Artist Problems - Overwhelming Canvas Options

Are you overwhelmed by canvas options? The options are so vast that I am only going to tackle the bare bone basics here. We can get fancy later. Let’s talk about cotton versus linen, and acrylic primed versus oil primed. These are going to be the most basic options you will face when shopping for canvas. Why spend more for linen? Why opt for oil primed when acrylic primed is universal?? Why not just watch???

[@JerrysArtarama]

Enjoy Mike's humor? Be sure to check out his KZbin Channel! kzbin.info Or follow him on Instagram @mikenotjerry

[@MissMariana10]

i wonder how mike managed to stay so serious through the whole "the fiber is THIS size" *measures with hands* and don't even get me started on the "tight" bit

[@JerrysArtarama]

It's called a "jump cut!"

[@ericaroberts3919]

I was shopping at Blick, came here for info, and I'm now shopping at Jerry's. Well done.

[@tssdr9419]

"Just the tip" 👀

[@MelissaBrauen]

Excellent episode - VERY helpful - and fun - thank you !

[@laurenseamsodd]

hahahhaa. He coughed when pulling off the stretcher keys!! OMG!

[@elizabethhannah4332]

why can't guys like this go to my school 👏👏😩😩😂😂😂👌👌👌👌

[@elizabethhannah5896]

ikr 😩👏

[@kathleentownsend1404]

Love the "cough" as you yank the ball- I mean bag of wood stabilizers off the back of the canvas. LOL

[@jordinhocharles]

Kathleen Townsend I thought I was the only one that caught that 😂😂😂that was hilarious

[@heartworkbykitty7933]

This was JUST what I was looking for, thank u!!! Hilarious as well, loved it, entertaining and informative

[@Raeburnsart]

Mike you are always a gem to watch. Thanks for the insightful knowledge :)

[@FioriSama]

dang I LOVE THESE VIDEOS

[@josieannbernard638]

Thanks a lot. Great information.

[@netsaosa4973]

thanks Jerry

[@poorclarenun]

Well this was kind of timely for me, thanks! Just ordered oil primed pre stretched linen for the first time. I'm also revisiting stretching my own, and it's not going well... yet. Wondered if I missed any of your videos on stretching and priming.

[@BornAgainFarmGirl]

Brilliant !

[@rachelmitchell9727]

Thank you, very helpful! :)

[@barbaramajder8786]

Hi, I will appreciate your answer! Shall I varnish unstretched acrylic canvas? or after stretching?

[@eripolis]

"unprimed canvas makes paint dull " so......Francic Bacon..?

[@djnima]

Thanks, but may I point out one thing : Canvas does NOT mean cotton. It is a "closley woven heavy cloth of cotton, hemp or linen" , and the word canvas originally comes from Vulgar Latin "cannapaceus" meaning "made of hemp", which is derived from the Greek "kannabis" meaning hemp (or in Latin and English "cannabis"). So if you were to reduce the word canvas to one thing, it would be cannabis :) I mean, hemp fiber cloth.

[@noursamar6762]

Can medium weight bedsheets be primed for acrylic painting?

[@a.humphries8678]

Just got some primed canvas on a roll. It's so stiff and it curls. Do you have a hack to get it to lay flat? Thanks

[@mamascorpio]

....ya'll..... he called the canvas keys giblets!! bwhahaahahah.....great comparison though since a lotta folks through both away. I only save turkey giblets to make the gravy. Chicken giblets get tossed.

[@capbin146]

Really great subject. Was just in an art store trying to discover/feel canvas pads but they were all shrink wrapped. What's the difference between this and paper for oils. I am playing with water mixable oils. Ta.

[@JerrysArtarama]

There are papers made specifically for oils. I believe Arches has an paper that is just for them. It's a special treatment of the paper. In terms of difference, I think the main one is just painting style and preference. Some people love to paint on paper, while others prefer the more traditional canvas. The pad is the same as you would find on a stretched canvas, just not stretched. So instead of paper, you'd be painting on cotton or linen.

