• Canvas Material Types - What's actually different between them
• Stretched Canvas - Ready to paint, but read the fine print
• Rolled Canvas - DIY option, better quality control
• Canvas Boards & Panels - Portable, affordable, with limitations
• Priming & Preparation - The unsexy foundation that matters
• Canvas Stretching - How to do it right (or not waste money doing it wrong)
• Specialty Surfaces - When standard canvas won't cut it

What's actually different between student and professional canvas?

Professional canvas (Fredrix Red Label, Claessens linen) uses better materials, tighter weaving, and thicker priming. Student canvas (Fredrix Blue Label) works fine for learning but has looser weaves and thinner priming that won't last as long. The professional stuff lasts decades; student grade might start deteriorating in a few years. If you're creating work you want to keep or sell, use professional canvas.

Should I buy pre-stretched canvas or stretch my own?

Pre-stretched is convenient and consistent but limits your size options and you're trusting someone else's stretching job. Stretching your own gives you custom sizes and better quality control—but you need the skills and tools to do it right. Masterpiece and Fredrix make excellent pre-stretched options. Artfix sells superior canvas for DIY stretching. Start with pre-stretched, learn to stretch your own as you advance.

Can I use acrylic paint on oil-primed canvas?

No. Acrylics won't stick properly to oil-primed surfaces and will eventually peel off—sometimes spectacularly. Use acrylic-primed canvas for acrylics, oil-primed for oils. You can use oil over acrylic-primed canvas (fat over lean), but never acrylics over oil primer. This isn't optional—it's chemistry.

How do I pick canvas texture?

Fine textures (portrait linen, smooth cotton) for detailed work and faces. Medium texture for most landscapes and general painting. Coarse for impressionistic or expressive work where you want visible tooth. Test it—paint on small samples before buying large quantities. What works for one artist might feel wrong to another.

How big can I go with stretched canvas?

Standard stretched canvas typically maxes out around 60", though custom stretching goes larger. Rolled canvas has virtually no size limits—you just need big enough stretcher bars. Canvas boards typically stop around 30". For really big work (murals, large installations), consider synthetic canvas for its stability and strength.

Do I really need to prime my canvas?

If you're working on raw canvas, yes—absolutely. Unprimed canvas will suck paint into the fibers, colors will look dull, and the fabric will eventually rot from oil absorption. Most pre-stretched canvas comes primed, but you might want additional coats for a smoother surface. Priming isn't optional—it's the difference between paint sitting on top of the surface versus soaking into degrading fabric.

Pre-stretched canvas is ready to paint right out of the package—when it's done properly. The catch is that 'properly' varies wildly by manufacturer and price point.

• Gallery wrap (1.5" deep): Lets you paint around the edges and skip framing—looks professional for modern work
• Museum wrap: Canvas wraps around sides, staples on back—cleaner look than traditional
• Traditional wrap: Staples visible on sides—fine if you're framing it anyway
• Keyable corners: Wooden wedges let you re-tighten sagging canvas later—actually useful, not just marketing

Reality check: Cheap stretched canvas often has warped bars and uneven tension. You'll spend more time fighting the surface than painting.

• Student grade: Basic cotton, standard priming, good for learning and practice—won't last forever but that's okay
• Artist grade: Better cotton or linen blend, superior priming, for work you actually care about
• Professional grade: Premium linen or heavyweight cotton, archival quality, for work you want to last decades
• Portrait grade: Ultra-smooth surface for detailed faces and figures—specialized but worth it if that's your focus

Rolled canvas gives you unlimited size options and often better quality—but you have to stretch it yourself or pay someone to do it.

Why bother? Better canvas quality for the price, custom sizes, and you control the tension. Professional artists often prefer this for serious work.

The catch: You need stretcher bars, canvas pliers, a staple gun, and the skill to do it right. Badly stretched canvas is worse than cheap pre-stretched canvas.

Canvas boards and canvas paper are convenient for studies, plein air work, and classroom use—but they have limitations.

• Student canvas boards: Cardboard backing, canvas texture—fine for practice, won't last forever
• Artist canvas boards: Better backing, quality canvas—decent for smaller finished work
• Archival canvas boards: Acid-free materials—if you're going to work on board, get these for anything permanent
• Specialty boards: Watercolor canvas boards, mixed media panels—purpose-built for specific techniques

Reality check: Boards are convenient but rigid. No bounce like stretched canvas. Some artists love this, others hate it. Try before committing to large quantities.

• Wood panels: Birch, maple, or MDF with canvas glued on—very stable, no flex
• Aluminum panels: Lightweight, won't warp, great for detailed work—expensive but worth it for precision work
• Hardboard panels: Traditional masonite with canvas texture—old school but reliable
• Gessobord: Ampersand's clay-based ground on hardboard—smooth surface, some artists swear by it

Priming and sizing ensure paint sticks properly and your canvas doesn't degrade. It's boring but essential.

1. Sizing (if working with raw canvas): Apply diluted PVA or rabbit skin glue—seals the fibers so they don't rot from oil absorption
2. Dry completely: 4-24 hours depending on humidity—don't rush this
3. First primer coat: Thin, even coat, work it into the weave—don't glob it on
4. Sand between coats (optional): For ultra-smooth surfaces—most people skip this
5. Final coat: Second coat for professional finish—this is what your paint touches

Pro tip: Two thin coats beat one thick coat. Thick primer cracks, thin coats flex with the canvas.

Stretching supplies let you prepare custom canvases and maintain existing ones—if you're willing to learn the technique.

• Stretcher bars: Kiln-dried wood or aluminum—get quality bars or don't bother, warped bars make bad canvas
• Canvas pliers: Specialized gripping tools—trying to stretch without these is miserable
• Staple gun: Heavy-duty, designed for canvas—your office stapler won't cut it
• Corner keys: Wooden wedges for adjusting tension later—small but important

• Student grade: Basic softwood for practice work—might warp over time
• Artist grade: Kiln-dried hardwood, proper bracing—what most professionals use
• Museum grade: Premium hardwood or aluminum, precision engineering—expensive but permanent
• Heavy-duty: Reinforced for large canvases or heavy impasto—necessary for big work

Alternative surfaces for specific techniques and applications:

• Digital print canvas: Inkjet-compatible for mixed traditional/digital work
• Textured specialty surfaces: Simulated wood grain, stone, fabric textures—gimmicky but sometimes useful
• Shaped canvas: Hexagonal, circular, oval, triangular—when rectangular is too boring
• Cradled panels: Wood-backed canvas, no framing needed—clean, modern look
• Multimedia surfaces: Accept everything from oils to collage—versatile but check compatibility first

Canvas replaced wooden panels during the Renaissance because it was lighter and could go bigger—Titian and the Venetian masters pioneered techniques taking advantage of canvas texture and flexibility. Five centuries later, we're still using essentially the same material because it works. Modern manufacturing has refined it, but the fundamentals remain unchanged.

Good canvas has:

• Consistent weave density—no loose or tight spots
• Proper stretch tension—should feel taut, not drum-tight or saggy
• Even primer thickness—no thin spots or blobs
• Solid corner construction—cheap canvases fall apart at corners first

Should feel substantial without being stiff, show even color across the surface, maintain tension without sagging or rippling.