Buy Canvas
When you use oil paint, you usually paint on a piece of canvas. There are many different kinds of canvases to use from boards to stressed canvas. The type you use depends on who you are and what you want to accomplish. When you are ready to buy canvas, make sure you get what will work best for you.
Beginner Painters
If you are a beginner, I recommend Fredrix Canvas Boards. They are canvas on boards that are high quality and very reasonably priced. I use them all the time. They come in many different sizes and you can get the regular board or watercolor boards. You can buy each size in a dozen, or just one.
You can also get stretched canvas from Fredrix. You can buy canvas several at a time or just one in many sizes. They offer a large variety of sizes including circles and ovals. These are great boards because they are both high performance and affordable. You don’t have to worry about your paintings falling apart in the future and you don’t have to worry about stretching your own canvas.
Advanced Painters
As an advanced painter, you can use any of the previously mentioned canvases. If you want, you can also buy a roll of canvas and stretch it yourself. Fredrix makes a large roll of canvas.
For stretching it yourself, you will also need Stretcher Bars and canvas pliers. Stretching canvas is not easy. It will take some good instruction and a lot of practice. You may find that you get much better results in your paintings when you stretch your own canvases, or you may prefer to buy it pre-stretched.
Start simple and if you really get into it, stretch your own canvas. You are not any less of a painter if you buy pre-made boards, but it might be fun!
