Types of Supports: Boards, Canvas, or Paper and How to Make Them

Picking the best support for you comes down to experimentation. The three primary supports are board, canvas, and paper. There is a lot of information to cover in this post, and so in order to cut down on its size I have provided simple explanations along with videos and additional reading links. 

Board

The Merode Altarpiece, Robert Campin, 1425-1428 

Board is the oldest form of oil painting support and was the support used by Early Netherlandish painters, such as Jan van Eyck and Robert Campin, back in the 1400s far before Italians ever thought of using oil paint. 

If you want your painting to last through the centuries, a board is the way to go. Your painting will last longer than even on canvas and have a lesser tendency towards cracking. Boards also allow you to create a variety of textures. 

There is one con to boards: warping. Warping will not occur with smaller boards, but larger boards will warp if paint is only on one side. In order to avoid warping paint a large X with gesso from corner to corner. 

Purchasing or Making your own Board 

You can purchase pre-made, ready-to-paint boards from a variety of companies. I personally use Ampersand Gessobord. They use renewable sources and come in a variety of sizes. You can read more about and purchase them here. 

Below are two videos that show you how to make your own board by purchasing masonite. You can purchase masonite at hardware stores such as Lowes or Home Depot. You can also purchase more expensive wood panels such as MDF, pine, or walnut. These options will be heavier, but less prone to warping. 

I make my own boards when I am looking for a specific size that I cannot purchase. I clean the board and then use a roller to apply three coats of gesso. I like the texture the roller makes and I do not sand between layers. You will find your own way of prepping your boards. Some people sand, some don't, some make crazy textures, and some want it smooth. It is all up to you. 

Canvas Board 

I would recommend staying away from purchasing canvas board. While it is cheap, the paint does odd things on it and it can be frustrating to get the paint to work the way you want it to. Making your own canvas board, however, is a different story. If you like the feeling of canvas, but want a harder support behind it, make a canvas board from masonite and linen or cotton. 

Canvas 

Canvas is by far the support of choice today. There is a misconception, however, that you must purchase super expensive canvas in order to have the best painting possible. This is only kind of true. The more expensive the materials the better they will work with paint. However, even the likes of Caravaggio were known to use burlap...so, really it comes down to your wallet and the texture you like on your canvas.

Building your Own Canvas 

Building our own can save you money in the long run, especially if you plan on making huger canvases. In the short run, not so much. It is a lot of material and a lot of time to put in up front, but once you do the cost can even back out.

Stretcher bars: You can purchase your stretcher bars or make your own. The videos below will help you pick which way you want to go.

Inspriation of St. Matthew, Caravaggio, 1602 

Canvas Fabric: There are usually two options, cotton or linen. You can purchase each primed or raw and at different weights. 

Cotton: Is affordable and easy to stretch. You will want to purchase a heavy grade, 100% cotton fabric. Cotton will have more of a texture and will not be as smooth. You will, however, be able to get your canvas nice and tight around the stretchers. 

Linen: Is the more expensive material and is more difficult to stretch. Linen will last longer and sag less with time. You will also get a nice smooth texture with linen. 

Beyond just the basic linen/cotton canvas divide there are so many options when it comes to canvas it can be very overwhelming. Here is a list of canvas, and here you can read in more detail about that list. These lists not help you be less overwhelmed...but at least they are something to read? 

You can't go wrong with purchasing a Blick product, so that may be a safe starting point. Fredrix is also a great product, I don't know much about the Caravaggio or the Utrecht line. 

Building Videos 

Below are two videos about making a canvas. The first shows you how to make a small to medium canvas using pre-made stretcher bars. The second shows you how to make a large canvas and  how to make your own canvas stretchers. I would watch the second one, even if you are not planning on making your own stretchers, because he really shows you how to fold and staple the canvas well. 

When finished creating your canvas, seal the canvas from oil paint by using three layers of either acrylic gesso or oil primer.  To read more about products to use while priming and sizing a raw canvas, read here and here. If purchasing the already primed canvas you can skip this step.

