Unprimed Canvas

[Psypomp]

Hi!

I bought a roll of unprimed canvas a while back, just for kicks, and now I'm wondering what to do with it (yes, it was an impulse buy, sorry). I've stretched two canvases already & primed one with white acrylic gesso, but is there anything else I can try?

What about painting straight onto the raw canvas (I would expect the paints to bleed through)? Are there any artists who do this that you can point me to?

I intend to use oils, by the way.

[Qitsune]

Last year I took some scraps, cut them into small rectangles and gave all my aunts painted bookmarks for xmas... but yeah, mostly I use it stretched.

[Elwell]

If you're going to use oils, you have to size the canvas with something (animal glue, acrylic medium, PVA) even if you don't want to use a ground. Otherwise the acids in the oil will eventually rot the canvas.

[Psypomp]

If you're going to use oils, you have to size the canvas with something (animal glue, acrylic medium, PVA) even if you don't want to use a ground. Otherwise the acids in the oil will eventually rot the canvas.Yes, that's what I've heard.
PVA-- is that basically the acrylic primer that I've been using (it's a polymer, yes?)?

Alright, it look like I'll just have to use the gesso.

Do acrylics have the same effect on the canvas as oils, or are they pretty much totally different, chemically?

[Elwell]

Acrylics are fine to use on unprimed canvas, paper, etc. That's why you can use acrylic gesso with no sizing.
PVA sizing is polyvinyl acetate emulsion. White glues like Elmer's are also forms of PVA. It has some similarities to acrylic emulsion, but isn't the same stuff.