You might want to try Centurion oil primed linen pads. I used them on a plein air trip. I just taped them to a board. I like it much better than Arches oil paper and Canson Canva paper. Not on sale they are a little more costly but still worth the money. I wait for a sale at Jerry’s Artarama it’s the only site that I’ve seen it on. They are currently on sale and come in pads of 10 sheets.

Oil paper and prepared linen sounds interesting especially for painting trips and en plein air. Ten or twenty sheets hardly take up much space, …or weight.

For plein air painters using primed paper, what do you suggest for travelling with all the wet sketches?

They make foam tape that already has the adhesive applied, no dbl-faced tape required. Look at the hardware store for “insulating tape” or “camper tape”, they come in several widths and thicknesses. Just use caution, the tape is permanent …so only use on the backer board, never the art itself.

I like oil paper for studies, but I still struggle with how to transport them “wet” while working plein air. In the studio I just use cardboard or foamboard backer, but for traveling I’ve tried masonite and gatorboard but the “wet” surface remains troublesome.

If I’m not concerned with permanence, I just paint directly on matte board scraps I buy cheap at the framing shop.

You all might be interested in looking at this guy’s web site: https://www.santocesar.com/

Cesar does a lot of oil painting in his sketch books, and explains how he does it. He has quite a few videos available on his site, and on youtube. He is an excellent artist/painter.

And, in the for what it’s worth department, something I do now and then is paint on cardboard. Nothing serious. Just studies and things I’m trying out or a puzzle I’m trying to solve. I use cardboard because it’s free (if you’re willing to dumpster dive or beg from local stores), and you don’t ruin an expensive canvas while learning. Of course, if you accidentally paint a masterpiece, you can always claim that painting on cardboard shows just how arty you are. After all, Munch’s The Scream is crayon on cardboard and it’s worth $8 million or so.