Find the Right Canvas for Your Artistic Expression
Artists' canvas & canvas boards are the foundations of all great paintings. eBay has an unlimited selection of stretched canvas, primed canvas, canvas boards, and canvas frames. From student to professional, you can find a canvas to meet your needs.
What are canvas panels?A canvas panel is a flat board that is sometimes made of wood. It has gesso and primer on it, just like stretched canvas does. It is an interesting surface that often doesn't need a frame.
The board is a great surface for those who like very heavy paint, as it doesn't get bent out of shape as some canvas does. Many people just like the canvas board surface better because of its smoothness.
Stretched canvas for everyoneStretched canvas comes in a variety of sizes, depths, and qualities. You will note the weight of the canvas listed on many products. The heavier the canvas, the higher quality it is. Gallery-stretched canvas has a deeper profile than a standard product.
Larger canvases will have extra reinforcement on the frame to keep it from buckling. In general, frames under 24 inches will not have any reinforcement.
You will find that there is different primer for acrylic and oil paints. Be sure to choose the one that matches your medium.
Primed canvas in many weightsSome people prefer to do their own gesso. Before canvas can be painted, it must have both primer and gesso on it. Very heavy canvas is often triple-primed, and it will usually say so on the product, as some types of paintings need it more than others.
Primed canvas most often comes in rolls, and there are various weights and widths for these fabrics. On the smaller end, there are 48-inch rolls. These tend to be lighter canvases with just one layer of primer. Larger rolls might be up to 84 inches wide.
The canvas tends to get heavier and more primed as the rolls get larger because the canvas needs more stabilizer. Be sure to compare weight and primer for things like landscape painting versus portrait painting, which can have varying numbers of layers.
What kinds of canvas frames work for each size?You will find that larger frames require a deeper profile and more reinforcement. As the canvas becomes heavier with paint, it requires more stretching. The deeper profile and heavier canvas help to accomplish this.
Canvas profiles can reach 2 to 4 inches for exceptionally large frames. On smaller paintings, they may be as narrow as .75 inch.