12
votes
Accepted
What are the little pieces of wood that come with pre-made canvas for?
These are called "canvas keys".
The are shimmed into the corners of the canvas to maintain the tautness of the canvas. This generally happens only on machine-assembled frames, or on mass-produced ...
- 971
10
votes
Accepted
What is the difference between linen and cotton canvas?
From Understanding the difference canvas and linen:
Canvas can mean different things to different people. In the context of painting, the word ‘canvas’ means a fabric used as a painting surface. ...
- 952
7
votes
Accepted
Pros and cons of using charcoal on a canvas
It depends on what you want to draw, and in what style.
Working with charcoal on canvas will really emphasize the texture of the canvas, creating a rough impression. It will be hard to draw details - ...
- 10.6k
5
votes
Removing creases from an oil painting canvas
Stretching it properly on the right sized frame should be enough to remove the creases, no water required. Properly is:
Procuring a support of the right dimensions. The original frame on which the ...
- 3,159
5
votes
Distressing purchased wall art
Since it's a plastic surface mediums made for use with acrylic paints might be your answer.
There are varnishes and glazing mediums specifically made for acrylic painting.
Both mediums start out ...
- 2,956
5
votes
How to stretch a canvas without extra fabric?
You can staple it right at the outer edge of the frame instead of wrapping it over and stapling it at the back. You will still lose some of the canvas, though (if the canvas you are using has clean ...
- 91
5
votes
Accepted
Gluing buttons on a stretched canvas
Buttons are made from a lot of different materials. Even plastic buttons are commonly made from half a dozen different kinds of plastic. Some of these are easy to glue and some are difficult.
...
- 11.5k
5
votes
Accepted
What sort of paper is "The Dark Pool" album cover made of?
Most of the images used for this collage look like torn from several coloured prints of astrophotographic images to me, printed on a heavy, presumably hand-made paper.
The image below seems to feature ...
- 10.6k
4
votes
Accepted
How do you properly install canvas keys?
Canvas keys work by expanding the mitre joints at the corners of stretcher bars (see sketch below). As the canvas keys are driven into their recessed slots on the stretcher bars the canvas, which is ...
- 2,956
4
votes
Water based ink durability on canvas
Some pigments used in inks are UV sensitive and disappear rather quickly when exposed to sunlight, others remain unaffected. Having in mind the colours you need, make some research about which ...
- 91
4
votes
Distressing purchased wall art
If it has a frame with glass, or you're not against putting it in such a frame, you may paint a layer of glass paint on the glass, instead of working directly on the canvas.
If you ever regret your ...
- 1,999
4
votes
Accepted
4
votes
Accepted
How do animators draw graphics at same place in each frame?
There may be a number of techniques used:
Traditional animations had a complex workflow involving hand-coloured xerographed outlines. Backgrounds were drawn separately and reused (even in multiple ...
- 6,594
4
votes
What is the name of this kind of mechanism?
Armadillo Flip
That's what I found:
Source
Source
Source
- 976
4
votes
Accepted
What is the name of this kind of mechanism?
Honestly, as far as I can tell, there doesn't seem to be a specific widely known name for this kind of folding canopy mechanism. That's not to say that it doesn't have a name, but that all of the ...
- 156
4
votes
Accepted
How to clean up margins of a wet-on-wet oil painting?
Usually you don't clean the margins at all.
If you painted on a canvas that wasn't stretched on a wooden frame (so just the fabric), the logical next step is to do exactly that. To mount the canvas, ...
Elmy♦
- 12.6k
3
votes
Glittering canvases
I just sprinkle glitter on mine, while the paint (usually oil, but could be acrylic) is still wet. Shake it later so the loose bits fly off. When dry consider using hair spray as a first fix, then you ...
- 318
3
votes
If a canvas is sagging are canvas keys the only option?
No there are options.
Being able to use canvas keys depends very much on having the right type of stretcher bars to work with.
There are alternatives to help tighten a sagging canvas.
One method to ...
- 2,956
3
votes
What is the best method of hanging canvas on a wall to work on?
Because the canvas will have to endure a lot of tension and movement, especially when you work with large and rough gestures, and because canvas consists of fibres and has a lot of texture, using tape ...
- 10.6k
3
votes
What is the best method of hanging canvas on a wall to work on?
Staple gun or hammering finishing nails to the wall. How will it be presented after completion?
- 1,639
3
votes
How to choose style for canvas painting's sides?
Maybe as an addition to Joachims answer I'd like to highlight the different processes how the edge of the canvas gets it's paint. You'll see that it can be an indication of how the artist worked and ...
Elmy♦
- 12.6k
3
votes
How to stop dust, dirt and dry paint sticking onto my paintings when drying?
It is always good to paint in dust-free environments, and/or in areas where there is little to no draft. You can opt to vacuum before painting, allowing time for the dust that gets swept up to settle ...
- 10.6k
3
votes
Technique to make acrylic paint dry faster?
Acrylic paints are already among the quickest drying paints there are and one hour really doesn't seem that much to me. Can't you just let the painting sit around for an hour undisturbed to dry? That ...
Elmy♦
- 12.6k
2
votes
Accepted
Is the canvas used in pre-made packs the same as plain canvas pieces?
No, they are the same. But there are A LOT of different ready made canvases to choose from, prices ranging from pennies a square inch to tens of dollars per square inch. Price depends very much on ...
- 2,956
2
votes
Clear Gesso: Does it produce a translucent foundation layer?
I've used the clear gesso with pigments to create underpainting. Clear gesso mixed with acrylics can achieve a faux watercolor paint effect. (I found an example YouTube video here.) I personally did ...
- 81
2
votes
Can I create a 'professional level' canvas weave, using a manual loom machine?
If the handmade canvas was to be used only for painting, rebusB's answer is the obvious truth. And that can certainly be used for the original painting. However, the question also states the ...
- 11.5k
2
votes
Can I create a 'professional level' canvas weave, using a manual loom machine?
Yes. At one point in time all canvas was made on manual loom machines. There are paintings from that time done on canvas therefore painting canvas can be hand loomed. It can be woven as tight as you ...
- 3,159
2
votes
Is there paint without texture?
Just apply a thick layer of the canvas preparation, Gesso, over the existing paint. That will handle the absorbency issues and somewhat reduce the texture issue.
- 3,235
2
votes
Accepted
Is there paint without texture?
I would try sandpaper or even an environmentally friendly (low fume) paint stripper. Other solvents might also be a worth a try, for example mineral turps for oil. Another option is to use a heat gun ...
- 422
2
votes
what is best used to "contour" a flat artists canvas
One option you have, considering that one of your tags is papier-mache, would be to cut cardboard of suitable thickness into shapes which could be stacked to form the contour you require.
A resource ...
- 7,231
Only top scored, non community-wiki answers of a minimum length are eligible