Choosing the best surface for painting is something I am always exploring. There is such a wide range of options. Some of them quite economical and some of them very expensive. I try to balance price and quality. For a long time I've prepared gessoed hardboard panels myself. They are good quality and will last a life time. I never have concerns about selling my paintings that are produced on the panels I make myself. The drawbacks are that they take quite a bit of time to construct and the surface is slippery, unlike painting on canvas. I've stretched my own canvas and purchased pre-stretched canvas. I love the texture of canvas, but it isn't as sturdy as the hardboard panels. I've covered hardboard panels with canvas, and they are very good quality, but it is a lot of work with too many steps. I tend to be rather impatient and would rather paint than prepare panels. I've purchased canvas panels from a number of sources with a wide range of quality. Some are better than others. Today's painting is 5x7 inches on a very cheap canvas panel. I will never paint on a panel of this quality again. It was such poor quality, it felt like I was painting on paper; I'm sure it will disintegrate within a few years. It is a shame, because the painting didn't turn out too bad. There are some decent quality canvas panels, but this was not one of them. Lesson learned--don't skimp on materials! Maybe I'll put it in an E-bay auction for 99 cents or donate it to a worthy cause. What do you think?Technorati tags:
Art Materials, art supports, canvas panel, Contemporary Still Life Painting, Fruit Painting, Painting Fruit, Small Oil Painting
