Surfaces Artists Paint On!
There are lots of surfaces (AKA supports) artists can paint on and ion this article we will explore many different kinds. I paid in acrylic paint and it is so versatile you can paint on just about anything. But for fine art, these are the surfaces most often used to paint on.
I mainly paint on canvas, masonite, and water color paper. To paint on paper, it must be at least 140 lb. I like it because it’s inexpensive and if I get something I really like, it can easily be matted and framed.
You can purchase your supports in many places:
- Dick Blick Art – online
- Jerry’s Artarama – online
- Cheap Joe’s – online
- Local art stores
- Hobby Lobby
- Michaels
- JoAnn’s Fabrics
Be careful that you do buy quality products. The marketplace is full of cheap supplies, but in most cases they will not serve you well. You don’t have to pay a fortune, but a cheap canvas might not hold up well over time or may be very hard to paint on.
When I paint on watercolor paper, canvas paper or Arches, I tape the paper to a board all the way around. I let the paint dry completely to avoid any warping of the paper.
I always tone my canvases before I paint on them. I will be releasing a video and blog post about toning canvases next week. Keep an eye out for it.
There are different types of supports that lend themselves better to certain art projects and paintings.
When doing a portrait, it is much easier to do it on a very smooth surface like some of the Arches fine art papers. You can do it on a canvas, but you should give it several more coats of gesso to take out some of the tooth of the canvas. Sometimes it’s very rough and you feel like you’re fighting the tooth. I like painting portraits on masonite panels.
I hope this have been helpful and if you liked the video, please give it a thumbs up and subscribe Tony channel. If you know someone who would love to learn to paint, please share it with them. That’s all I teach.
Thanks for stopping by today. Let’s paint together real soon.
P.S. You can take a free painting class by clicking HERE and signing up for it.