How Choose Good Canvas for Painting on

With the increased fraudulent nature of human beings, an artist is confronted with a collection of woven material all claiming to be artists’ canvases. Some are true to the name while others are just but a scam. Since canvas forms the basis of a picture, any artist should know how to choose good canvas if they have a dream of creating a masterpiece.
Unfortunately, there is no established standard that would serve the purpose of certifying claims about the quality of any painting canvas. This lays emphasis on the need to be very ardent in the skill of discerning real canvas from fake products.

To choose good canvas, an artist must consider two important factors; the support offered by the woven cloth and the ground offered by the gesso or priming used to finish off the canvas. These factors are critical to the reliability and stability of the final painting. This is because they determine how the paints used will be etched into the material hence the quality of the painting.

It is however just not enough to tell you as an artist that considering strength when choosing good canvas is paramount. The reason behind this is that as your painting lives it will be subjected to continued handling and if it is to have a long lifespan the material onto which it is painted has to have the ability to withstand these harsh treatments.
Characteristics to look out for when in quest for strength is that; the warp and weft threads should be of the same weight strength and material, be closely woven to provide dimensional stability and thirdly you should ensure that the fabric is in its loom state and has not been treated with any domestic or industrial bleaches and conditioners. All these have to be considered so as to choose good canvas for painting.

When it comes to the choice for the perfect ground, your choice should be dictated by the type of paints you will be using on your canvas. The ground that you choose should be able to act as a barrier between the direct interaction between the chemical in the paint and the supports fiber to ensure that the support does no rot soon hence compromising the lifespan of your painting.

A simple test for a canvas is to pour a small amount of linseed oil onto the primed surface and leave it for several days (although sometimes a few hours is enough). If the oil soaks through the priming and discolors the canvas underneath then that canvas is of no use to an artist. This is a very important test if you intent to choose good canvas.