Artist Toolbox: Surfaces & Supports

A practical guide to drawing and painting surfaces -- from canvas and paper to textiles and woods

Elizabeth T. Gilbert

• Publisher: Walter Foster Publishing
• Year: 2019
• Print ISBN: 9781633226081
• eBook ISBN: 9781633226098
• Topic: Art
• Subtopic: Art Techniques

Artist Toolbox: Surfaces & Supports explores a wide range of drawing and painting surfaces and the unique effects they have on a variety of media.

The surface you draw or paint on impacts everything in your artwork, from its texture and brightness to color and durability. Artist Toolbox: Surfaces & Supports covers the drawing and painting surfaces and supports that all artists should know. With this art book, you'll learn the basics and finer points of working on: 

• Canvas
• Paper
• Panels
• Textiles
• Metal
• Glass
• Stone 

You'll also learn useful tips and techniques for preparing supports to receive media, see how to work with different media on each support, and discover the most effective way to protect your finished artwork.

Artist Toolbox: Surfaces & Supports is packed with visual examples, step-by-step tutorials, and demonstrations on the practical aspects of working with graphite and colored pencils;charcoal and pastel;and watercolor, acrylic, and oilpaints. With this reference guide that no artist's library should be without, you can also learn how each support will take a medium.

The Artist Toolbox series presents practical reference guides designed for beginning artists interested in fully understanding the focus and function of essential art tools of the trade.

CHAPTER 1:

Paper

Over the years, paper has become an invaluable tool for recordkeeping and artmaking. Today, a variety of papers are both affordable and readily available. In the pages that follow, we’ll look at the papers that offer the most practical surfaces for drawing and painting.

PAPER PROPERTIES

Material The majority of paper today is made out of cellulose fibers derived from wood pulp, cotton, or a blend of the two. Generally speaking, the higher the cotton content, the higher the paper quality. Papers made of 100-percent cotton are more durable and less likely to become brittle or yellow over time. Papers made from cotton rags are called “rag paper”; these strong sheets are made up of the longest cotton fibers. However, most cotton paper is made of cotton linter (shorter fibers) or a combination of rag and linter. Wood pulp paper is more affordable than cotton paper, and modern techniques for reducing the acid content make this option more appealing to artists.

Some papers are manufactured with an ingredient called “sizing” or “size.” Sizing—which is usually gelatin or animal glue—changes the way a paper accepts a medium. The more sizing a paper has, the less likely it is to absorb moisture and pigment. Papers made specifically for ink or marker often have a good amount of internal sizing, which means that the sizing is mixed in with the pulp before the paper dries. This makes the ink less likely to bleed through or across the paper while keeping the color vibrant. Many watercolor papers are also coated with surface sizing, giving the artist control over the washes. (See “Sizing,” here.) Sizing also keeps the paper from buckling under moisture.

Weight Paper weight is measured in either pounds (lb) per ream (500 sheets) or grams per square meter (gsm or g/m2). The measurement system of pounds depends on a sheet’s size and varies between paper types, so there is no “across the board” conversion method for matching lb. and gsm. Using gsm to describe a paper’s weight is more consistent and perhaps more descriptive; however, the pound system is more common in the United States. Below are some of the most readily available paper types and weights, listed in both lb and approximate gsm. Remember: The greater the lb or gsm, the thicker the paper.

RAG PAPER IN ACTION

Aside from art, rag paper is used for important documents that need to last or withstand wear and tear. Paper money, which endures plenty of abuse and folding, is made of rag paper.

STANDARD PAPER WEIGHTS

35 lb. / 50 gsm	Newsprint
45 lb. / 60 gsm	Kraft paper
60 lb. / 90 gsm	Sketching paper
80 lb. / 130 gsm	Drawing paper
100 lb. / 260 gsm	Heavy drawing paper

Go Acid-Free! You may notice that some papers and canvases are labeled “acid-free.” This desirable quality will help your artwork stand the test of time. Technically speaking, an acid-free surface has a pH of 7 or higher. To the artist, this means that the surface will not yellow or deteriorate as time passes. Some papers are buffered, which means they were manufactured with an alkaline additive to neutralize the paper. Unless you’re drafting rough sketches, make it a point to...

Table of contents

• Cover
• Title Page
• Table of Contents
• Introduction
• Chapter 1: Paper
• Chapter 2: Canvas
• Chapter 3: Panels
• Chapter 4: Textiles
• Chapter 5: Alternative Surfaces
• Chapter 6: Selecting & Preparing Your Surface
• Chapter 7: Demonstrations
• Conclusion
• Meet the Artists
• Copyright