Painting on canvas
Thrasher Brown
What kind of paint should I use? Are acrylics okay or should I use oils?
Does the canvas need to be stretched-out/held-flat in some kind of way
before I paint to ensure that the image doesn't smudge or something like
that?
Thank you.
---
Thrasher
--
If you're in the winter, go skiing.
reubentice
I"ve painted many awnings made of canvas with this coating and have had
great success.
Good luck.
Pat Strong wrote:
> Canvas is just a support for the paint. It is flexible, even when
> stretched, so make sure there is some flexibility in the dried paint
> film... that pretty much excludes temperas and caseins.... oil is
> good, long working time, very transparent glazes.... if you read up a
> bit you can get a painting that will not crack or flake for 200
> years.... it is proven. Acrylic... fast drying, easy to build thick
> impasto for textural effects, good range of colors and special effects
> like iridescence and gritty textures. Has no real drawbacks except
> if you have used oil, acrylic looks, feels, and pulls like what it is,
> plastic.
>
> Canvas can be used unprimed, primed, stretched or unstretched. It
> depends on what you want. Canvas shrinks considerably when it is
> first painted upon... If you are doing formal easel painting, you need
> some way to support the canvas while you paint in a vertical
> position. IF you are doing abstract work, there is an advantage in
> laying the canvas on the floor so you can walk around it and dribble
> and dab paint from above. Unprimed canvas can bleed and stain.. it
> can be a neat effect or detract... it depends. I have done murals as
> long as 45 feet on canvas, by stapling it on a plastic sheeted wall,
> painting the painting and then, after it dried, rolling it up and
> having a wall paper hanger hang it on site.
>
> As you might have guessed, the answer is "it depends".
>
> Pat
>
nmaples
Gesso... all Gessos are Acrillic based and work with oil or Acrillic either
way .... on canvas you can go over Acrillic with oil but not the other way
around. Gesso of course use to be all oil based but not anymore.... remember
if your not going to streach your Canvas that the Canvas is going to keep
what ever shape it is in when it is painted with the first coat... a bit
like puring cement... the time to shape the Canvas is before you do anything
to via painting..... other than that Canvas is a good working surface...
NorvMan
Pat Strong
> For traditional canvas painting you will want to prime the canvas with
> Gesso... all Gessos are Acrillic based and work with oil or Acrillic either
> way ....
No they aren't. Some are made from animal proteins.....
> on canvas you can go over Acrillic with oil but not the other way
> around. Gesso of course use to be all oil based but not anymore
Oil based gesso? That is a new one on me.
> .... remember
> if your not going to streach your Canvas that the Canvas is going to keep
> what ever shape it is in when it is painted with the first coat... a bit
> like puring cement... the time to shape the Canvas is before you do anything
> to via painting..... other than that Canvas is a good working surface...
>
> NorvMan
>
Norv,
If your going to give advice about painting, please learn how to spell the
product. Acrylic is spelled..A C R Y L I C......
From what you advised the muralist and now what you advise here, you know very
little about paint chemistry. Good ingredients cost money. The best
formulations cost the most.
There are several grades of "Artists" quality paints, just like there are
several grades of house paint. The better grades are distinguished by their
attention to lightfastness and film durability. There are grades that are
geared for art school ephemera and there are grades that are geared to master
quality. Price is a pretty good indicator of quality.
None of that matters if the paint is improperly applied. While it is true that
any paint is going to fade over time when exposed to direct sunlight, there are
things that can be done at the outset to prolong the color. The site can be
protected from direct light by overhangs, or by choosing a site that has good
protection already. The surface can be coated with any of a number of UV
inhibiting coatings, and maintained on a regular basis.
Pat