can I apply an oil primer directly over my pencil drawing onto the Arches paper and paint oils on top of that? I will be trying Arches oil paper soon, but I wonder how they prime their paper at Arches for oil painting.
Hi Gil, thanks for your comment.I must admit I am not sure but I think the safest bet would be to use pencil onto a primed surface, suitable for oil painting. So use canvas, board, oil paper or whatever is already suitable for oil painting, and do your initial sketch onto that. You can paint over the graphite without problems. I would hesitate with an oil primer on paper, unless it specifically says that is ok. Paper is flexible and most primers would not be suitable for it perhaps.
Hello Sophie, thanks for the informative read. Do you have any experience using acrylic / plastic panels for painting supports? I recently read over at the Underpaintings blog that Jeffrey Heins uses plastic panels as a support (https://underpaintings.com/2017-the-art-of-the-portrait-conference-day-1-2/), but trying to find info online is hard.
Hi, thanks for stopping by! I have no experience using acrylic or plastic panels I’m afraid. The nearest I’ve come to it is a nylon/linen mix canvas. I would imagine that a decent plastic support would be pretty archival and hardwearing but it is not a very common support, hence the lack of info online. Perhaps you can ask Jeffrey about it? Good luck!
Thanks Sophie, a lot of usefull information on your blog
You’re welcome! Glad you find it helpful.
I’ve just ordered some dibond after reading this. Thanks for the insight.
That’s great! Do let me know how you get on with it. I haven’t worked on Dibond for a while but still have a sheet in the cupboard.
A great read Sophie – really informative and so helpful. I’ve recently begun painting on aluminium – mainly because it feels very much like printmaking to me – I like that I can use the surface itself to show through. I’ve been working using oils on small 10 x 8 ins pieces from Jacksons Art Supplies. They’re lovely. I’m wondering about framing though?? I have explored all sorts of framing ideas with my canvas and paper pieces. But aluminium – float frame – don’t really know. Any ideas are welcome – Love your blogs.
Hi Lesley, thanks for stopping by! Not sure about a float frame for aluminium. You would need some incredibly strong glue. I would not risk that as the aluminium is quite heavy. Perhaps ask a framer? Of course you can frame it in a traditional frame with a rebate just like any other board. Just use some clips to keep it in place. Hope you find the perfect solution for you. Sophie
I am working on stretched linen and cotton most of the time, but you have encouraged me to try Dibond. Thank you for sharing.
Hi Carol, that’s great, go for it. Let us know how you like it!
Hi Sophie,
Thanks for providing detailed insight about various supports and grounds and getting rid of confusion. It has certainly helped me to decide what to paint on. I am thinking of using hardboard with acrylic primers (mostly due to easy availability and rigid surface quality).
My only concern is regarding acrylic primers. I have read somewhere that it tends to suck oil. I have seen this on market available canvases but I am not sure if that is due to poor priming job or acrylic primer itself. Can you please let me know if you ever noticed any problems with acrylic primed canvases or boards over the years? I must mention that oil primers are not easily available in India and are very expensive online.
Regards
Kaustav
Hi Kaustav, thanks for commenting! I am really pleased my blog post has helped you somewhat.
As for acrylic primers: a lot of ready-made primed canvas has an acrylic primer over it. I have found that different brands use different materials and the absorbency varies enormously! Some painters like a high absorbency, others don’t. The least absorbency comes from oil primers. Acrylic primers will always have some absorbency and I am afraid you will have to try and see which ones you like the best. Over the years it will make no difference as the absorbency only affects you while you are painting. Once dry and done, it will stay at it is for years to come (other circumstances being equal of course). So if you are concerned about the future, then please don’t worry. Most good quality acrylic primers will last for ages and will not change or damage your painting whatsoever. Hope this helps! Happy Painting!
Thanks for the article Sophie. I normally paint “en plein air” quite a bit and make my own painting panels. I adhere alkyd primed linen which I buy from a supplier in New York City to birch plywood with a glue called “Miracle Muck”, or BEVA 357 using a heat press. Miracle Muck claims their glue creates a barrier, so you don’t need to prime the wood first- but I prime/seal it sometimes anyway. If the panels are larger over 16″, I will seal both sides of the wood, to keep it from warping. I have a heat press such as was used to mount photos years back, and the BEVA film adheres the linen to the plywood with heat. It’s a bit pricey to use the BEVA though.
