# Painting Surface?



## Liz (Jan 10, 2015)

What is your preferred painting surface for acrylics? I usually paint on canvas board but I like stretched canvas too. I like the bounciness of stretched canvas when I'm painting, it makes me feel like I'm a big important artist, ha, ha, ha.


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## TerryCurley (Jan 4, 2015)

*Stretch Canvas for me*

I have never tried using anything but wrapped stretch canvas. If you paint the sides then they look good enough to hang without a frame.


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## SherylG (Feb 27, 2015)

I use the boards for miniatures, 5x7 or 4x6 or smaller, and occasionally an 8x10 but anything larger will warp fairly quickly. 

I like the feel of the a smooth surface like a board, cardboard or a wall, but canvas is the norm and holds up to wear better. I only sell stretched canvas paintings even though I think it's sometimes a bit rough for painting tiny details. It's what people want.

I love the look of stained wood with a painting on it but those are hard to ship. Still, I am considering doing some more this summer to sell here. 

I have painted on just about everything, even corrugated cardboard with a layer of primer and sealed . It's what I began painting on until I got brave enough to spend money on actual canvas. I still have one of those cardboard paintings, even after a few decades so they do last if cared for.

You can paint on many fabrics stretched if you gesso and prime them. Linen used to be the only one until cotton came along. Anything thick that stretches and also shrinks when drying will work and some, I think, may wear better than cotton. I used to stretch my own when wrapped canvases were more expensive, still do the very large sizes. Many fabrics are nice to paint on. I've done a lot on denim, especially when my daughter was young. I'm planning to paint some silk scarves soon, sometime... I occasionally paint greeting cards but don't like the way paper curls. 

Sorry, How to make a short story long...


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