Directory of Artists Techniques; Sizing Canvas and Panels for Oil Paintings

English Only

main menu | famous artists | techniques | poses | women

image history | erotic drawings | famous people | shop | search

Directory of Techniques for Artists

Paul Cezanne

Gustave Courbet

Edgar Degas

Sizing Canvas and Panels for Oil Painting

Please refer to these sections BEFORE you begin making this solution:

Size Solution

Ingredients:
size solution

Canvas fabrics are woven. Because of this weave, if one primed a canvas before sizing, the priming would sink in between the threads. It is necessary to fill in these depressions. The larger weave of the fabric will require a thicker amount of the size solution.

Note: The extent of the procedure given below is NOT necessary for all weave canvases, especially the close weave canvases. Take this into account when purchasing your canvas. Linen canvas materials are priced according to the weave. A close count will be more expensive than a loose weave. On the same note, a closer weave will have a smoother surface than the loose weave. For thickly painted canvases, a looser weave would be a more likely pick than a tighter weave intended for portraiture. For working with oil paints, choose linen fabric if you can possibly spare the expense. The cotton canvas fabrics are not as long-lasting as the linen fabrics for oil painting. These are primarily for acrylic paintings and are primed with acrylic materials. This is the reason for the large price difference between linen and acrylic fabric canvases.

Place your jar of glue in a saucepan of water over a low fire and melt it. This requires only a short amount of time and care must be taken not to allow the glue to boil. When it cools, the glue will become a jelly. A quantity of jelly is then applied to the raw canvas (after the canvas is stretched on its frame) or panel, and spread by means of a large spatula. The jelly fills in the interstices of the canvas weave. The excess is then scraped off with the spatula, leaving as little glue as possible on the surface. The canvas should be left to dry in a dark cool place. Whether the canvas has been sized with a coat of liquid glue or jellied glue, it is now ready for priming.

Please refer to this section for priming:

Priming Canvas and Wood

Bibliography:
Formulas for Painters, Robert Massey, 1967
The Painter's Handbook, Mark David Gottsegen, 1993
The Secret Formulas and Techniques of the Masters, Jacques Maroger, 1948

Links to our categories are found at the top and bottom of this page.
We invite you to read and save any images on our site.

When you have time, please visit our
-----Vintage Image Shop-----

Eugene Delacroix

Paul Gauguin

Jean Auguste Ingres