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Updated: April 15, 2024
Selecting the correct canvas for your paintings is crucial to guaranteeing the quality and longevity of your artwork.
This article is for artists of all skill levels.
We’ll first talk about what you should look for in a painting canvas.
Then, we’ll provide the best recommendations for you, which include canvases for oil painting, acrylic, mixed media, and more.
Scroll down and discover what we have for you.
Featured image by Freepik
Table of Contents
Things to look for in a canvas
Best painting canvases for beginners (for practice)
- Arteza 9″ x 12″ Canvas Pad for Oil & Acrylics
- U.S. Art Supply Triple Primed Canvas Pad
- FIXSMITH Primed Canvas Art Panels
Best art canvases for oil, acrylic and mixed-media painting
- MEEDEN Stretched Canvas Gesso-Primed
- Fredrix 5602 Ultra Smooth Stretched Canvas
- GREDAK Black Canvases
- PHOENIX Watercolor Stretched Canvases
- U.S. Art Supply 20″ x 30″ Stretched Canvas
Best large-format painting canvases
- PHOENIX 18″ x 24″ Large Framed Stretched Canvas
- Fredrix 24″ x 36″ Stretched Watercolor Canvas
- Masterpiece 48″ x 60″ Tahoe Cotton Canvas
- Sargent Art 6-Yard Primed Cotton Canvas Roll
- Nasco 1100424 Fine Arts Unprimed Cotton Canvas Roll
Best professional grade canvases
- Winsor & Newton 18″ x 24″ Professional Cotton Canvas (Deep Edge)
- MASTERPIECE Monet Pro 9″ x 12″ Belgian Linen Stretched Canvas (Deep Vintage)
- Blick Premier 11″ x 14″ Belgian Linen Canvas
- Caravaggio Acrylic-Primed Cotton/Linen Canvas Rolls
Why trust our art canvas recommendations?
Other resources for your art endeavours
Things to look for in a canvas
Whether you’re a professional working artist or just getting your feet wet in the art world, it’s best to look for canvases that will last, won’t break your budget and won’t skimp on quality as well.
Yes, it’s possible and here’s what to consider:
Your painting process and style
Canvases come in various sizes, shapes and textures. The easiest way to determine the sort of canvas you’ll use is to have a good understanding of your own painting method and style.
For example, if you enjoy creating delicate and detailed artwork, a smooth canvas (like linen canvas) might be more suitable for capturing intricate brushwork. While rough textures can add depth and dimension to your artwork.
Also, if you’re going to be selling your painting, you will want to choose a canvas that is of very good standard.
On the other hand, if you want to merely experiment with or practice your painting techniques, getting a canvas board or pads will be the best option.
Canvas size
While considering the subject, composition, and your available working space, the size of the canvas you choose should complement your artistic vision and the message you want to convey through your artwork.
Larger canvases are ideal for creating bold and impactful pieces, while smaller canvases are great for more intimate and detailed works. Smaller canvases are also easier and more manageable for beginners to work with.
Canvas material
A painting canvas is usually made from cotton or linen. To choose the right material, think about the level of detail you want and the type of paint you will be using.
Ready-to-paint cotton canvases are often more affordable and widely used, making it a good choice for beginners and aspiring artists. They can still provide satisfactory results for most painting styles.
Linen canvas is more expensive but offers a smoother surface and better longevity. Professional artists frequently favor it because of its archival qualities and ability to handle thick paint layers.
Stretched or unstretched
Stretched canvases are pre-stretched over a wooden frame, providing a ready-to-use surface for painting. They are convenient and eliminate the need for additional framing.
Unstretched canvases on the other hand, offer more flexibility in terms of size. You can work on it without worrying about size limitations restricted by a frame. It’s important to prep up your unstretched canvas properly before painting. You can secure it to a flat surface with tape or by stretching it over a frame.
As mentioned, to choose between stretched or unstretched canvases – make sure you consider the specific needs and preferences of your artistic process, style and project requirements.
