Oil and Acrylic Paper
Isn't Just For Practice!
Don't dismiss the various types of oil and acrylic paper available to the artist as just for practice work.
The quality and variety available nowadays is excellent for finished artwork in its own right.
OK, the paper surface may not last for five hundred years as might a traditional stretched canvas, but many are actually advertised as lasting beyond a lifetime. For most of us this is more than adequate!
In looking at this article, I suggest you read it in conjunction with the page about art canvas, to get a more comprehensive picture of what's available from both ends of the cost/quality spectrum.
The term 'paper' is a slight misnomer, since in some cases a lightweight canvas or similar cloth is used as a base for certain brands of oil and acrylic paper.
Generally, they come ready primed and are equally suitable for oils or acrylic paints. However, check the primer used as any with an oil primer probably won't be suitable to take acrylic paints.
The reverse case, with acrylic primer and oil paints is fine. (If you're puzzled by this, click on the links above for the pages on using oil paints and acrylic paints).
Oil and acrylic paper is generally sold in pads, usually about 10 sheets, with a thick card backing board. This allows you to paint on the top sheet using the rest of the pad as a base, then tearing off the finished work. This is ideal for outdoor work or where you've no table handy. You'll probably need to tape the two loose corners down or wrap a rubber band around the bottom edge to stop the paper curling. However, it won't cockle, unlike unstretched watercolor paper.
If you prefer, you can pull off a sheet and pin or tape it to a suitable drawing board and place it on an artists easel. Oil and acrylic paper, being pre-stretched and ready primed, means you can get started painting immediately.
If paper is used, it normally has a canvas-like texture impressed into it, so there is little difficulty in getting the paint to adhere to the 'tooth' of the paper.
It can also take heavy impasto work, though I'd tape it to a board if you're going to do this. Pads can be obtained in a variety of sizes, up to about 18inches x 24inches.
For extra strength, you can buy boards which have a paper or canvas surface stuck to it. These are referred to in more detail on the Art Canvas page (use the link above).
Alternatively, try using a sheet of watercolor paper, primed with a three coats of gesso. Old watercolor paintings that have gone wrong can be economically recycled for this use, which is yet another reason why you'll read many times on my website, not to throw away your old pictures!
Finally, although not strictly an oil or acrylic paper you actually paint on, inkjet paper has been available for a few years that allows anyone to make prints of their artwork via a computer printer.
Initially this paper came out with a 'watercolor' texture, followed shortly by genuine watercolor paper, specially treated for inkjet printing.
Now you have the option of a treated canvas sheet that can be put through a printer as well, so just by using various types of oil and acrylic paper, you can practice your skill, produce a little masterpiece and reproduce it as prints on canvas!
Happy painting!
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acrylic painting section
Return
from this oil and acrylic paper page
to the main oil
paints section
