Try Canvas Painting and Expand Your Creativity
It’s unbelievable that there are many several options for an artist today. Pre-stretched canvases are sold in many sizes in most art supply stores. As such, canvas painting do get popular in the years.
However, there are times when an artist may wish to stretch themselves. In modern times ready made canvases can be expensive especially for large sizes and unusual shapes and sizes are almost impossible to obtain. There is an easier way to make them yourself. It will not only save up on money but also it is also fun to make once you master the technique.
Originally, the canvas used for paintings came from sail cloth. In modern times sails are madefrom synthetic materials. Synthetic materials should be avoided for paintings as they tend to provide poor adhesion. But not to worry, most fabric supplies still stock cotton canvas in many grades appropriatefor painting. The grade of cotton canvas used will influencethe surface finish.
There are three basic grades available in the market. The three grades are - course, medium and fine. Let’s start with the course grade. The course grade is made from the heaviest yarn and will give the grainy appearance to finish surface. The medium grade will give a slightly grainy appearance and the fine grade with give a smooth finish. The most popular used for paintings especially oils and acrylics is medium grade. Cotton calico cloth can also be used; this yields a very fine weave and the smoothest of all the finishes. This is particularly advantageous if a high gloss is desired.
Because of the absorptive capacity of canvas, proper sealing must be ensured to ensure a good painting surface.This is achieved by applyingat least 2 coasts of primer.
This process not only seals the surface but also tightens the tension of the canvas once the primer is dry. Keep the canvas on a flat horizontal surface when applying the primer to ensure and even coating and allow drying thoroughly between coatings.
Your next step? Apply the primer evenly on the paining surface, the edges and the rear of the stretcher. This bonds the masking tape the canvas edges to the stretcher frame and yields a neat finish.
The completedpainting should have a clean smooth finish. If small lumps show up these are usually due to imperfection in the canvas weave and will not interfere with the final paining. If desired, lumps can be removed with fine sandpaper between primer coats. If you are a new canvas painter, you can try it out too.
Give it a go, good luck!