Primed or unprimed
Primed canvases have a layer of gesso applied, which provides a smooth and stable surface for painting. Most artists will choose this ready-to-paint option to avoid the hassle of applying gesso themselves.
On the other hand, if you value the texture and absorbency of raw canvas, unprimed canvases offer more control over the surface preparation process.
Best painting canvases for beginners (for practice)
1. Arteza 9″ x 12″ Canvas Pad for Oil & Acrylics
These canvas pads feature the same substance as a traditional canvas, minus the frame, making them ideal for practicing and experimenting with paint.
Each sheet of Arteza canvas paper has been prepped with an acid-free and non-toxic acrylic gesso, allowing you to immediately begin painting. Just tear off a sheet, and you’re good to go painting.
Why we like this canvas?
• Very convenient and ready to use
• Has good texture – works very well for experimenting with different mediums.
2. U.S. Art Supply Triple Primed Canvas Pad
These triple-primed canvas paper pads by U.S. Art Supply comes in a pack of 2 and they’re ideal for use with all acrylics, oils, temperas and other painting mediums.
The canvas pads are thicker and have a rougher surface. So, if you need to work on multi-layer painting with acrylic, oil or temperas, these will work great for you.
They behave like a stretched canvas and are just as simple to store and frame.
Why we like this canvas?
• Durable surface – won’t warp when in contact with water
• Good quantity for its price – comes with 2 canvas pads with 10 sheets per pack.
3. FIXSMITH Primed Canvas Art Panels
FIXSMITH primed canvas boards is made from 100% cotton canvas that are hand-stretched and wrapped on durable MDF panels. These art boards won’t bend or warp and it’s made to last, protecting your artwork from fading over time.
They are lightweight and suitable for a variety of paint mediums, including acrylic paint, oil paint, tempera, gouache, and oil & acrylic markers.
These FIXSMITH canvases are perfect for amateur and professional painters alike, as well as for use as art displays, arts & crafts and DIY projects. It comes in 14 pieces and in a nice bundle too.
Why we like this canvas?
• Good quality and durable
• Suitable for mixed-media painting
• You can choose from 9 different pack sizes.
Best art canvases for oil, acrylic and mixed-media painting
1. MEEDEN Stretched Canvas Gesso-Primed
Ready to take your art to the next level?
This MEEDEN stretched canvas is of premium quality. They’re made of 100% cotton, stretched and wrapped with strong nails around solid pinewood frames.
It has four layers of professional-grade gesso on it, which gives it a smooth, rich surface. It works great with acrylic and pouring paints, airbrushing, oil paints, tempera, and gouache.
The canvas comes in eight different sizes and definitely ideal for painters of all skill levels.
Why we like this canvas?
• Great quality and value for money – comes in a pack of 11 canvases
• Its smooth surface holds up paint colors well
• Comes in a damage-free packaging.
2. Fredrix 5602 Ultra Smooth Stretched Canvas
You can create an exquisite masterpiece with this canvas!
Primed in the USA, the Fredrix 5602 pre-stretched canvas is made of high-quality and ultra-smooth PolyFlax cotton, ideal for oil and acrylic paints.
Its ultra-fine texture is primed with three layers of acid-free titanium gesso and perfect for portraits, fine art and other artwork that require fine details.
You can paint all four sides of the canvas and hang it with or without a frame.
Why we like this canvas?
• Great quality and construction
• Suitable for artists of all skill levels.
3. GREDAK Black Canvases
Do you want to paint something different and striking? If you’re looking for black canvases to achieve that, we found these GREDAK canvases are of the best quality currently available on the market.
Comes in a pack of 6, the canvases are primed with 8oz of black acrylic gesso, ensuring smooth blending of paint colors. It can be used with a variety of paint media including acrylic, oil, watercolor and gouache.
The canvases are also neatly stretched over its well-cut bars. The bars have stretcher slots too, should you need to tighten the canvas with your stretcher keys (but keys are not included).
These canvases are perfect for artists of all skill levels.
Why we like this canvas?
• Good quality and durable
• Suitable for mixed-media painting
• Paint colors hold up well even with multiple layers of painting.
