Thursday, 8 October 2015

4 Questions About Painting Supports Answered

What is a support?
A support is simply the surface you apply your paint to. Artists apply paint to pretty much any surface. Cave walls and animal skins were used as the very first supports. Wooden panels and plaster frescoes became popular for many centuries, before giving way to canvases made of cotton or linen. The supports that are the most commonly used today include polyester canvases, aluminium, wood panels, cotton canvases, linen canvases and acid-free papers. Other supports include PVC, glass, copper and gypsum.

What are the main types of support?
While there are loads of different supports, they can be grouped into two categories: rigid supports and flexible supports. Rigid supports are the easiest to paint on because they're hard, sturdy surfaces that can be trusted not to make it difficult to paint. Some examples of rigid supports include plywood, fibreboards, wood panels and metals. Flexible supports are easy to paint on, so long as they're stretched and held in place. Some examples of flexible supports include paper and canvases, which can be made from materials such as linen, flax and synthetic materials.

Which one should I choose for my painting?
Choosing a support is a difficult task, simply because there's so much choice available. One thing to consider is that different supports give different effects: for example, using a linen support, you'll be able to make out the weave; using a support like aluminium, for example, will give your painting's transparent colours a more metallic feel to them. Generally speaking, if you want to be able to easily transport your painting, you should consider a flexible support that can be rolled up. If you're doing a painting with many layers, a thicker and sturdier support would be ideal. Bear in mind that paintings that are done on flexible supports can be damaged by the bend and flexibility of the material as it starts to sag and strain over time, whereas paintings that are done on rigid supports won't have this problem.

Which is the best support for me?
The best support you can use is one that will suit your needs, though you may need to do a bit of research to find the right one. It's a good idea for you to decide what you want from a support; once you know what you want, it will be easier to sift through the many different options to make your search a bit easier.

Joanne Perkins is a Berkshire-based artist with a BA (Hons) in Fine Art. She specialises in painting Berkshire landscapes and loves capturing the natural beauty of her local countryside. She is happy to accept all queries and questions. For more information about Joanne, her work and her current projects visit: http://joannesberkshirescenes.com/default.aspx Joanne can be found on Facebook


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