When you’re heavy into the concept you’re trying to bring to life on a canvas, the last thing you want to worry about is the quality of craftsmanship that went into that canvas, and that’s how it should be. A canvas should be so well-crafted that it acts simply as a huge, near invisible support for your work. You should never have to think of it, except to applaud it for assisting you in culling forth your ideas.

At CanvasLot, it’s our job to take canvas creation seriously so that you don’t have to, and that’s why we strive to refine every possible detail in our process to be the best it can be. One of those details, a very important one in fact, is the organization we choose to get our unstretched canvas from, the Fredrix company.

Fredrix is an organization that is as serious about quality as we are, and we couldn’t be happier with the level of work we get from them. Take a look at this spectacular, long-standing company and you’ll see just how right it is to say that Fredrix cares about the needs of artists.

Fredrix is no newcomer in the world of art supplies. In fact, Fredrix was founded in 1868 by E.H. Friedrichs as Friedrichs, making the company one of the longest-lived art supply manufacturers in the nation.

The organization is proud of its founder, and rightly so, as the man was not only, as they say on their site, a “chemist, inventor and innovator,” he actually holds the noble distinction of being the first person to manufacture artist canvas for sale in America. Friedrichs was apparently known as a shrewd businessman who came up with most of his ideas on long train rides across the country to build his clients.

Fredrix changed its company name in the 20th century to attain a more modern appeal, but they say that their canvas-creation process hasn’t altered much in 140 years. Fredrix takes pride in the fact that it still primes its best canvases by hand, using an oil-based ground, though of course they do have some of the world’s most advanced priming machines at their amazingly high-tech manufacturing facility in Lawrenceville, GA, where every single Fredrix canvas is primed.

We’ll tell you a bit more about the the priming process in an upcoming post, but if you’re interested now, here’s a link to an in-depth look at how they do it from their website.

Fredrix is a company that truly cares about artists, and if you spend a little time on their site, that’s a fact that’s hard to ignore. Fredrix isn’t interested in simply taking your dollar, handing you a canvas and parting, they want to be a resource that artists know well and can trust. Their site alone provides a wealth of information on everything from the fine details of their products and company to huge amounts of information on artistic and canvas techniques.

On top of that, this is a company that is always looking to the future of expression. Fredrix is on the forefront of art supply technology, pioneering such spaceage products as Fredrix Polyflax synthetic canvas and the widely-trusted Fredrix archival-quality printable canvases. One very cool new product is the NatureCore paintboard, an artistic surface that’s vegetable based and features recycled components.

We trust Fredrix with our business, because artists trust Fredrix. Our canvases are the best out there, because we only work with the best. When you order a stretched canvas from us, you’re not only getting our extensive expertise, you’re getting over 140 years of perfected quality from one of the best canvas producers in the world. Now that’s a combination that’s pretty as a picture.

While it’s true that creative limitations can sometimes spark an artist to new ideas and processes, every artist knows that sometimes an idea needs to be executed very specifically for it to succeed. When you’ve got a great project fully realized in your mind, the last thing you want to do is dull that idea down by forcing it to fit within constraints. What was once a gloriously detailed masterpiece in your mind now has to fit within the elements available to you, which, if you’re buying pre-made supplies from a store, includes having to settle your idea on to whatever canvas sizes they happen to have in stock. Need a few inches taller? An extra-deep or ultra-shallow edge? Until custom stretched canvases, these were all but pipe dreams. Now, however, you have the option of highly affordable, completely custom stretched canvases, and we have to tell you, the benefits are immense.

We’ll start with the obvious benefit, which is that you no longer have to wait for or settle for a canvas at the store! When you order a stretched canvas, there is of course a slight shipping delay, but you know exactly when that canvas is coming. And forget wasting money on fueling car trips to and from the shop, these canvases come directly to your doorstep and are guaranteed to be in perfect condition.

Not only are custom canvases convenient to order in the first place, they also make it a snap to get more of the same. Whether you’re an artist doing a series that requires multiple and identical high-quality canvases, or whether you’re a school or organization that needs large amounts of wholesale canvases, that’s an order that most stores simply can’t guarantee will be filled quickly or exactly.

For CanvasLot.com, however, that kind of order is our bread and butter, and we can ensure that orders of any size or kind will be taken care of soon and to your exact specifications. What’s better than that!

Of course, the artists out there know that there’s one detail that makes custom canvases unbeatable. That, creative friends, is the thing every piece of art is better for: uniqueness. Think about it like this: when your finished painting is hanging next to others in a gallery, do you want to be the canvas that’s the same size and shape as all the rest, or do you want to be the one that stands out? A custom shaped canvas means your work is just that much more special, and it’s something people will notice.