[@capbin146]

JerrysArtarama thanks for taking the time to reply. Great channel.

[@conductorguy12262]

Giblets!

[@PoojaDeshpande84]

Stapled canvas Baumgartner has left the chat

[@pollyjones9253]

Hi I’m stretching my own canvas’s and I’ve cut all my sizes...but now realised I don’t know which side is the wrong side or right side of the raw canvas. Does it matter or how do you tell the difference?

[@James.5703]

There is only one thing that matters in this video - Blackwing 602

[@pirate1958]

how to repair a hole in an unused canvas

[@heathersmac]

does panel canvas have any downfall other than looking less professional to stretched canvas?

[@JerrysArtarama]

Having a more professional look is more of an opinion than fact. Many famous paintings, including the Mona Lisa were done on panel. The reason people opt for stretched canvas vs panel has to do with a few factors. One is the feel of the painting surface (stretched canvas has a "bounce" to it). Also, canvas can be re-stretched where panels cannot. Also, depending on the type of panel you are using, it may be less archival or more susceptible to warping/mildewing/etc. Panels do have some pros for them, like being easy to use, easy to transport, and easy to frame. Hope this helps.

[@heathersmac]

JerrysArtarama Yes, very much so, thank you~

[@ChristinaFurnerWebber]

a STRUGGLING (in all sense of the word😲), beginner acrylic painter, I'd be HAPPY if my paint would glide and cover the canvas!!😵😵😬😈 uurrgghh!! In my case, I know it's not an issue of brush or paint quality, and I KNOW it's not ME, BC I am pretty capable of painting a brush stroke 😳 so what do I do about this? Inquiring minds…? I really love your videos and love Jerry's too, so thanks for the laugh and thank you in advance for your help and advice!

[@JerrysArtarama]

Is your paint too think, perhaps?

[@ChristinaFurnerWebber]

JerrysArtarama Too thick? Well I thought so too initially BC I use liquitex heavy body, so I definitely tried watering it down, but still with the same effect. Maybe it's just the economy canvas🙇😥 Oh well thanks anyway for your help!!😊

[@staciecarrel4492]

Some really cheap economy canvases are stupidly dipped in wax after priming, which completely defeats the purpose of the manufacturer's priming. Paint doesn't stick to it at all. You may get oil paint to kinda adhere, but acrylic and anything else that can be thinned with water will just bead up when wet. If you put a thick enough layer on there that it stops beading, it will instead peel off later when dry like when acrylic paint dries on a glass or plastic surface. Most reputable fine art stores (like Jerry's, arts&craftsman supply, or dickblick) don't even bother carrying these canvases, but a sells everything store with a craft isle or two in the back like Walmart or Target will often have them. And once in a rare while you'll see them in hobby craft art stores. I was gifted some wax-dipped canvases by some relatives who don't know this, and I didn't realize it until I unwrapped them and noticed an uncharacteristic sheen. I was able to use those canvases anyway by putting several THICK layers of acrylic gesso on them, and making sure the gesso wrapped over the edges of the entire canvass. Even so, I only used them as practice canvasses, not for anything I may want to sell later as I don't know how well it's going to stay together in 20-30 years.

[@abbyrivers9971]

@@ChristinaFurnerWebber IT sounds like IT s the Paint. Het a normal acrylic Paint, example... liquitix basic and see if that s the case.

[@TsukabuNosoratori2]

Don't Giblets go in Gumbo or something? xD

[@gwensimmons_gigi1629]

So one really can't paint watercolor on a canvas or is it just on an acrylic primed canvas?!? And is there a type of canvas that would accept watercolors??

[@JerrysArtarama]

It's more to do with the priming used. There are several options of canvas out there that work with watercolor. We have on called Yes! canvas (because Yes! it accepts all media!!!). I've used it before and it has a very nice look to it!