4. PHOENIX Watercolor Stretched Canvases
The PHOENIX watercolor canvas has fine texture, proper water absorbing ability, and superb diffusion effects.
Although made for watercolor, it is good for use with other paints like gouache, acrylic, pastels, and tempera as well.
Paint soaks evenly on this canvas, allowing colors to develop naturally. You can also make corrections on this pre-primed canvas while painting.
Comes in a pack of 4, this canvas is also suitable for kids, students, beginners and professional painters.
Why we like this canvas?
• Durable and tear-resistant
• Canvas won’t warp when wet
• Helps improve your watercolor painting skills
• Works great with watercolor pencils too.
5. U.S. Art Supply 20″ x 30″ Stretched Canvas
This U.S. Art Supply stretched canvas is ideal for use with a variety of paint media including acrylic, oil, watercolor, gouache, tempura, pouring paint, and airbrush paint, among others.
The canvases are durable and hand-stretched onto stretcher bars made of firm and sturdy pinewood. They have crisp edges too that are more than 1 inch thick.
The completed weight is 12 ounces (340 gm) and has been triple primed with acid-free acrylic titanium gesso to create the ideal surface for creating artistic masterpieces.
These are perfect for aspiring and professional artists.
Why we like this canvas?
• Good gallery-quality canvas
• Firm, sturdy and lightweight frames
• With a thickness of 1.5 inch, you can paint on all four sides.
Best large-format painting canvases
1. PHOENIX 18″ x 24″ Large Framed Stretched Canvas
This PHOENIX large stretched canvas is pre-gessoed with a patented primer, making them suitable for collage art and mixed-media painting in your studio.
The patented primer protects your artwork from damage. Paints bond firmly to the fibers of this canvas, preventing it from flaking off due to environmental exposure hence, extending the lifespan of your artwork.
These canvases are especially ideal for experienced artists to create artwork for display at galleries or to be sold.
They are ready to paint right out of the box!
Why we like this canvas?
• It’s a sturdy and good quality cotton canvas
• Holds paint very well while maintaining their natural hues.
2. Fredrix 24″ x 36″ Stretched Watercolor Canvas
This Fredrix Stretched Watercolor Canvas is 100% cotton stretched that combines the texture of a natural woven fabric with a gesso specially formulated for all water-based paintings.
It has superb lifting ability for simple corrections and washes. Feel free to also scratch or gouge it for unique effects, staple or re-wet it. It won’t cause any damage.
These Fredrix watercolor canvases are stretched on standard bars with staple-free edges and are also available in a variety of sizes.
Why we like this canvas?
• Watercolors spread perfectly on canvas and dries fast
• Smooth surface – great for portraits and detailed watercolor painting.
3. Masterpiece 48″ x 60″ Tahoe Cotton Canvas
The Masterpiece Tahoe Cotton Canvas is a medium-weight canvas that is easy on brushes and works well with aggressive painting techniques like impasto.
It is triple-primed with archival-quality acrylic gesso, providing a smoother, more supple surface.
The canvas is acid-free and pH-balanced, making it suitable for oil and acrylic paints. It is stretched using Masterpiece’s exclusive MuseumWrap method which produces a balanced tension up to 50% tighter than other methods.
The un-cut, neatly folded corners allow the canvas to be re-stretched if desired. It’s also staple-free, making it perfect for frameless display.
Why we like this canvas?
• Solid and well-constructed
• Its smooth texture and impermeable priming prevent oil pigments from leaching through.
4. Sargent Art 6-Yard Primed Cotton Canvas Roll
If you want more painting flexibility in terms of size, this pre-primed and un-stretched Sargent Art canvas roll will be a value buy for you.
It is perfect for mixed-media including oil, watercolor, acrylic, tempera, gouache, and even spray paint.
With a thickness of 3/4″, this canvas roll is designed for quick and simple framing and wall installation.
You can even paint on it unstretched and definitely ideal for beginner painters and for a wide variety of art projects like clip-style collages, hobby, decorative and back-drop paintings.