Paper 

Paper that is oil friendly is a relatively new product. You can purchase a plastic, synthetic paper called Yupo, or use a cotton based paper. Both allow you to draw directly onto the paper and then paint.

They are both a little strange to use. The Yupo is especially difficult to figure out, I tried once but gave up. Yupo is mostly used for watercolor, but the effects for oil can be lovely, such as with these paintings by Randall Tipton:

For more on how to pick a support read here. For more about painting check out my main Tips and Techniques page.

Which White should I use: Lead, Zinc, Titanium, etc?

Having the "right" white can make help you make your paints do exactly what you want them to do.

When picking your "perfect" white there are four things that you should consider: the color temperature, the tinting strength, the consistency, and the oil binder. More on that in a moment, but first some quick definitions of the different basic whites: 

Flake (Lead or Cremnitz) White: Is the oldest oil painting white and is made of lead. It is a stiff, quick-drying white that is warm, opaque, and a strong tinter. It is great for portrait painters, but can crack over time.  

Flake White is TOXIC and can cause serious health problems when inhaled or when exposed to skin. Luckily there are non-toxic alternatives! Such as these non-cracking options from Gamblin, Flake White Replacement, and Winsor Newton, Flake White Hue.

Zinc White: Is a stiff, slow-drying white that is warm, semi-transparent, and a weak tinter. It is great for tinting and glazing, but should only be used on panel due to its high cracking tendency. In fact, even on panel it will most likely crack. You can read more here about a 28 year study on the effects of Zinc White. Winsor and Newton's Transparent White might be an alternative to Zinc White, but I can't find a lot out about it online and have never used it. 

Titanium White: Is a soft, fast-drying white that is warm, opaque, and the strongest tinter. It is great for direct painting, Monet would have gone crazy for this white, and it's non-cracking. Sadly it is so strong of a white that it is a poor option for color mixing. 

Titanium-Zinc White: Is a soft, moderate-drying white that is neutral, opaque, and a good tinter. It is the most useful all-purpose painting white and is a much better color mixing option than Titanium White. However, due to the addition of Zinc, it could potentially have cracking problems (that being said I have never heard of anyone, nor have I ever had, a cracking problem with it). 

There is a plethora of different whites to choose from, and just about every company makes their own white options. To read more about additional white options, read here and here. 

Now that we know a little bit about the basic whites, let's help us narrow down which one we want to paint with through color temperature, tinting-strength, consistency, and oil binder. 

Color Temperature: The white you pick will slightly alter the color temperature of the colors you are mixing. Be aware of the warm, cool, or neutral natures of the white you pick. Neutrals are the best to start out with, as they will not change the color you are mixing. Titanium-Zinc White is the best neutral choice. 

Tinting Strength: It can be very frustrating to have a white that is too strong or too weak for your desired effect. Having two whites, one strong and one weak, can help you avoid this frustration. Titanium-Zinc White and Zinc White can help you create all the variation you want. However, again be careful with the amount of zinc that you use as it could easily crack. Zinc should only be painted on panel and painted as part of the final layers in order to avoid cracking. 

Consistency: Getting your preferred consistency can reduce frustration. Whites come in ranges from extremely stiff to extremely soft. Titanium-Zinc is a good middle of the road, buttery white. 

Oil Binder: Several studies, one you can read here, have found that Safflower Oil will make the whitest white that remains the most white over time. However, linseed oil has been found to make the most flexible white, which can lessen cracking. 

Below is a quick-view guide of Gamblin's whites in order to help you pick "your" white. Now, while you may not paint with Gamblin colors, it will still give you a solid understanding of your own paint company's whites. 

In the end, Titanium-Zinc is the best general option with Zinc being a good glazing option. To read more about how to pick a white, read here or here.

For more about other paint colors check out my main Tips and Techniques page.

The Fingers: Final

Finally done: not as good as I had hoped but totally acceptable. Also, turns out that I was not very good at taking photos of "the fingers." Below is the final as well as some progress photos.