[@gwensimmons_gigi1629]

JerrysArtarama :Thanks Mike! Maybe you can do a review on these watercolor canvas options, sometime. Hint, hint. ;-)

[@newbietubie]

As Mike stated the primer plays a big factor. There are a few options. You can prime canvas with some of the Golden products which will absorb watercolor, one of which is specifically made for watercolor. But that being said, it will take time to adjust to preparing and using. There's also the added hassle of making it completely smooth. This is because watercolor is applied so thinly that any imperfection in the primer application will become evident. You could also wrap paper around stretcher bars as if it were canvas or even mount paper onto board. It's a bit of a process but at least you will be working on paper.

[@gwensimmons_gigi1629]

newbietubie: Danke, Newbietubie!

[@abbyrivers9971]

@@JerrysArtarama hij but then Will IT be of Artist/museumquality when offcourse use artist quality paints?

[@newbietubie]

hello, as always great video. just wondering your take on polyester as a substrate? I hear it's cheaper, smoother, tighter stretch and more archival yet I never see it sold in stores.

[@JerrysArtarama]

OK fancy pants- these are some of those unique options I opted to leave out for simplicity lol. But there are synthetic canvases becoming, albeit slowly, available. They would be cheaper, and for all intents and purposes should be more archival and resilient than cotton or linen. The issue is really that regardless what we might believe at this time, you really don't know for sure how it will do until it's been around long enough (like canvas and linen has). It's the same as that Yin Min Blue. Hypothetically it's going to be lightfast and archival, but until it's past the test of time, we cannot know for sure. I wouldn't be surprised if we saw more synthetic canvas coming to the market in the future.

[@newbietubie]

Thank you very much! :) On the topic of synthetic substrates, would you happen to know if the synthetic paper Yuppo can be painted on directly with oils or would it have to be primed (to maintain archival status)? It's plastic so it's not like it would rot away like unprimed paper/cotton/linen.

[@JerrysArtarama]

I only have some experience with watercolor paints on Yuppo. I would imagine with the proper priming you can use oils on it just fine, but don't quote me on it :-)

[@newbietubie]

Thank you! :)

[@princepouncer2729]

I size all my raw stretched Belgian linen canvases with a mixture of Elmer's All ( purpose) glue and a little water to milky texture, prior to priming it with Williamsburg Flake white lead oil . My oldest canvas via this method , has held-up well for ten years , no 'acidity problems, nothing. And the oil ground sticks well to the Elmer glue sized linen. Any comments suggestions? Thanks.

[@lisatowers1736]

Hi Mike. I enjoyed your video, but I am confused. I thought that In Ralph Meyer's Handbook of Materials and Methods, he says you should NOT put oil paint on acrylic because acrylic is flexible and oil paint dries to a more brittle surface. A brittle surface on top of one that is flexing will crack, no? I also don't understand from your video, why it is that you would prefer the oil paint to sit on top of the ground rather than adhere to it. Thanks!

[@nikkihamilton6865]

why sooo many canvas size ?

[@1mmafrka]

Nonsense, paint on wherever surface is available to you. There are no rules.

[@jetalone6]

3:43 you say "saggage"

[@spartan3460]

.....Just the tipppp.

[@blackg9842]

0:06 *Gaaayyyyyy!!*

[@terranceblakely1398]

lol @2:31

[@MarcellaSmithVegan]

Who does he keep talking to to the left of the screen, very distracting to his lecture

[@Zomfoo]

As a kindness to the viewers, you might want to consider dropping 30 lbs or wearing a button shirt.

[@nancyparker2516]

Silly comment

[@abbyrivers9971]

Weird and unkind to comment this. His weight is of none of out business. And why would IT ever be a problem to viewers? I don t come to these video s for a model with great abs....I come here for the content hé gives s and his great way in presenting IT to us.