Not only will the looks of your custom canvas shine out from any others it happens to be around, with a canvas that’s built to your specifications, your creations have the room they need to thrive. What if Picasso hadn’t had the exact canvas he needed to bring Guernica to life? We might be living in a world just that much less beautiful, and that would be a tragedy indeed. Your art is best when its allowed to be everything it needs to be, and a big part of thais having the right surface for the piece.

So, for the sake of your art, don’t settle for whatever the store happens to have again. When you know what would be best for your work, you should get just that, and that’s where we come in. We want your creations to dictate the final look of your work, and we hate the idea of letting your endeavors be stifled by manufacturers who only have money on their mind. We honestly cannot wait to see what beautiful work you’ll do when you have the ideal custom stretched canvas. So let us build you the canvas of your dreams; we think your work will be happy you did.

Canvas has a storied history, and it’s no surprise. Anything that’s been around as long as canvas and that’s so deeply associated with some of the most creative folk ever to live is bound to have a remarkable past. A rather particularly entertaining part of that story involves the most unique and sometimes spectacular instances of canvas use ever undertaken by man. Today we’re going to ditch the details about canvas creation and dive deep into these, some of the most massively important canvases ever to be. This is the first in a two-part look at the most extreme canvases in history, and we’re about to get seriously involved in extraordinary canvassing. In this particular post, we’re going big. From a canvas so large that hundreds of people can (and did) stand on it, to the most expensive canvas in the world, you’re about to see the most extreme canvases ever made.

The Most Expensive Canvas Ever

The most expensive canvas in the world is a subject of intense interest for quite a lot of people, and not all of them are the people you’d think. While a large amount of folk in the actual art community are certainly interested, it’s the collectors, the auction houses and the generally very wealthy that are the first to put a price on any canvas that earns this distinction. And it’s a distinction that changes fairly often, with dozens upon dozens of past recipients left in the dust by the next great purchase. Run an internet search on the subject, and you’ll come up with mostly wrong answers, because the articles are from too long in the past.

If you were to find a list of expensive paintings current to the writing of this article, you’d find that the most recently lauded “most expensive canvas” is Cezanne’s The Card Players, which was bought in 2012 for a massive $250 million. A royal family from the nation of Qatar bought the painting, which blasted away the previous record of $159.4 million for Jackson Pollock’s No. 5, 1948. Worth noting, however, is van Gogh’s Vase with Fifteen Sunflowers, which was sold for $39,921,750 in 1987, more than quadrupling the previous record for Andrea Mantegna’s Adoration of the Magi in 1985, which went for $12 million.

A Canvas So Big It Could Host a Football Game

It’s a running joke with artists that size equals money, but it seems to be a false one, as the largest paintings in history are nowhere near the most expensive. As of March 2012, the distinction of the largest canvas painting in history belongs to a 42,000 square foot canvas known as Colours of Pakistan, which was painted by students from various institutions of Punjab. This remarkably large canvas had to be stood upon to receive paint, and it was meant to display Pakistan’s culture, especially its achievements in sports. The painting beat the previous record of 25,000 square feet, which was also set by students, this time from Nigeria.

One Artist’s Dream

The Pakistani painting is, however, a collaboration, and when it comes to individual achievements in massive canvas, an artist named Ando holds the record. Ando’s canvas measures 100 meters by 12 meters and is a landscape fittingly known as The Big Picture. This painting is an acrylic that displays a Southern American landscape complete with 1500 hills, 3000 clouds, 2000 buildings and over 1,000,000 saltbush plants.

The thing about canvas is, it’s always changing. Give it a year or two, and one of these monsters will be surpassed in its particular category. As canvas is and is likely to remain the top dog among artistic surfaces, people will ever be trying to top the last record holder. We just can’t wait to see who comes up as the newest best-selling canvas, or who goes for an even more insanely huge painting platform. But size isn’t everything! Stay tuned for the next part to this two-part series, which deals with those canvasses that are spectacular, but not for their size or the dent they make in their owner’s pocket.

If you’re here, there’s a good chance that you’re a person that has spent at least some time in an art supply store, looking at those seemingly endless variations on every kind of creative product imaginable. Peering at those myriad rows of artistic items can be both highly exciting and somewhat daunting; how does one choose what to purchase? Artists have put their mark on pretty much everything in the world, from metal to stone to stranger materials, but there are only a few surfaces out there that are specifically designed to work with and enhance creative materials. Most professional painting surfaces fall into three categories: paper-based surfaces, panels and canvases, and today we’re going to examine each of the three.

The Pains of Paper-Based Surfaces

While paper can create some unique and spectacular effects, it’s fairly easy to see the drawbacks to using it for any permanent work. Paper is great for quick studies or projects that specifically need paper (such as papier-mâché), but almost no paper products are made to last like panels or canvas. Not only that, but even heavier paper-based products can’t take the kind of preparation necessary for many creative processes. Many artists choose to use paper as an indispensable tool for testing their potential creations, and they move on to a more stable, long-lasting surface for their real work.