Sorry that the colors are all over the place. The final image is true to the painting's colors however.

The Fingers: Part 4

The last time that I wrote anything about "the fingers" was back in March. Have I been dragging my feet on finishing them up? You bet!

However, they are now almost done. Today I just need to clean up the background and we are in business.

They are a little bit more pink than I would have liked, but they are the same color as the image that I used, so there is that. 

I hope that grandma likes it. 

Bighorn: Part 2

I have not posted for a long time, and so to make up for it I provide lots a photos. Here are some progress photos for my bighorn:

This morning I realized that I needed to do some slight color correcting of the horn in shadow. The images above are the before and after that glazed color correction, and below is a detail.

And here is where I stopped today:

I haven't decided if I like it. Sometimes I think it looks cool and other times I think that I should just give up and I wonder what the point of it all really is. Things were not made better when I read this yesterday:

"Each day I go to my studio full of joy; in the evening when obliged to stop because of darkness I can scarcely wait for the morning to come..." 

                                                                                             - Adolfe-William Bouguerau

Well, thank you and up yours, Mr. Bouguerau... you annotated footnote in the annals of art history. Loser.

Actually I really like Bouguerau and I aspire to be a footnote. :)

I do like looking through the progress photos to see how the horns are starting to form. Things I still need to do: background (of course), finish off the horns, and glaze on top of the paint splatters. Almost done I think.

Are Oil Paints Toxic? Yep.

Hello! I have update this post and you can find it on my website/new blog here: 

https://www.katherinegriffinstudio.com/post/are-oil-paints-toxic-yep

The great debate, are oil paints toxic, and can painting with oil paint be bad for your health? I have read a lot on both sides of the argument and frankly people who don't think oil paints are toxic, don't understand basic organic chemistry (which isn't surprising, it is a hard topic). Happily I do, and yes oil paints are toxic, but not so much that it should ever cause a problem as long as you know the dangers, because knowing is half the battle. Let's talk about it...

A quick Warning from Winsor and Newton: 

Winsor & Newton Artists' Materials do not present any major hazard when used with care and common sense. It should, however, be emphasized that as with other chemical products, high standards of general hygiene should be adhered to, both during and after use of these products and warnings given on individual products should be followed. Prolonged contact with the skin and ingestion (or swallowing) of the product should be avoided.  This includes avoiding practices such as applying colour with the fingers or pointing brushes in the mouth. 

1. Oil paints dry by Oxidation and not by Dehydration:

The reason oil paints take so long to dry is because they dry by a process called oxidation, where as watercolor and acrylics dry by dehydration.

If you would like to read more about this process, you can read here, or here.  Simply, the process consists of oxygen entering the paint film and creating a chemical reaction. This releases heat, free radicals, and some carcinogens such as VOC benzene.

Oil paints do not release such a large amount of VOC benzene that there is a huge cause for alarm, however, it is important to be aware of the process and that ventilation is important.

How to fix it:

Avoid sleeping in your painting space, do not allow oil paints to remain on your skin for long periods of time, and do not eat, drink, or smoke in your painting area. Use house plants that specifically remove VOC benzenes such as peace lilies.  

2. Toxic oil paint pigments, specifically Cadmium and Cobalt:

I once read someone talking about how oil painting pigments are naturally occurring earth minerals, and therefore are not toxic at all. Well, uranium and argon gas are also naturally occurring...so there is that. The pigments below are considered carcinogenic:

Highly Toxic Pigments/ Known or Probable Carcinogens:

Burnt and raw umber; cadmium red, orange, and yellow; chrome green, orange, and yellow; cobalt violet and yellow; lead or flake white; naples yellow.

Moderately/ Slightly Toxic Pigments: 

Alizarin Crimson; cerulean blue; cobalt blue and green; chromium oxide green; prussian blue; zinc white.

