Determining which artist canvas, sometimes referred to as a 'surface', to paint on can be a challenge.  Should you paint on linen canvas or cotton canvas? What about stretched canvas vs. rolled or canvas sheets?  This quick guide will explain some general classifications as well as some things to look for when choosing your canvas.

The term canvas generally speaking is a heavy, tightly-woven fabric which can apply to any of the following materials; cotton, linen, jute and polyester. Now canvases are being made available that are combination weaves containing cotton and polyester.

Your choice of canvas type will depend on several determining factors. There are typically 3 grades in canvas quality, in keeping with the good - better - best philosophy.  They are:

Museum Grade - Linen or finer grade cotton duck canvas, usually with a tight weave.

Professional Grade - Quality grade cotton canvas with a medium to heavy weave. 

Value Grade - The lightest canvas in weight / thread count.

The tear strength of the fabric is critical to the longevity of an artist canvas; canvases that are higher in thread count and are woven in combination or double weave patterns will perform much better in stretching and re-stretching.

The style and size of a painting will determine the selection of fabric which best projects a particular artist approach. For example, if an artist desires a coarse textured surface then heavy linen or cotton weave would be recommended. On the other hand if a painting is highly detailed then a smooth tightly woven canvas will be best suited.

Important Note: Acrylic gesso primed canvases can accept oil or acrylic paints whereas oil primed linen canvas can only be used for oil paints.