Panels: Then and Now

It probably comes as no surprise that the canvas was not the original painting surface (see: cave paintings), but did you know that canvas was not always the primary surface for artists even after its invention? At the time, canvases were made of much lower-quality materials, mostly weak hemp, and canvas building/stretching techniques were nowhere near the quality they are today. Because of this, most professional artists painted on wooden panels, a practice still in use today. While the original panels were little more than planks of wood, panels of today are specially created out of everything from wood to masonite and are prepared to be decent painting surfaces. However, modern panels tend to be more expensive than canvas, especially when attempting to procure custom sizes. One only needs to look at history to discover why canvas is a better surface: after centuries of panel-dominance, canvas became the primary surface of artists due to its affordability, its high quality and the fact that it’s far easier to move around.

The Revelations of a Good Canvas

In the end, most artists and experts agree that there’s simply nothing better than an excellent canvas. Of course, not all canvases are created equal; many canvases, such as those glued to cardboard, are cheap and of inferior quality. However, a canvas of high-quality cotton or linen that’s prepared and stretched by an expert is truly a marvel for creators. Of the available surfaces, canvas has the most options for buyers to choose from, including what material it’s made of, what kind of weave it has, what preparation (if any) it features, what size, what weight and on and on. And for those looking to really customize, ordering a canvas to the exact specifications of your project is not only easier and quicker than any other surface, it’s actually much cheaper. Modern canvases such as the ones produced at CanvasLot.com are constantly being refined to better accept materials, last longer and cost less, something which can’t be said for other surfaces.

When it comes to artistic surfaces, we think there’s only one choice, and that’s a beautiful custom stretched canvas. We here at the site have tested every surface imaginable to find the highest-quality product for your creative endeavors, and, after years of research, we’ve concluded that there’s simply nothing better than top-quality canvas stretched and built to custom specifications by experts. Try out custom-stretched canvas, and feel the difference quality makes today.

And here we go! This is the official blog of CanvasLot.com, and we’re setting out to become your place for everything canvas. From the rich history of canvas use throughout the world to the itty-bitty details that go into making the best canvases around, this blog will show you everything you ever wanted to know about canvas, and maybe a little more. Like the magnificent products we lovingly craft and bring to you, this blog is blank, primed and ready to be covered in exciting and interesting details, so let’s get started!

We thought about the best jumping off point for our brand new blog, and we decided there’s no better place to start than the basics. So, today we’re going to answer a question you may not know you even had: what exactly is canvas? Like most people, you probably have an image of a canvas that immediately pops to mind- maybe a painted canvas, maybe a freshly packaged one, maybe a French guy with an easel and a beret – but do you actually know what canvas itself is made from? What about the difference between canvas and other fabrics? Let’s take a look!

Material-wise, canvas is actually more complicated than many people realize. Most everyone can call to mind what canvas looks and feels like, but not everyone knows that there are actually many kinds of canvas. Most canvas these days is made of one of two materials, those being the ubiquitous cotton and linen. This, however, was not always the case. For many, many centuries, canvas was more often than not made of hemp. In fact, the name “canvas” comes from the Latin word cannapaceus, which literally means “made of hemp.” Eventually, linen was found to be a better fabric for canvas making, and cotton, in turn, later became the dominant material. These fabrics aren’t the only ones used for canvas, however. Materials of all sorts are used to create canvas, including jute and, in recent years, polyester.

Obviously not all objects made of cotton, linen or hemp can be called canvas, but what is it that makes the difference? The answer is actually rather simple- it’s the weave! There are essentially three basic ways that most fabrics are woven together: plain, satin and twill weave. Canvas uses the simplest of these, the plain weave, which simply means that the threads used to make canvas are woven together in a criss-cross pattern. Plain weave makes canvas easy to make, tough and more rigid, as opposed to soft and flexible. Satin and twill weave, on the other hand, use more complicated weaving techniques to create different, softer textures that are used for decorative or clothing items.

Past the material and the weave, canvas comes in two styles- “plain” and “duck.” These terms refer again to the weave, but unlike the previous three, plain and duck refer to the tightness of the weave rather than the style. The difference between the two is that plain is more loosely woven, while duck canvas is tighter. Appropriately, the word “duck” comes from the Dutch word for cloth, doek.

The last major feature used to designate a material as canvas is its classification, a detail determined in two ways, both of which deal with weight. The first is the canvas’ actual weight in ounces per square yard, which is fairly straightforward and easy to determine. The second is a bit more complex, weighing a piece of duck canvas 36 by 22 inches and classifying it according to two grading systems. The two grading systems feature one for canvas that weighs less than 19 ounces per square yard and another for those 19 ounces or more. The first system grades are 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 8, 10 and 12, with 12 being the lightest, and the second system goes from 1/0 to 6/0.

