My reasons for using linen: linen is very different from canvas, not only in its texture and weave, but also in the way it is prepared and how it feels to paint on. Linen is much smoother, especially if prepared properly with a size such as rabbit skin glue or PVA glue, and an oil-based gesso rather than acrylic. The oil primer really makes for a smooth working surface, whereas acrylic gesso tends to "eat up" your oil paint during the first several working layers, causing the paint to lose its luster. This can be very frustrating. Although linen is generally much more expensive than canvas, I don't think I could ever go back to canvas. Once you've tried it, you'll realize too that there's no going back!
PREPARING A LINEN CANVAS FOR OIL PAINTING – STEP BY STEP
by Anna Rose Bain
SUPPLIES
- Linen: Many artists purchase pre-primed linen, but I always buy mine “raw.” I find that being able to stretch and size my linen is much easier and produces better results if I do it all from scratch. I’ve tried many different kinds, but my favorite linen to work with is Daniel Smith’s Finest Belgian Linen. Linen can be expensive, so make sure you look for an online coupon code before you buy!
- Stretcher bars: You can get stretcher bars of any length through just about any art supply store or website. I often buy them from Hobby Lobby, but my favorite stretcher bars for heavier-duty, larger canvases, are from Utrecht. For any canvas bigger than 24x36, I recommend using a cross brace, attached with T-bars.
- Double boiler
- Plastic drop cloth or garbage bags
- Sizing: Some artists use PVA glue, but it doesn’t size the canvas as tightly as the good old traditional standard, rabbit skin glue. I know, it sounds cruel – it IS actually made from rabbit collagen… but this method has been tried and true for centuries. Not only is it is the best coating to protect a canvas from the linseed oils in paint (which would naturally destroy canvas fibers over time), but it also makes the canvas so tight that you can pluck it like a drum. You can purchase rabbit skin glue from Daniel Smith or Utrecht. It comes in powder form.
- Scissors
- Marker or charcoal pencil
- Stapler: I have a couple that I purchased from Hobby Lobby in the canvas/painting department. They are called “EasyTackers” and call for No. 3 or Arrow JT-21 staples.
- Rubber mallet
- Measuring Square
- Medium-grit sandpaper
- Gesso brushes (one for the rabbit skin glue, and one for priming). They should have soft bristles and be fairly large, at least 3 inches wide. For sizing, you may also use a sponge instead.
- Oil primer: you can purchase this from Utrecht
- Bucket
- Putty knife
- Oderless mineral spirits or turpentine
- Paper towels
- Plastic spoon or stirring rod for mixing
DIRECTIONS:
STRETCHING:
1) Assemble your stretcher bars, using the square to make sure they are straight.
2) Line up the stretcher bars with your linen on the floor; using a straight edge and a marker or charcoal pencil, draw a line around the stretcher bars on the linen, measuring about 1.5”-2” all the way around your stretcher bars, depending on how thick they are.
3) Cut the linen to size.
4) With the canvas still face down on the floor, staple the linen to your stretcher bars, starting with one staple in the middle of each side. Make these tight, but leave just a little slack in the middle. This is different than stretching a cotton canvas, where you stretch it as tight as you can. Continue to staple outwards towards the corners, pulling the linen relatively tight before each staple, and working all the way around rather than one side at a time.
5) Once you’ve reached the corners, fold them around neatly (if you ask me real nice I’ll make a YouTube video on the technique for folding corners!) and staple them secure.
6) When the linen has been stapled on completely, wipe off any specks or hairs on the front of the canvas before moving on.
SIZING:
1) Lay your canvas out on a plastic drop cloth, on a flat surface
2) Using a double boiler on the stove, prepare rabbit skin glue according to directions. Some directions require you to soak the RSG overnight, others don’t. I’ve tried both and found that as long as the mixture has had enough time to dissolve, whether overnight or on the stovetop, it still produces great results. Keep the burner on low, never allowing the mixture to boil. It should be heating for at least 45 minutes before it’s ready to use.
3) When rabbit skin glue is completely dissolved and nice and warm (but not HOT), take the pan off of the boiler and prepare to brush the mixture onto your prepared canvas.
4) Using a 3-inch gesso brush, apply the glue generously to your canvas, starting in the very middle and working your way out. Make sure to brush onto the sides as well. You will instantly see the canvas begin to tighten. I’ve also recently taken to using a sponge instead of a brush (you’ll want to wear rubber gloves if you do it this way!).
5) Allow canvas to dry several hours or overnight. If the canvas starts to warp because it’s been stretched too tightly, hold down opposite corners with weighted objects.
6) When dry, lightly sand canvas.
7) Apply a second coat of glue. Leftover rabbit skin glue can be re-heated, but make sure you use it up within no more than a couple of days, as it can go bad after a while.
PRIMING:
1) Lightly sand your canvas again before priming. Keep it on the plastic drop cloth.
2) Put about 4 parts oil ground and 1 part odorless mineral spirits in your mixing bucket, and stir with a mixing stick or plastic utensil (something disposable). It should be a smooth consistency but not runny.
3) Using your putty knife, apply the primer in thin, smooth strokes across the top of your canvas, working from top to bottom in one direction (as opposed to from the middle outwards, like the glue).
4) Smooth your knife strokes with your gesso brush, also moving in one direction. Make sure you prime the sides of your canvas as well.
5) Allow first coat to dry. When dry to the touch, lightly sand your canvas, wipe the surface with a slightly damp rag, and then apply a second coat of primer, this time brushing it perpendicularly to the direction you applied it before.
6) Allow this second coat to dry. If desired, a third coat may be added, but usually two coats are fine. The final coat of primer will need 10 days to dry before you start painting on it.
7) Before painting, make sure your canvas has been sanded to remove roughness and impurities.
8) Happy painting!
