When you’re first starting out with oils—or even after a few years—it is easy to get stuck on the same type of painting surface. Maybe you started with wood panels because they were cheap and now canvas feels foreign to you. Or you didn’t even realize you could paint on anything but canvas and now you have a guest room corner filled with bulky canvases and you aren’t sure where else to start (ahem—that was me).
The truth is that you can paint with oil on literally any surface, as long as it is properly prepared. Here are a few of my favorites, with link to shop of course :)
I’ll start with my favorite canvases, since canvas really is the most popular.
Fredrix Canvases are consistent in their quality and I really love these Red Label Cotton Canvases.
Blick Premier Canvas is on of my most usual go-to canvases. You can see if you click on the link they go anywhere in size and cost from $3 to $760 so there are so many options. Most size canvases come with multiple depth options so be sure to check that you are getting your preferred depth.
Linen is a slightly more expensive but really beautiful option as well. These are my favorite linen canvases, by Masterpiece.
Paper! You can paint with oil on paper, as long as it is prepped. Arches Oil Paper is my favorite as it comes ready to go. But I also have found a lot of heavy bodied watercolor paper from past projects, and I usually have nice acrylic paper on hand too. Either of these can also be used with oil, as long as you coat them in gesso first. (I’m not linking any of these options because truthfully I would only go this route if you have extra lying around. If you’re buying paper to paint with oil, just get the oil paper and save yourself a step.) This layer keeps the oil from soaking into the paper and also provides a bit of “tooth” on the surface for the oil to adhere to. Gesso is cheap and you can easily order it from amazon or grab it at your local Michael’s or specialty art store. I have a giant tub of it and it has lasted me two years.
Wood: Painting with oil on wood is really beautiful and I love the meeting of the two natural materials. One thing I love about oil is that most colors are naturally sourced, especially if you paint with high quality paints. I love the combo of oil paint and birch panels. You will again want to prep any panels with gesso. I also use my electric sander both before and after the gesso to smooth out the grain. This is optional but it has made a nice difference for me.
You will also want to consider whether to paint the edges (the sides of the panel) or keep them natural wood. I love to keep mine natural and bare, but it takes some extra care during the painting process to accomplish. I use painters tape to protect the sides and keep that on through the whole painting process. I usually put one batch of tape on for the gesso process, take it off for sanding, and then replace it for the actual painting. If you do get paint on the sides, you can easily—very carefully—sand it off, or just throw in the proverbial towel and paint the side a uniform color. When I do this I usually go with a dark gray/blue/violet, like a Payne’s grey with a little pink mixed in. This gives the illusion of a shadow and looks nice especially with a floating frame around the panel.
Ready-to-go wood panels: I looooove Ampersand gesso-boards! They are a tad more pricey than basic birch panels but so nice. As with the canvas, double check the depth as they come in varying depth options. I like the 1.5 inch depth, personally. I am currently working on a series for a gallery using these exclusively and its just such a nice treat to have this gorgeous panel, with thick raw wood edges, already prepared and ready for oil. Again, I take great care in covering the edges while I am painting.
Literally Anything Else: You can really paint with oil on any surface, as long as you gesso first. I am currently painting on an old boat fender. I love to paint on driftwood or other found wood. You can also paint on glass, metal, shells, old doors, shutters, or even a cardboard box. Just be sure to prep, prep, prep that surface so the oil doesn’t soak in (and so if you’re using any kind of mineral spirit it doesn’t eat away at it.)
What have I missed? If you have painted on anything not listed here, I would love to know about it!