Photo and Art Information Art Information Paints on Canvas | Paints on Canvas |
 There are two types of paints which work well on canvas. One is oil and the other is acrylic. You need to choose which painting medium you will be using. Some people prefer the oils to the acrylics. There are several differences between the two paints. The oil can take days to dry completely. This allows the artist to continue with the painting for days after the original sitting. The acrylics are not so forgiving. These paints can dry within hours. If you think you can make a mistake and go back later to fix it, you are wrong.
Oil paints are made up of pigment and oils. A simple paint can be made from dried saffron and peanut oil. Mixed properly you can use this formula to create a wonderful shade of yellow which you could also eat. Most of the oil paints on the market are poisonous, so always keep them out of the hands of children. When oil paints are made from three things. This is pigment, oil, and some type of drying agent. The latter was added because the oils took too long to dry. Drying agents can be things like a paint thinner. Although the primary colors can be formulated into any other color in the spectrum, there is no need to try creating the same color every time you paint. Oil paints come in any shade or hue you can think of, from black to white. Each color can be blended with another to add even more combinations. There is literally no color you can not reproduce on the canvas with oil paints. Oil paints can be used to create textures. They can be spread on thick or thin. One thing you will learn is the more thick you have the paint the longer it will take to dry. Also, a thick layer of oil paint will crack as it dries. This is not good for the painting. The best thing to do when working with oils is to create the work in layers. This will allow the paint to dry evenly and prevent cracking. This is one reason why some artists spend days creating an art piece instead of rushing through alla prima. Acrylics are synthetic paints designed to mix and blend just like the oils. The main difference is the dry time. While oils can take days, acrylics can take only hours. There are advantages to using acrylics over oils. When you need the project done quickly, the acrylics are up to the task. By having a faster dry time, the painting can have layers added in hours instead of days. With acrylics, the artist can be assured of a straight line for horizons or other needs. You can actually apply masking tape to dried acrylic paint. When you peel the tape off, there is no danger of lifting the paint off the canvas. This ensures clean, precise lines every time. With oils, you would have to use an edger and still take the chance of smearing the paints. Some artists prefer acrylics. Some prefer oils. There are those who go back and forth between the two, depending on the project. It is advisable to learn about each one. You should experiment with at least the primary colors to see which you prefer. Everyone should learn all there is to art. By experimenting with the different mediums, you can learn quite a bit. |
| Canvas Printing |
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Printing on canvas is incredibly versatile and a great way to create a ready-to-hang image or artwork. Every canvas that we print is protected with a UV coated acrylic finish to guard the print from dust, moisture and fading. Do you want your canvas stretched on bars or non-stretched? Framed or unframed? Customize the work to make it truly your own. |
| Art Prints – How are they made? |
 Photography by Laurie Barone-Shafer Here are a few tips, tricks and techniques on how to make art print poster ready photographs and print ready digital files. Don’t get overwhelmed, there is a lot of information here, but a lot of it is just intuitive. Well, a bit of patience will always help. First thing – Photo Size |
| Learning to Paint Watercolors |
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Watercolor is an easy, fun medium for creating art. Color theory, composition and design can be explored freely with watercolor paint, paper, and brushes. Several techniques may be used with watercolors for varying effects including painting wet on wet, wet on dry, layering washes, and more. Watercolor paper comes in cold press, hot press, and rough. Rough paper has the most texture, and its hills and valleys can result in interesting effects when paint is added. Hot press is the smoothest and has the finest texture. Cold press has a moderate amount of texture and is the paper most commonly chosen by watercolor artists. Watercolor paper comes in several weights ranging from 90 lb. to 300 lb. based on the pounds per ream of paper. Most artists prefer to use at least 140 lb. paper. Papers vary somewhat between manufacturers, so sampling different papers is advisable. Paper can be purchased in pads, in blocks or in large sheets. The large sheets are usually the most economical and can be torn into whatever size is desired. |