There is a key to using both canvas styles is making sure you find the right tools to stretch the material taut. This step is important as it allows you to control your brushes better and the paint goes on more smoothly.
What paint do you normally use for canvas?
Home › Forums › Explore Media › Oil Painting › Priming Canvas with Latex Household Paint
- This topic has 13 replies, 10 voices, and was last updated 19 years, 9 months ago by HRH Goldie .
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February 5, 2004 at 11:43 pm #983924
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As should be apparent, I’m a newfer on these boards. I checked archives but found nothing on this point. For years I’ve been priming cotton canvas with latex household paint when ever I’ve run out of commercial gesso, or when ever my tendency toward cheap has gotten the better of me. You get a wide variety of colors and some tremendous effects–for instance a green Midwestern landscape on a canvas primed with good old iron oxide red barn paint. Some of the paintings are ten years old or more and show no ill effects. The stuff appears to be just as durable and flexible as any commercial gesso. Anybody have any thoughts on this practice? If so, I’d like to hear them.
February 6, 2004 at 7:56 am #1024070
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Hey Jim. Welcome to Wet Canvas and teh extraodrinary Oil forum… yes.. we rock! Here’s some pretty recent threads on gesso… //matt Acrylic Gesso questions Question on making RSG Traditional Gesso Application Prepping hardboard
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February 6, 2004 at 8:51 am #1024068
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Greetings Jim. Whilst I don’t have an answer, I have seen the question posed on these boards before, and some of the ‘chemistry experts’ amongst us do not seem too eager to use the common house hold variety paint. Look forward to following the ensuing debate, as I’d love a cheap alternative.
February 6, 2004 at 4:40 pm #1024077
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Latex house paint for primer? shure, why not? For the same token, why not use a hammer to cut wood? Ok, I’m being a bit dramatic, but the point I’m trying to illustrate is the use of specific tools for specific jobs. In creating the best surface for your paint to be applied to, you need to take certain criteria into consideration, first, how well does the primer adhere to the support, be it linen, cotton, wood, hardboard, metal, whatever. Second, how lean is this primer, in other words is it less prone to expansion and contraction than the subsequent paint layers you will be applying to it. Third, how well will the the paint you will be using adhere to this primer, will it provide a mechanical bond? Fourth, what effect will this primer have on your support? Is it acidic? Will it deteriorate the support, do you need to size the support first in order to isolate it from the primer?.Fifth, what effect will it have on the paint, is it so absorbant that it will leach the oil from your paint, leaving the colors dull? The solutions to the problems posed by all of these questions need not be expensive, they only require an understanding of the materiels available and their properties.
February 6, 2004 at 5:36 pm #1024071
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Latex house paint for primer? shure, why not? For the same token, why not use a hammer to cut wood?
Why not use duct tape for auto repair? Oh…wait…I’ve done that…nevermind.
February 6, 2004 at 5:44 pm #1024080
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The solutions to the problems posed by all of these questions need not be expensive, they only require an understanding of the materiels available and their properties.
I’ll buy that the “use it if it works, don’t use it if it doesn’t work” approach is undoubtedly the correct approach. As mentioned above, however, I’ve used latex paint for some years and I’m content so far. I have had no deterioration of the canvas support; I’ve had no problem with the paint flaking or cracking; the surface is not unduly absorbent and any tendency that way can be resolved with a quick wipe with a linseed oil and turpentine soaked rag (something I’ve had to do fairly frequently with commercial gesso). I’m happy with it and, as I said, you can get some interesting under painting effects with the variety of readily available colors, especially when the canvas is primed with a dull red. I wonder about the long term consequence. Clearly every thing has been OK for 10 years and I have little concern about what happens 200 years out – what happens in another 10 or 20 or 30 years is a legitimate concern.
