What Material is Art Canvas Made of

Artists have many surface choices when it comes to what they choose to draw or paint on. Some surfaces hold paint differently. Some handle the marks of a pencil or oil crayon better than others. Still others are chosen for purely experimental reasons but can result in an innovation in the artist's methods. The standard for generations of artists working in paint is the art canvas.

Canvas is sometimes called cotton duck. It is a plain-woven cotton fabric used in a variety of products where its heavy duty qualities are necessary. Look for it in boat sails, tents, backpacks, shoes, signs, handbags and art canvas. Canvas comes in two varieties: duck and plain. Cotton duck has a tighter weave than plain cotton canvas. Canvas is noted by weight (ounces) and by a number system that distinguishes the lighter weight from the heavier weight.

Why choose canvas for painting? Cotton is durable and stretchable. Heavier weight cotton is what works best for art canvas. And very durable linen and hemp is used for oil painting. Art canvas must hold up to temperature changes, stretching, priming and shaping. Once primed, it must be strong enough to hold paint in various applications. Canvas can be rolled up, shipped, stored and handled much more easily than board or other paintable surfaces such as ceilings and walls.

Canvas can be bought in many ways and in many weights. Contemporary painters typically use a 12 to 14-ounce weight canvas. Before choosing a canvas, artists must decide what the canvas will be used for, if it will be primed or unprimed. Should the canvas be linen, hemp or cotton? Will the artist stretch his own canvas (rolled, primed or unprimed) or is a pre-stretched canvas better? And finally, what shape should the pre-stretched canvas be in?

Priming requires a product called gesso. Gesso protects the canvas and gives the artist a smoother surface from which to work. Priming is very important when using oil paint. Oil paint without the primer deteriorates and destroys the canvas over time. Acrylic painting can be done on unprimed canvas if the artist wishes the texture of the canvas to be incorporated into the artwork. Oil painting should be done on canvas primed with gesso made specifically for oil paints.

Photo art printed directly to an art canvas is a fairly new addition to art canvas capability. Artist-grade archival quality canvas should be used for photo art printing. This is the same primed canvas acrylic painters uses. Once the photo art is printed onto the canvas, it is stretched using the same types of stretchers an art canvas is stretched over.