Canvass is the most common type, cotton being cheaper than linen, although the latter is frequently preferred by artists painting in oils.
(prHWY.com) October 17, 2012 - Florida, FL -- Florida, Oct 17, 2012 - Canvass is the most common type, cotton being cheaper than linen, although the latter is frequently preferred by artists painting in oils. Both will need stretching over a frame, but can easily be purchased with this already done and the surface prepared.
Paintings - All these have relative advantages and disadvantages, but which type you choose will depend on the kind of painting you wish to produce and your approach to oil painting. Initially you may not see the need for one type over another, but as you progress and gain experience, the relative appeals will become apparent.
If you purchase one from a retailer or artists supply shop it will already have been primed. For this, a paint known as a ground, which acts as a sealant, will have been applied If a support is not primed, the oil in the paint will be absorbed by the support and leave the paint rather powdery. Another advantage of priming is that it also gives a better surface for painting on.
However, if you are going to use a solid support like plywood or MDF, the simplest way to prime the support is to use an acrylic primer. This is manufactured to adhere to untreated surfaces. You will need two or even three coats, but these dry very quickly - just let each one dry before applying the next.
The acrylic can be sanded down to give a very smooth finish, using glass paper or emery cloth, both readily available from DIY stockists. This may take some effort because acrylic is quite tough, and a sanding machine may be handy, especially if you want to get rid of any lines the brush has left when the acrylic was applied.
The acrylic can be applied with a brush, roller or sponge. The latter two may be more preferable in order to avoid lines in the ground, although both are still likely to leave some patterning in the surface.
Paintings For Sale - Always apply oil paint over either an acrylic primer or, when you are actually painting a picture and want to use both acrylic and oil paint, even over a coat of acrylic paint. In the latter respect, while some artists like to use a white background, one might sometimes find it advantageous to have a coloured one.
But it often pays to think ahead when coating a support and, if you have some idea of what size support you may need for your next two or three (or four or five!) paintings, you could get then all done at once, which will tend to save on costs, time and repeated washing out of brushes or rollers.
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