I became accustomed to working on rigid supports, so for larger studio paintings I have purchased or built cradled plywood panels and I either glue or stretch the linen over the plywood.
For oil paper, my favorite is Canva-paper, made by Canson. It has a linen texture and is nice for studies. I can take a sheet of canvapaper and mount it to hardboard or plywood with double sided tape in a jiffy, and can be off painting without the normal time it takes to make a linen panel.
Have you tried the paints from Natural Pigments? How do they perform?
Thanks, Matthew Lee
http://matthewleestudio.com
Hi Matthew, sorry for the late reply! I didn’t find a notification. But better late than never I hope! Thanks for your input, it is really interesting. I am surprised you go for plywood for your larger work. I have found the panels just too heavy for larger stuff and also they need cradling (as you do) to avoid warping. I do agree with you in liking a rigid surface. I just haven’t found the perfect one yet for larger paintings!
Great to hear about oil paper. I must admit I have never tried it. Must be great for quick sketches etc. It is on my list!! 😉
No, never tried NP paints, but I hear they are very good. They are not very common here in the UK though.
Thanks again for your contribution. Great stuff. Sophie
PS: for those reading along: Natural Pigments oil paint is called Rublev Oil Paint.
You are very welcome.
Hi Sophie
Great article.
I use arches oil paper, it’s a fantastic surface, inexpensive and fully archival and I have had great success with it.However I felt that I needed to experience a broad range of surfaces.
After trying oil primed linen I was frustrated with the slippery surface. New layers of paint would lift the underlayers. I paint many layers very thinly. I even experienced this on boards primed and then triple coated with golden gesso.
Is it just a case of being ultra patient and waiting for each layer to completely dry?
Thank you!
Hi Donna, thank you for adding your comments. I am not sure I even mentioned oil paper! Great addition! I must admit I have never tried it. I should really do some time.
Yes, oil primed linen is very slippery indeed and it takes some getting used to. I loved it, but it is not for everyone. I personally do not like absorbent surfaces while you might love that. On oil priming I love the fact you can move the paint around and it keeps it oily glow. I use a hatching technique with a small brush and the wet paint blends and mixes a little on the canvas. Whether you wait for layers to dry (if you have the patience) or not – using it will tell you whether its for you.
You might prefer a gesso style or universal priming!
Thanks again for stopping by!
I have gone through many articles, but your way of changing the myth of oil-painting is very impressive. I must say excellent information provided which will be beneficial to all art lovers. Thank You for posting.
Hi Daniel, thank you for your kind comment! So glad you found it useful. Sophie
Thank you for this – so much helpful information.
I too am worried about MDF, but do use it now an d again. Some time ago I read about Golden GAC 100 which I suppose is almost the acrylic version of rabbit skin glue. I now use it to coat both sides of the MDF before priming it with Golden primer.
Here is the information about GAC 100 from the Golden website –
GAC 100 Multi-Purpose Acrylic Polymer is a sealer that helps prevent Support Induced Discoloration (SID) caused by impurities that are drawn up through a substrate as the acrylic paint dries. GAC 100 is also useful for diluting and extending colors, increasing flexibility and film integrity, sizing for fabric and sealing for wood. GAC 100 will wet out solids, including pigments, more readily than other polymers and is useful for artists formulating their own paints
Sounds excellent, thanks for the tip! 🙂
Hi Chris, thanks for stopping by!
Ah, yes…oil priming is not to everyone’s taste…its like rollerskating with brushes – that’s how slippery it is. MDF is just so incredibly practical. I must admit I am a tad concerned about the formaldehyde in it but on the other hand so many art materials manufacturers and artists use it, so perhaps… ugh. dunno. 😉
Great blog with lots of information – has inspired me to finally try linen. I’ve been buying birch plywood from a timber place, sealing both sides with shellac, and then sanding and priming it. I enjoy the slight texture of the grain and also the rigidity, allowing me to rub back – also want to also try the shop-bought panels now too.
Hi Samantha. Thank you for reading and commenting! I am glad my post made you think about trying out linen. Do try lots of different brands, because they are all so very different!
I have never worked with shellac but for anyone wondering I found this hopefully helpful link:
http://www.naturalpigments.com/art-supply-education/shellac-use-art/
Good luck with trying alternatives. You might well find you like your own the best! I have stuck to shop bought materials. It saves me so much time.
Thanks again! Sophie
A lot of great information…thanks for sharing. I haven’t tried the dibond yet but plan to this year.
Thanks Maria! Good luck with the dibond.