Different types and styles of artist canvas
Tarajim
I am interested in knowing what benefits I can obtain by using different types
and styles of artist canvas. I paint with acrylic and generally don't like to
stretch my own canvas. Is the commercial stuff any good. Who's brand is best.
Do you like the smooth or the textured. Usually I paint on the least
expensive I can find (low budget you know). But, is one brand better than
another?
Where are the best deals on canvas? Is mail order available? Is a canvas
stapled on the side of the stretchers any better than one with the staples on
the back? I also saw some canvas recently that didn't have staples but wrapped
around the stretchers and used a rubber string to hold it in place. Anybody
know about this?
I would appreciate your comments and help.
Larry Seiler
Tarajim-
Cheaper stretched cotton canvas can with a great deal of weighty paint
over the years pull fibers apart and come apart, but more so with oils,
and especially if the ground is not adequate where the acids of oils get
at the fibers. For the most part, acrylic doesn't even need a ground
necessarily because it doesn't have the acid problem oil has. You can
use a cheaper cotton canvas preprimed with acrylics....no problems.
The issue is more the weave...tigher weave allows for more detail, and
linen is the most pleasurable to paint on....but, that is very
expensive. There are varieties of weave in cotton canvas.
Larger paintings are going to be viewed from further back anyway, and so
a more textued canvas won't be as critical.
Something I'm going to experiment with is cutting canvas and gluing it
to 1/4" art foamcore board...which won't warp like the cardboard or
masonite. These are light to carry especially for those painting out of
doors.
You can also glue canvas to masonite...but rabbit hide glue would be
recommended for that.
I'm fairly aggressive with my acrylic on canvas. I intensely attack the
canvas with paint applying with a palette knife for about 60-70% of the
landscape....and finish sculpting trees with skylight etc for the rest..
the paintings begin very chaotic, but in short order finish quite
realistic...much fun!!!
I think this is more an issue for oil paint than acrylics, and wouldn't
worry too much about it. Now....when you start selling larger originals
at $4000-$10,000 each....you might want to splurge and go linen!!! :)
Larry Seiler
my art at: http://cwinc.net/larryseiler
landscapes can be seen by going to gallery link, click onto
"Landscapes", click onto thumbnail once, then again to see larger!
peace......
"Art attacks can skill!"