These pigments cause the most harm in their powdered form, where they can be inhaled. However, the oil in the paint allows for the pigments to also be absorbed through the skin. Personally I have always wondered if the reason several of the great impressionists suffered from intense arthritis is due to poor paint hygiene practices. This is an image of Renoir with his crazy arthritic hands.

Cadmium and cobalt are the primary pigments you need to look out for; however your skin only absorbs a small amount of cadmium and cobalt at any given time. Be aware that cadmium is an accumulative metal and will slowly build up in your system. When absorbed it takes the place of zinc in the hemoglobin and can cause some eventual damage.

How to Fix it: 

Winsor and Newton give the following advice when it comes to Cadmium and Cobalt:

Wash at the end of each work shift and before eating, smoking and using the toilet. Promptly remove any clothing that becomes contaminated. Use appropriate skin cream to prevent drying skin. When using do not eat, drink or smoke. 

Make sure that you always wash your hands, do not put your paint brushes in your mouth, and if you want be extra careful you can always wear disposable, plastic gloves while painting. Which a lot of artists do, by the way.

3. Watch out! Oil paints can spontaneously combust! 

Technically this is true. Oil and solvents left on a paper towel or rag will still continue to oxidize, which creates heat, which can cause said paper towel or rag to combust! I have never seen this happen, I have never heard of it actually happening, but technically it could happen.

How to Fix it: 

Put your rags in a metal canister that is filled with water. Which I have also never seen anyone do. However, you should probably not smoke (unless you are Pollack or someone of the sort) or light things in your painting area just in case.

4. Solvents:

Even with odorless solvents you can tell there is something in the air.

How to Fix it: 

Read here.

5. How to Protect Yourself: It's Easy! 

Be smart, wash your hands, make sure you have good area ventilation, do not put things in your mouth, when sanding use googles and face masks, be careful when spraying solvent onto paints and use protective gear, and buy some house plants.

For more about painting check out my main Tips and Techniques page.

How to Avoid and Fix a Yellowing Painting

Mona Lisa and Prado's Mona Lisa, to read more about the Prado, click here.  

Will Using Mediums cause my Paintings to Yellow? 

YEP! Well, maybe.

Well, not all of them. Galkyds, liquins, and alkyds most likely don't yellow, though since no painting using them has reached a 100 years old it is hard to be sure. Any painting that used excessive oil will yellow.

Some oils will cause more yellowing than others--looking at you cold pressed linseed oil.  I have read that safflower oil is the least yellowing and gives paint a nice buttery texture. In fact, Winsor and Newton uses safflower oil as their oil paint binder. One reason I use walnut is because of its low yellowing tendency.

Can I avoid my Paintings Yellowing? 

YEP! Use as little medium as possible, though this doesn't mean that you should be afraid to use a medium. As a general rule you should always have a higher pigment to medium ratio. Older paintings tend to have a yellower hue due to the use of oil as well as the yellowing of the final varnish. The Mona Lisa is a great example. Specifically she is yellow due to several layers of varnish becoming yellow and dirty, but I wouldn't put using too much oil past the old man either. I mean...the Last Supper, need I say more?

Be economical with your medium and you shouldn't have any problems.

Can Yellowing be Fixed? 

YEP! If you keep your paintings in a room with no windows or stored away in a closet, they will sometimes yellow. If they do, just put your painting in the sun for a little while. Over time it may begin to yellow again, but each time you put your painting in the sun the oil will bleach more and more, and it will yellow less and less.

If, however, you keep your painting in a well-lit room and, again, use mediums sparingly, you shouldn't have any yellowing problem.

Note: Don't actually put your painting outside, just on a wall close to a window where it can get some light.

To read more about yellowing paint film, read Yellowing and Bleaching of Paint Films, by the Journal of the American Institute for Conservation.

For more on the Mona Lisa and other paintings that not do not look the way the artist intended, read 7 Famous Artworks that are Actually Supposed to Look Completely Different, by the Huffington Post.

For more about painting check out my main Tips and Techniques page.