Frequently Asked Questions
You will find below a selection of FAQs relating to Surfaces. If you still can't find the answer you're looking for you can email us.
Surfaces for Oil colour Painting
1. What are the best surfaces for Oils?
2. What is the purpose of priming canvas?
3. Can canvas be primed with foundation white over a PVA size? Is this safe?
4. Is Foundation White good enough as primer?
5. Does paper need to be primed before using with oil bar or can it go directly on paper?
6. Can Artisan be used on card or paper?
Surfaces for Water Colour Painting
7. What are the best surfaces for Water Colour or Gouache?
8. How should watercolour paper be stretched?
9. How is paper sized and primed?
10. Does it matter which side of water colour paper is used?
11. What does ‘hot’ and ‘cold-pressed’ mean in terms of paper?
Surfaces for Acrylics Colour Painting
12. What are the best surfaces for Acrylics?
Surfaces for Drawing & Sketching
13. What is the best surfaces for Drawing and Sketching?
Surfaces for Pastels
14. What is the best surfaces for Pastels?
Surfaces for Oil colour Painting
1. What are the best surfaces for Oils?
Stretched, primed canvas is the traditional and most common support for oil colour, although there are a variety of additional supports and surfaces that are suitable for oils.
Wood panels, MDF and other masonite types are good for stability and offer proven longevity and a surface that will not flex. Canvas boards are also great for outdoor work, offering the same unique, double-primed painting surface as stretched canvases but are less easily damaged when painting en plein air. Winton Oil Colour pads are also popular for sketching or outdoor.
For further information about surfaces suitable for Oil Colour click here.
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2. What is the purpose of priming canvas?
It is extremely important to prime a canvas.
For further information click here.
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3. Can canvas be primed with foundation white over a PVA size? Is this safe?
We do not advise the use of PVA at all as it is not archival. It may disintegrate prematurely leaving the remaining painting with no foundations.
We have two options for priming canvas for oil colours.
1) Acrylic Primer: We have two main options. Acrylic Gesso Primer which contains white pigment and Clear Gesso Base which contains no pigment and can be tinted with artists' acrylic colour.
For further information on Acrylic Gesso Primer click here.
For further information on Clear Gesso Base click here.
2) Solvent Based Primer: Oil Painting Primer. This is the more traditional option of the two although it is faster drying than the very old style primers for oil colour. The canvas must be sized with rabbit skin glue before application. It does not need to cure for 6 months. It can be painted upon once touch dry. For best results it is best to apply a few coats.
For further information on Oil Painting Primer click here.
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4. Is Foundation White good enough as primer?
Foundation White or Underpainting White can also be used for priming. The latter is slightly faster drying than the former. Both require sizing of canvas before application.
For further information click here.
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5. Does paper need to be primed before using with oil bar or can it go directly on paper?
Suitably primed paper can all be used as suitable surfaces for Artists' Oilbar. A good primer to use is our Acrylic Gesso Primer.
For further information on surfaces click here.
For further information on Acrylic Gesso Primer click here.
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6. Can Artisan be used on card or paper?
It is not advisable to apply Artisan (or any other type of oil colour) onto paper that has not been primed. It would be better to apply at least one coat of our Acrylic Gesso Primer.
For further information on Acrylic Gesso Primer click here.
This will give the correct surface absorbency, ensuring that none of the binder will be absorbed into the paper. Artisan applied to primed paper can be varnished. However, it is impossible to completely remove our artists' varnishes from either paper or primer. Therefore it would be best to protect work on paper behind glass, ensuring that the glass does not touch the surface of the painting.
For further information on surfaces click here.
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Surfaces for Water Colour Painting
7. What are the best surfaces for Water Colour or Gouache?
The paper chosen for water colour and gouache will have a significant influence on the final painting. The paper's characteristic behaviour, determined by its manufacture, and the colour, weight and surface texture of the paper will have a profound effect on the character of artistic work. It is therefore essential to understand the nature of each paper and to choose carefully. Please follow the link for detailed information on these surfaces :
For further information on Surfaces for Water Colour & Gouache click here.
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8. How should watercolour paper be stretched?
Stretching paper is required wherever excess moisture is involved. Most commonly paper is stretched for water colour painting.
For further information on Stretching Paper click here.
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9. How is paper sized and primed?
Sizing paper reduces the absorbency of the sheet. It is only likely to be required when printing or painting with oil colour on paper. Priming paper changes the colour, texture or absorbency of the sheet. This may be done with acrylics; primer or colour or mixed, for any media.
For further information on Sizing & Priming Paper click here.
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10. Does it matter which side of water colour paper is used?
The reverse side usually has a different surface texture but the sizing is the same on both sides so either surface can be used. It is not advisable to paint on both sides of the paper as the paper will not necessarily be flat; if the colour was heavy if may effect the tone of the new painting.
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11. What does ‘hot’ and ‘cold-pressed’ mean in terms of paper?
After the paper sheet is formed it passes through rollers between felts. The felts are textured and the rollers pressured resulting in the characteristic Not or Cold Pressed surface. Hot Pressed paper passes through hot rollers without felts resulting in a smooth sheet. A Not surface produces textural effects in water colour whilst the flat finish of an HP surface particularly suits illustrations.
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Surfaces for Acrylics Colour Painting
12. What are the best surfaces for Acrylics?
Acrylics can be used on a large variety of supports, including canvas, paper, wood, degreased leather, brickwork, or anything which is neither greasy nor too glossy. Professionals and those painters using an oil technique favour canvas whilst paper is used by those working in a water colour style. Galeria Acrylic Pads are also popular for sketching or outdoor work.
For further information on surfaces click here.
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Surfaces for Drawing & Sketching
13. What is the best surfaces for Drawing and Sketching?
The most popular surface for drawing and sketching is cartridge paper. Cartridge paper obtained its name from being used to wrap gunpowder for cartridges in the early 19th century. This use of course, ceased long ago but the name has become synonymous with any general grade of drawing and sketching paper.
For further information on these surfaces click here.
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Surfaces for Pastels
14. What is the best surfaces for Pastels?
Pastel papers or board which have a textured surface are the most common surfaces for pastels. However, paper can also be prepared for pastel work using a primer which adheres to the surface creating a ‘tooth' similar to that of pastel board.
The beauty of pastel is best exploited by using a paper with some degree of texture. Not only does the pastel have a surface to adhere to but the visual effects are also more varied than when using smooth sheets.
For further information on these surfaces click here.
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