Which surface do you prefer?

[sweet]

Which surfaces do you prefer to paint on? I paint with oils & use both canvas boards and oil paper. I find the oil papers absorbency weird to handle sometimes. its like the oils 'sit on' the surface, much more so than the boards do. yet I really like using the paper. I think I have a marmite r'ship going on with the paper! lol

Also, I have a question. If anyone else uses oils on an unconventional surface like glass, do you have to prime the glass first? or use some sort of protective coating? or are oils not really appropriate for glass? Its just that I have alot of oil paint! lol.

x

[catsdogsgerbils]

hello, I've just joined the forum so I shunt say anything yet lo!, I use mostly acrylics but I was thinking maybe the oils would adhere to the glass better, but wouldn't it take ages and ages to dry? - I always thought a primer of some kind should be used but I am unsure.

- sorry that's about as useful as eating soup with a fork ! lol. (sorry)

[sweet]

Hi catsdogsgerbils,

Hmm, actually oils do take forever to dry! I dont mind wating for them to dry in paintings but i think i would become impatient whilst they dried on glass. Although, i have some weird vision of the oil 'slipping' off the glass, if that makes sense. maybe i should buy some different mediums and try it out. Hands on approached is always good...as lomg as it doesnt end up an expensive failure! lol

[sweet]

'slipping off' ....nope it actually doesnt make sense thinking about it some more!

[catsdogsgerbils]

I would still try it just to satisfy your curiosity, but I wouldn't do anything too good just incase you love it but it doesn't stay put!

I learn better from trying stuff myself rather than reading books, I can't help myself coz I soon get itching to dive straight in!

needless to say, I don't read instructions on any new electrical purchases either, then have to ring my dad when I can't get things to work

[Neesey]

I use acrylics mostly but I paint funiture and wood a lot. I have used acrylics on glass but never oils. Can't wait for them to dry lol. I also just try something to see if it works.Don't have the time to read lolol.

[glasskanvas]

I'd use a specific glass paint if you want to paint on glass...or any non pourous surface other wise the paint will just scratch off. You can get opaque colours as well as the stained glass effect ones.

[sweet]

Ha ha, special paints for glass, why didnt i think of that! lol

ok cool! all very helpful! I dont fancy the stained glass effect tho...ooo actually I have an idea popping into my head!

I wonder, can you get metalic paints for glass painting also? Oh and where would be the best place to go? I dont want to buy expensive paint or glass (i'm after flat glass, so it'll hang like a picture), for 2 reasons. firstly i might just be rubbish at painting on glass (!!) and secondly I might not like it.

x

[Neesey]

Ha ha, special paints for glass, why didnt i think of that! lol

ok cool! all very helpful! I dont fancy the stained glass effect tho...ooo actually I have an idea popping into my head!

I wonder, can you get metalic paints for glass painting also? Oh and where would be the best place to go? I dont want to buy expensive paint or glass (i'm after flat glass, so it'll hang like a picture), for 2 reasons. firstly i might just be rubbish at painting on glass (!!) and secondly I might not like it.

x

Check this site out.Its the cheepest I have found so far

http://www.rapidonline.com/products.aspx?tier1=Educational+Products&tier2=Graphics%2c+Art+%26+Design&tier3=Paint+%26+Accessories

[sweet]

Check this site out.Its the cheepest I have found so far

http://www.rapidonline.com/products....26+Accessories

Thanks Neesey. They are priced well....there is alot of stuff to buy! oh dear I think I might be spending lots of money again!

[splatcat]

Do search for "Charles Dowson Reverse Glass Painting", he does some wonderful stuff

[sweet]

your right splatcat! his stuff is very good! maybe one day i'll be that good, although painting in reverse would so confuse me! lol

[somerset artist]

What surface to paint on

When I was painting 'full size'I used primed hardboard. Advantages are that it is fairly cheap and when your painting quite large pieces this is a good thing, the only disadvantage that I found that when mailing paintings they were a little bit heavier than canvas. Having sold getting on a 1000 paintings all done on hardboard I haven't had one person say anything negative about the fact that they were painted onto board.

Andrew

[creative-spirit]

Canvas for me.

Personally, when I began painting I too would use primed boards and found them to be fine. As I grew more confident I started to use canvas even tho it was quite expensive to buy in those days. Then I went to our local art school and spoke to people there and one of them kindly told me to go direct to the canvas makers and buy in bulk. I did, and bought a huge roll of canvas and began to make my own stretched canvas's. It worked out sooo much cheaper than buying from the art stores. You also have the freedom to make canvas's of any size and shape you want, so for me canvas is the preferred support for oil/acrylic painting, tho you can paint on almost anything and get quite good results. These days however you can buy ready stretched canvas's imported from china etc for a very small amount of money, so it's really not as expensive to paint on canvas as it used to be.