The Nitrogen Family Elements at a Glance

Author: Doug Amesbr
Source: isnare.combr
br
Today, canvas is the most common medium for oil paintings. However, was this always so? In fact, it wasnt. Before the Renaissance period (approx. 1400-1700) all paintings were done on more solid mediums, such as wood. However, during the time of the Italian Renaissance, the merchant shipping industry was booming, and with that boom came many innovations and technologies borrowed from more eastern cultures. Among these technologies was the use of the canvas sail.

Canvas was originally made out of hemp. In fact the word canvas originally derived from the Arabic word for cannabis, a Latin term translating to hemp (this is also the name of the family of plants from which hemp is made). This strong material was made by tightly weaving the cannabis fibers together. The result was a strong fabric that could be used for sails and tents.

With the sudden success of the merchant industry, canvas became readily available to the public. Canvas was probably first used by portrait artists in Venice around 1500 AD. Canvas quickly took popularity over the more traditional and cumbersome wood planks. Because of its durability, canvas was able to withstand both the paint itself and the test of time. Not to mention canvas is more portable, less expensive, and easier to create the correct size. No longer was an artist inhibited by the size of the wood plank he could find, and much larger paintings resulted from this freedom.

During the late 18th and early 19th centuries American cotton had become more readily available and popular for the European artist. Yet artists still preferred the stronger linen or hemp for their oil paintings, despite the higher cost. At the time cotton fibers were weaker than either linen or hemp. Especially true when cotton was wet, it tended to be more prone to mildew. Only within the last hundred or so years has advancing technology finally brought cotton canvas to a position of superiority over linen and hemp.

Preparing Canvas for Oil Painting

Modern canvas is made from cotton, linen or synthetic material. In its natural, unprimed state, cotton canvas is an off-white color, and the finer linen canvas is a light brown. Both can be purchased in varying weights and qualities, are the least expensive to buy, but the most time-consuming to prepare. It is also possible to buy primed, non stretched canvas, as well as canvas panels, which are already primed, and ready to paint on when purchased. There are also non-stretched canvases available in arts and crafts stores, some office stores, and department stores.

In preparation for a painting, canvas is first stretched and secured over a wooden frame. When stretching your own canvas, four stretcher bars and 8 keys are needed to get a proper stretching. Stretcher bars come in ready made sizes from eight inches to forty eight inches. For canvas longer than 20 inches a mid bar is recommended and for canvas larger than thirty inches, the heavier duty stretcher bars with cross panels are recommended. The keys usually come with the stretcher bars and help to hold the canvas more securely in place at the corners. The artists hammer is used to join the bars and heavy duty staples are used to secure the canvas in place. Canvas pliers are used to grip tightly the canvas during the stretching process and a right angle is necessary to be sure that the final product is perfectly square. The process is a little more time-consuming, but in the long run will save the artist money in art supplies.

The surface of the canvas then receives a smooth coat of white calcium sulfate, plaster of paris, sealed with a glue, known as gesso. This is to seal the canvas and prevent the fibers from absorbing too much of the paint. This coating of gesso is generally followed by the pigment lead white, which secures upper pigments. Without this priming, the fibers of the canvas would soak up the paint and create a stained appearance. Some modern artists actually prefer this look and use unprimed canvas for painting.br
br
br
br

Author: carla san g.br
Source: articledashboard.combr
br
If you have an artwork you truly adore and seriously consider printing, then it is time you learn about canvas prints.

Why print on canvas?

Its easy to say that a print on canvas is a thing of beauty. Its always something to behold. But beyond this, canvas prints or artist canvas, compared to other types of media has a more refined texture to them. Both literally and figuratively.

Artist canvas has this character which cannot be achieved by other materials. In the same manner that semi-gloss and high-gloss posters are highly distinct from other paper stock, canvas prints manages to bring prints in a different light.

But to be more to the point, canvas prints are truly durable, printed with long lasting archival inks. The colors will not fade easily and retain its brilliance for a long period.

It is also weather resistant, making it possible for you to use it both indoors and outdoors. It is perfect for display in the home with art reproductions or in conventions, exhibits, and the like.

You can put it up easily too with it being a flexible material. It can be mounted with 2 inch borders extending from your artwork or it can be hoisted up with grommet to hold it sturdy.

Still not convinced? Here are more reasons why canvas prints is hands-down medium for large format printing.

? Aside from being durable, canvas prints look stunning. Through the process of digital printing, it offers the closest replication of an original artwork.

? Canvas printing creates high definition images with astonishing quality, making it ideal for art reproductions and photo enlargements.

? Canvas prints add texture to photos and illustrations which you cannot achieve using photo papers.

? There are printing companies too who render your canvas prints in a different fashion, shaping the effects of your designs in an unusual manner. There are finishes that makes your canvas prints appear either glossy or flat with low glare or satin finish.

? If you like your pieces to look as though it was weathered the passage of time, printers can pull it off by using special pigments. These pigments are rubbed into the image, creating cracks that make for an authentic, antique appearance.

? Canvas prints are a fairly flexible material, quite literally. You can roll it up without fear of damage. Stretching the canvas too is but an ordinary ability of the material.

? Canvas prints come in a wide variety of sizes. You can choose to print small – something you could frame and place on a side-table or print in large format size. The latter is something that can span the length of a whole bed.

? Canvas printing can turn your ordinary designs or photos to exquisite art-like pieces. Rarely do people come across digital photos or images transferred and printed on canvas because they have no idea how it can be done and whom to approach.

Transform your work into art pieces with canvas printing. Make them distinct. Make them stand out. Make them more extraordinary than regular photographs. Make all things possible with canvas prints.

Let your artistry and creativity burst forth and let canvas prints be the medium that will turn even ordinary prints into special ones. Find a professional canvas printing company and get ready to hang your masterpiece on the wall./pbr
br
br
br

Author: Fabio Braghi
Source: isnare.com

Given the progress in inkjet and media technology, demand for printing photographs and art on canvas is growing exponentially. Whether you have a good inkjet printer or you prefer to have your work done by a professional outfit, it is worth to explore this option for any type of image. We constantly receive requests from wedding and portrait photographers who want to print large canvas for their clients.

Artists regularly order limited edition prints on canvas and watercolor papers to sell to collectors. These reproductions usually are signed and are accompanied by a COA (Certificate of authenticity). Buyers are very receptive to purchasing canvas prints they can hang up without a protective glass, without worrying about scratches and water damage.

The texture of a fine art canvas is unparalleled in beauty; a protective coating is applied on top to give the substrate a matte, lustre or glossy look. If you prefer to experiment with this material to see the results, canvas sheets are available at many stores that carry inkjet products.

The differences between a home desktop printer and a professional one are many but I will focus on the most important. First, commercial machines can be outfitted with pigmented inks; these inks differ from dye inks commonly found in the cheap home printers because they are archival and will not fade for decades. Dyes on the other hand will start losing brilliance in a matter of months. There are some home use printers now that offer a form of hybrid dye/pigment system. The second difference is the nozzle quality; pro level systems have extremely sophisticated nozzles that can render a very fine dot and exceptional tonal rendition.

The process of printing on fine art materials such as canvas and watercolor papers is referred to as “giclee”. Giclee is a french term that loosely translated means “sprayed on”. It refers to the nozzles which spray ink onto the paper. Giclee printing involves some of the characteristics described above and it is usually performed by professional shops.

You can read more about giclee and fine art canvas printing on our website: http://www.allpconline.com/canvas_printing.htm