To Stretch your own, or not?

[Mary Sparrow]

I have found that most artists look down on buying pre-stretched canvases. Making me feel I MUST stretch my own. Well, I don't like to stretch my own, I really don't have the time, but I will if it is TRULY better.

I was SOOO happy to see Stanka (I think it was Stanka, forgive me if I am mistaken) say she liked the Pintura canvases. I like these too.

I realize some pre-stretched canvases are of poor quality, but surely there are some that are equally as nice as home stretched canvases. I would really like to hear the views and opinions on stretched vs. pre-stretched. If you use pre-stretched, what do you use?

[Michael Georges]

I paint almost exclusively on wood panels and not on canvas...but when I do paint on canvas, I like to make my own.

I just like to know what my ground is made of - from the wood structure to the gesso. I want to know that the wood is quality, the linen is quality, and the ground is quality and applied in sufficient quantity.

I think there are probably some commercially made canvases that would come close to fitting that description, but I would still likely add a coat or two of my own gesso to them just to be sure.

My two cents...