While there are many variations on canvas and many other features canvases can have (such as priming, stretching vs. canvas boards, etc.), this simple guide gives a good, basic idea of what exactly canvas material is. If any of the particulars pique your interest, and you want more details, fear not! Over the next few weeks, we’re going to dig deep into every corner of the wide world of canvases, and we’ll be bringing you every nugget of info you’ve ever wanted to know. So stick with us, stay tuned to this spot, and in the meantime, get to your canvases and

A horizontal line on blank canvas can send the artistic mind on an epic journey of creation.  The blank canvas can be the painter’s best friend or worst enemy.  In some cases, the blank canvas can simultaneously encourage and antagonize the artist that seeks to alter its surface.  How the canvas is used to tell a story is up to the willing mind and creative spirit, unafraid to let their ideas metamorphose and project themselves with urgent force.

The painter’s canvas can be made from varying types of fibers that act as the perfect surface for oil and acrylic paints.  The most common types of blank canvas for painting are cotton and linen.  There are important differences between the two materials that may affect the end result of an artist’s vision, although both are wildly popular.

In this article, you will learn about the cotton canvas.

Here are a few key facts about blank canvas for the curious artist!

DID YOU KNOW?

• According to eHow Contributor Carlos Mano, “The word ‘canvas’ has come to mean any durable, simply woven fabric made of natural fibers.”
  
• Cotton canvas was commonly called “cotton duck” in from 1900 to 1940.  Although the tightly woven cotton duck was not made of actual duck feathers but of long durable linen cloth, it was as light as one and offered a sturdy and affordable alternative to the traditional hemp based canvases that were popular at the time.
• In the early development of canvas for paintings, it was discovered that oil paints could actually rot canvas fibers!  To prevent the deterioration of artwork, a coat of gesso became the best applicable technique for all canvas.  The substance prevents the oil paints from destroying the canvas fibers.  An acrylic version of gesso is available for the organic artist.
• Cotton comes from the cotton plant!

 

THE BLANK CANVAS IS AVAILABLE FOR YOUR CREATIVE SPIRIT
Both cotton and linen canvases are available at art supply stores and wholesalers, and general craft and hobby stores. For the best value, try an online art supplier that will offer you hand-stretched and customized canvas options. There’s no better feeling than that of having a custom blank canvas, big enough for the grand scheme of your creative idea with a small price that fits your budget.

Although it is a highly sought after material, custom and hand-stretched canvas can be costly for amateur and professional artists.  With endless surface options for artists, canvas is by and large the most popular surface to paint on.  The coarse raised texture lends character and dimension to any piece of artwork.  Somehow, the marriage of a paintbrush covered in a thick layer of pigmented oils and a blank canvas delivers some of the most striking, thought-provoking artwork.  It is no wonder that artists prefer canvas as a surface material over all others.

Oftentimes, professional artists and art students create their masterpieces with makeshift tools and art supplies.  These tools quickly become staples of the artist’s toolbox.  This do-it-yourself technique often blends into the creation of hand-stretched canvas.  Although cost effective for some, the process of stretching canvas can be time consuming.

To Make Hand-Stretch Canvas, you will need the following materials:

• Sheets of Canvas
• Stretcher Bars (4)
• Staple Gun & a box of staples
• Canvas Pliers
• A little know-how and determination!

Even with the character building strength of the canvas, what is an amateur artist to do without the knowledge of how to make their own hand-stretched canvas?  What if there is very little time between learning how to stretch canvas and the birth of an idea that must be painted urgently?  Where can the humble artist purchase high-quality hand-stretched canvas for an affordable price?  This is a common concern for members of the Arts community.

It is important to find and develop a beneficial relationship with an art supply company that understands this complex need for quality, customization, and economic efficiency.  With many high dollar options available at the traditional art supply store, it’s about time a reasonable online option should come along.  With the ease of ordering online and the ability to make specific dimension requests, getting the canvas required to make the perfect art piece should be effortless!

An online store that is growing in popularity for its attention to detail and affordability is CanvasLot.com.  Based in Austin, Texas, CanvasLot.com is an online art supply company that specializes in custom-made hand-stretched canvas.  Aiding all levels of professional artists, CanvasLot.com delivers wholesale.  From amateurs to professional fine artists, novice art students to seasoned professors, and the occasional dabbler to the well-versed enthusiast CanvasLot.com has a canvas for every taste and skill level.

Learn more about hand-stretched canvas and online art supply company CanvasLot by visiting the official website: www.CanvasLot.com