If you are thinking of a durable piece of art, use canvas as your surface. Canvas is long-lasting, straight linen, cotton, or hemp fabric for several art purposes. Usually, artists use a stretcher (wooden frame) covered with gesso, which prevents the paint from reaching the canvas. If the color directly comes into contact with the canvas, it will cause decay.
Therefore canvas art is the skill of stretching art on a frame with no invisible hardware. That way, the piece of art wraps around the edge, conveying a frameless art with the image or its reflections extending on the sides.
So, why use canvas for your piece of art?
Benefits of Canvas
- Canvas is large; hence you can conveniently display your piece of work without worrying about space.
- It is also lightweight and rolled, therefore making it portable. You can move your work effortlessly from one area to another as you prefer.
- With canvas, you have no worries of cracking and warping like the wood panels.
- Canvas comes in several colors, shapes, sizes, designs, and styles. You have the freedom to choose which satisfies your taste and preference.
- Since it comes in many forms, it also has different costs to fit your budget. You can decide to spend little or much on your choice of canvas.
- Art on canvas becomes glare-free. This makes it easy for you to fully appreciate the images without interruption of natural or artificial lighting.
- Canvas art fits any style and décor of your house. Whether you like a modern style or traditional style, you can give life to any image of your choice by using canvas.
Factors to Consider When Choosing the Right Canvas
When looking for canvas, several things to consider will affect the canvas quality and type of paint to use. Such factors include;
Fabric: The most common canvas fabrics are linen and cotton. Linen is the most preferred due to its surface quality and durability. However, it is costly, making it hard to find in ordinary art shops. Cotton, on the other hand, is also a favorable and cost-effective option. It is also somewhat durable and has excellent quality of the surface.
Texture: the texture of the canvas depends on how well the weaving is. Some woven canvases are more refined than others, thus having the best surfaces. Conversely, different textures suit different types of paintings. For instance, smooth textures are ideal for smaller and comprehensive work, while rough textures are best for a larger image and broad brush strokes.
Priming: Priming is an essential aspect of canvas for preventing the paint from absorbing into the fabric. The universal canvas prime is gesso, which is a blend of Paris, chalk, and glue. However, the intent of the artist varies, making others prefer the unprimed canvas. Unprimed canvas produces a dull and textured color, which is a liking for different workpieces.
Types of Canvas
There are different types of canvases to suit different budgets and purposes or modes of application.
Stretched Canvas
Stretched canvas is famous for acrylic painting. It stretches over wooden frames or stretchers. Most stretched canvas comes in cotton and gesso to create a perfect painting surface. Please note that canvases’ priming is either for oil or acrylic paint to make the right pick.
Moreover, the stretched canvases’ frames come in distinct thicknesses and size called traditional (thinner) and deep (thicker). Your choice of the structure depends on the kind of display you like. For instance, framed artwork would be a perfect match for the standard thickness while the unframed paintings blend with the deep frames.
Canvas Panels
Canvas panels are not only affordable but high quality as well. It is a mounted cotton canvas on a stiff board. Moreover, the panels are ideal for beginners since they are lightweight and easy to use in practice routines.
As a beginner, you should have your first painting on a canvas painting to always remind you of your art growth. This is because the canvas panels are durable to last you an extended time of your art journey.
Canvas Rolls
Canvas rolls are for the art experts who like to paint and stretch large images. The canvas rolls come in either cotton or linen. Also, you can find them in different fibers, textures and weights, primed, or unprimed. Since they come in large rolls or yards, they tend to be more expensive than other types of canvases.
Canvas Pads
Not far apart from the canvas rolls as they come in sheets in a spiral book, the primed canvas pads are ideal for several painting techniques. Because canvas is versatile in general, an artist can either stretch or mount the canvas pads.
However, these canvas pads will disappoint you if you expect a lasting service. If you are looking into starting painting on canvas, this is it. The canvas pads are ideal for trainees and amateurs.
What Type Of Paints Should You Use For Canvas Art?
You are ready to paint, but what next? Choose a painting that will work best on canvas, bearing in mind that not all paints are suitable. The three perfect canvas paints include;
Oil painting: oil paint and canvas form a perfect symphony. Oil has a thick and sticky texture that makes it ideal for resting on a top-quality surface, and the canvas becomes the perfect choice. Whether you have the water-soluble or traditional oil, it will still work correctly on canvas.
Acrylic paint: if you are the type that works quickly, then acrylic paint is for you. This is because it dries quickly on the canvas, so you won’t have time to waste waiting for dryness. Acrylics paint best on a primed canvas. Moreover, the denser it becomes, the easier it spreads on the canvas. In case you are creating an opaque coating, a thin layer of acrylic will force you to use more paint.
Gouache: this will work on the canvas but will need a thick layer. Use as little water as possible while mixing with gouache since a thick paste is preferable. Gouache can be challenging at times; hence it is ideal for smaller painting on the canvas.
Canvas Art vs. Framed Art
Modern décor begs to experiment on a couple of things at once; hence it is possible to mix the framed art with canvas art. Framed prints blend into the standard decor of a room by linking the color scheme with the frame. They also change the mood of the photo or artwork to the type of a specific structure.
With a black border frame, the attention rests on the artwork or photo. But you can get the more conventional structures like contemporary or traditional to expose the photo’s character. When deciding on frames, the furniture and room decor are vital to maintaining consistency.
On the other hand, canvas prints deliver a more flexible approach when decorating a wall. You can add them without worry since the frameless borders adjust to any style.
Before buying any canvas, take your time on research. A thorough analysis will enable you to choose a favorable option that is affordable and high quality.