Why we like this canvas?
• Great packaging
• Durable & tear-free canvas – won’t give way even when stretched several times, or under pressure from canvas pliers.
5. Nasco 1100424 Fine Arts Unprimed Cotton Canvas Roll
If you prefer to customize your own canvas, this Nasco Fine Arts Unprimed canvas is the best one we could recommend. It is an artist canvas and artists’ favorite.
The fabric is light yet stretches nicely over canvas frames without ripping. Give it a few coats of gesso and the Nasco canvas is wonderful to paint on and can be used with oil, acrylic and even watercolor paints.
Why we like this canvas?
• Very good quality and value for money
• Finely knitted fabric and easy to stretch
• Suitable for commercial paintings.
Best professional grade canvases
1. Winsor & Newton 18″ x 24″ Professional Cotton Canvas (Deep Edge)
This Winsor & Newton Professional Canvas is made from high-quality, hand-stretched cotton cloth.
The canvas is pre-primed with a highly pigmented acrylic gesso that is the acid-free and responds beautifully to brushstrokes. It is flawlessly finished and comes with an archiving label for recording key details of your artwork.
This will be your go-to canvas if you are a professional artist who needs to work on detailed or commissioned paintings.
Why we like this canvas?
• Durable and made to last – the frames are solid and warp-resistant.
• Lovely tightening system – comes with pro-stretcher devices that make the canvas easy to stretch.
2. MASTERPIECE Monet Pro 9″ x 12″ Belgian Linen Stretched Canvas (Deep Vintage)
MASTERPIECE’s Monet Pro Belgian Linen canvas is also professionally stretched using the Museum Wrapped method. This gives the canvas a drum-tight stretch to even tension across the surface, allowing you to put more pressure on the canvas while painting.
The canvas also features nicely folded un-cut corners & edges (which can be painted on), and solid wood frames with keyable braces and corners.
Why we like this canvas?
• Very well primed – holds oil and acrylic paints nicely
• Very well packaged – prevents the canvas from delivery damage.
3. Blick Premier 11″ x 14″ Belgian Linen Canvas
The Blick Premier Belgian Linen Canvas is a premium, high-quality painting (oil-primed) canvas designed specifically for oil painting.
Made from 100% pure, medium-textured linen, it is hand-coated in the USA with three layers of oil-based primer, giving it a primed weight of 10 oz (283.5 gm). The canvas is then back-stapled to kiln-dried, high-density pine stretcher bars with a gallery-wrap thickness of 1-3/8″.
The frame is constructed with tenon corners for added strength and 8 keys for minor tension adjustments. The blanket-fold corners ensure ease of re-stretching.
This versatile canvas is ideal for various oil painting techniques.
Why we like this canvas?
• Fine and well-aligned linen texture
• Works great for layered oil paints – provides great amount of detail while still retaining some texture.
4. Caravaggio Acrylic-Primed Cotton/Linen Canvas Rolls
Made in Varese, Italy, the Caravaggio Canvas uses state-of-the-art priming process with two layers of bright white acrylic primer to create a smooth painting surface that sticks well to mixed-media paints like oils, acrylics, tempera and casein.
This Caravaggio Cotton/Linen Canvas is 83″ x 5 yds in size, weighs 15 oz. (435 gm) and is made of 40% cotton and 60% linen.
If you’re a professional painter who needs to work on large commissioned art projects, you will find the Caravaggio pre-primed canvas to be an excellent choice.
Why we like this canvas?
• Durable and has excellent painting surface
• Stretches very well while maintaining a clean, tight paint surface.
Why trust our art canvas recommendations?
Our recommendation is based on extensive research and feedback from many experienced artists who have experimented and worked with a wide variety of canvases.
To guarantee that our selection meets your demands to create amazing artwork, we’ve taken into account factors such as durability, texture, and compatibility with different mediums.
Other resources for your art endeavours
- Best Phone Stands for Recording Art and More
- Best Easel Stands for Beginners to Professional Artists
- Best Printers for Artists & Graphic Designers
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