February 7, 2004 at 5:16 am #1024072
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When I was a wee girlie (art student, early 1980s) we all merrily primed with house paint. Those early paintings are not hanging on my walls, heaven forbid, but they are out in my garage, and so far the paint films are not popping off the undercoats. I was a conscientious fat-over-lean worker, didn’t indulge in heavy impasto or megilp and usually bought decent brands of oils. I am not seeing cracks in any of my old paintings, even the ones that are off the stretchers and rolled. One exception is a re-used canvas with a landscape underneath and the remains of an abstract peeling off in large shards.
February 7, 2004 at 10:13 am #1024075
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Greetings Jim. Whilst I don’t have an answer, I have seen the question posed on these boards before, and some of the ‘chemistry experts’ amongst us do not seem too eager to use the common house hold variety paint. Look forward to following the ensuing debate, as I’d love a cheap alternative.
Not much of a debate yet I have paintings that a friend did 30 years ago with housepaint that are in great contition…I’d love a cheap alternative too.
February 7, 2004 at 10:27 am #1024073
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If you have paintings that are 10 years old and showing no ill-effect from the latex paint then keep using it! Latex is a form of rubber? All you need is a paint that seals the surface you are painting on. I think that a lot of artist materials are a lot more expensive then there counterparts in a hardware store and i think that sometimes unnecessarily so. If you are straped for cash, use what you can and when you get some money you can always buy more expensive materials.
James :confused: ——————————————–
“It took me four years to paint like Raphael, but a lifetime to paint like a child.” Pablo Picasso “The important thing is to create. Nothing else matters; creation is all.” Pablo Picasso “Anyone who sees and paints a sky green and fields blue ought to be sterilsed.”
Adolf Hitler
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February 7, 2004 at 2:11 pm #1024078
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(something I’ve had to do fairly frequently with commercial gesso).
Commercial “gesso” in not much more than latex house paint with coarse chalk added to provide a mechanical “tooth”. I can’t stand that stuff, it handles poorly and trashes my brushes. I belive the difference between painting on a surface primed with a quality oil primer or properly made traditional hide glue gesso, as opposed to “the cheapest stuff I can find” is about the difference between cutting a piece of wood with a circular saw as opposed to a claw hammer.
February 7, 2004 at 8:22 pm #1024074
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If you’re headed to the hardware store, I’d recommend a product called Kilz. Kilz Original is an oil-based primer and Kilz Premium is an acrylic primer. Both use titanium white for pigment, and they’re pretty much the same as the stuff you get in the art store at about half the price. If you prefer, they also have a latex based product, but I haven’t tried it. Kilz is widely available in the US, but I’m not sure about anywhere else.
My friends call me lame.
February 8, 2004 at 3:01 am #1024076
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I cant see our Artist quality paint lasting very long on the outside of a house either.
February 8, 2004 at 3:15 pm #1024079
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I cant see our Artist quality paint lasting very long on the outside of a house either.
Some things are better suited for for house painting than artist materials, and vice-versa.
February 8, 2004 at 6:29 pm #1024069
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Since latex is derived from plants, why not? Many of our materials are made from plants, e.g., the canvas, the oils, etc. I suppose what’s important is that it all ends up being art of some sort. -Harry
What it Means and Key Benefits
Staining the canvas refers to an initial wash or coat of paint on the canvas or whatever surface you’re painting on. Some other terms used to describe this process are underpainting, imprimatura, veneda, verdaccio, morellone, and grisaille. These terms all roughly describe the same process and vary only in nuance.
There are several key benefits of staining the canvas:
It kills the white surface, making it easier to judge your colors. Colors can appear darker than they are when compared to white. Staining the canvas gives you a more balanced playing field to paint on and makes it easier to judge how light, dark, rich, or dull your colors are. It’s the same reason why many artists, including myself, use a gray-toned palette for color mixing. Painting is hard enough, so you should look for small wins like this wherever possible.
It establishes a better foundation for the darks. It’s easier to hit those deep darks when painting on a darker surface. This is particularly important if you are using transparent paints in the darks, like alizarin crimson.
It builds momentum and warms up your hands. This is a simple but important benefit. The most challenging point in the painting process is the start. Staining the canvas gives you an opportunity to get things moving and to warm up your hands.
