To stretch or not to stretch

[Patt Legg]

That is the question. I have noticed that most all portrait artists, or most on this Forum, use linen for their portraits. May I ask if you buy them pre-stretched or do you stretch them yourselves?

If you purchase them pre-stretched, where can you find them in the larger sizes like 24" x 30" etc? Or even larger.

Thanks in advance.

[Alicia Kornick]

Hi Patt,

Do you miss those blankets yet? I have been stretching my canvas for about two years now. I was taught how to do it by a professional portrait artist.

I use Belgian linen that I purchase by the roll and heavy duty stretcher bars. I know you can buy them prestretched in most of the art cataloges such as Dick Blick, ASW and I'm sure the Italian Art Store also has them.

I just have gotten into the habit of doing it myself. I can get the linen as tight as a drum. My husband usually helps me on the larger ones, he pulls and I staple.

For still life and landscapes I may use a prestretched canvas, but for portraits I like linen.
PS I love your new photo on the Forum.

[Timothy C. Tyler]

Every artist must find a surface that fits their methods. Part of that comes with using the same surface for some time. The thing is that artists are creative and ever searching by nature. I love oil primed linen and do stretch my own. I'm thinking about using museum panels for really large works but will have the same linen mounted on this because I'm used to the tooth and absorption rate.

I feel clients should expect to get quality materials. I've seen works selling for over $100,000 painted on cheap hobby-level arcylic primed cotton duck and think this regrettable - the artwork was too, though.

[Michael Georges]

I absolutely adore the Claessens 13SP, introduced to me by Bill Whitaker - Thank You Bill! It is a wonderful even surface to paint on.

I stretch it over heavy duty stretchers and use good quality copper tacks - the method, again, Thanks to Bill.

[Patt Legg]

Thanks, Michael and Tim, for the advice. I will consider all.

The thing is that artists are creative and ever searching by nature.

I agree with the above quote and am ever questioning things to prove that it is definitely my nature. Do you suppose I will ever settle and be very up front and precise about my ideas? Is there hope?

Alicia,

About the blankets, just couldn't sleep for the first few nights without that extravagancy but trust me, I will learn to make do. Ha.

Is the linen pre-gessoed or not? I have heard of artists here using rabbit skin glue and I don't know what else and frankly that sounds like more of my time taken that I do not have. How many 16" x 20"s can you approximately get from a roll and aren't those stretcher bars quite expensive? I agree in using that for the wonderful portraits and maybe not the other.

Thanks for all advice and Alicia, miss that coffee time with you all. Thanks for the compliment about the photo.

[Michael Georges]

Patt:

I have always believed that all of my works deserve the absolute best materials I can give them. Thus, I use linen on all my portraits these days and chalk up the cost of materials as part of the cost of doing business.

I certainly understand if you don't want to use it on studies or other works, but I think that any work that someone is going to pay us money for should get our best work and the best materials we know of - in either a panel or stretched linen.

[Timothy C. Tyler]

I've been researching Bouguereau a lot. He was starting and finishing full length life sized paintings in about 9 days. I've not read about him doing his one prepping of linen (gesso, sizing etc.) I feel Utrecht and Classens probably do that better than I might and personally I think artists should paint with color and let others do the preamble. Some folks love that and more power to them. I've tried and spent and great deal of time on these matters. Just stretching a large set of bars takes me over an hour to do correctly with preprimed linen.

"BORING!" - Homer Simpson