It’s efficient. If the stain plays into your overall color theme, you can leave parts exposed in the finished painting.
Technique and Process
To stain the surface, I typically use a large brush to apply thin washes of color. I use odorless solvent to thin the oil paint (if you use other mediums, use water to thin your paint). I then wipe down the surface with paper towel to remove any excess paint and smooth the surface. I might also use the paper towel to map out some of the light shapes.
You could also apply the paint directly from the tube to the surface and then wipe it around using a paper towel plus solvent.
What Color(s) to Use?
The color(s) you use to stain the canvas will depend on the purpose of the stain and its role in your painting. There are typically two options:
(1) You’re staining the canvas to create a more balanced surface to paint on and to help with your judgment of colors; or
(2) You’re staining the canvas as part of your overall color theme or strategy for the painting.
If staining the canvas to create a more balanced surface to paint on (1) then you should stick to some kind of earth color. Raw umber, burnt sienna, or yellow ochre are my default choices. The idea behind using these colors is that they are low in saturation (they won’t overpower your painting) and are relatively dark.
I typically avoid vivid colors like any of the cadmiums as they cause all kinds of problems with your color judgment. Though I have seen some artists make good use of vivid color for the stain. Dan Schultz comes to mind. He starts many of his landscapes by staining the surface with a deep and saturated red. See below a painting from his Instagram. The results are stunning, but I would avoid doing this if you are just starting out.
Fabric Paint On Canvas Bags
This is a good option and you can make your plain fabric bags come alive by adding different colors and designs to the material. The process is like painting on other canvas materials. You can use brushes or spray paint although the latter is harder to control.
The key is to make sure you select the right colors and if you are doing a design sketch it on the canvas first so you can protect against mistakes. When you are done, let the canvas bag dry completely before taking it on your next outdoor excursion.
Tips to Paint On Canvas
After making your decisions on what you want to paint, where you want to paint it and the colors you want to use it pays to get some tips to help guide your painting effort. There are little things to watch out for and these tips should help you find them all and make sure your painting comes out perfect:
- 1. Priming – it is important to prime the canvas. This step makes sure the material doesn’t absorb your paint and ruin your picture. It also helps to protect the canvas from normal degrading.
- 2. Painting the canvas white – you do not have to do this after priming and if you want the canvas white before you start you can buy them with this step and the priming step is already done for you.
- 3. Position of the canvas – this is up to your preference and where you feel you do your best work. There is no right or wrong position to worry about and using an easel simply helps you get a better angle for painting.
- 4. Size of the canvas – if you are in a hurry then you should go with a smaller canvas. Or if you are a beginner a smaller size is easier to handle and should be easier to set up and transport. But the size is totally dependent on you and what you want to paint and how large you want it to be.
Just remember that a bigger canvas requires a lot more time to paint on than the smaller one does.
- 5. Sketch your design first – or you can do what is called underpainting to make sure you get the look you want. Both oil and acrylic paints are opaque in texture so underpainting won’t ruin your intended look.
Just use one color when doing this and when you are done you will find it easier to paint the real colors you want. Plus, it helps put your ideas on the canvas before you paint for real.
- 6. The right brushes – you need to know the differences between each brush as they all have a specific purpose. The hair quality is important as well as the thin or thick nature of the brush hairs. learn those differences so you can apply your paint more precisely and in an attractive manner
- 7. Adding a background – you can work either way with or without one but the latter may leave white spots that you need to find and cover-up. If those white spots are in dark colors they will stand out and ruin your painting.
- 8. Painting technique – you can go from dark to light or in the reverse order. This too is up to your preference and depends on what type of paint you are using. Do some experimenting first to see which style of painting works best for you.
Some Final Words
Canvas is a good fabric to paint on no matter what style it comes in. It is a heavy-duty fabric that accepts paint quite well. One key is to make sure it is clean and primed properly before you start to paint.
The other key is to know what you want to paint and in what colors. Take your time as painting is not a stressful hobby even when painting your shoes. Also, you can explore your creative side a little bit to see which technique or painting style is right for you.
