i like the hardness of the canvas board- i can do my blending- which requires alot of scrubbing at least for me it does and the board works better than the canvas for me – that’s my vote

It’s personal choice for most of us!
Boards need to be framed – chunky canvases don’t.

Besides durability of construction, the main reason I’m not interested in buying pre-made canvas/boards is the size/scale issue. Why should you be limited to 16″ x 20″? What if you want 14 3/4″ x 27 8/16″?

Gluing a piece of canvas to a piece of hardboard (if done properly) is way better than the crappy cardboard canvas boards they sell in shops.

So whether you choose board or stretchers to paint on, it’s good to just build your own. And if you don’t feel like building your own canvas stretcher, well, you’d be surprised what you can paint on (as in, make your OWN canvas board).

Doing a painting does not have to involve a trip to the expensive art store.

Keep your eyes open for old cabinet doors, shelves, etc. One of the best paintings I’ve ever seen was done on the keyboard shelf ripped off an old computer desk. And several of my paintings on canvas are stretched over old wooden window frames I found in a garage.

I guess to summarize: you can glue canvas to whatever you want, and make a better canvas board than you’d buy.

There’s one you didn’t mention…paper. Paper is actually my first preference, at least at this point. It’s easy to crop to fit a frame and not too expensive as I learn to paint. I use watercolor paper for many of my acrylic paintings. I also like canvas board but trying to find frames that don’t cost an arm and a leg is exhausting. Also, it’s hard to find a package of these that aren’t warped. There is a trend toward unframed art on canvas and so like Maureen pointed out, chunky canvas is a good choice because it won’t cost you extra to frame. I like 110s ideas and do have some Goodwill and garage sale treasures that I will eventually paint something on. I’ve got my eye out for old kitchen doors too.:D

Good question!

Elizabeth

Almost forgot: I don’t like gesso. Makes the support to slippery.

I started out on canvas board, and it was the right choice for me.

I prefer the “spring” of stretched canvas and I like Crescent hot pressed illustration board too. Very smooth.

I started out like most do on the inexpensive canvas boards so readily available but I found that they warp with the slightest bit of moisture. I prefer the prestretched canvas or wood panels if I want the stiffness. I don’t worry about the texture of canvas since I usually do 3-4 coats of gesso, masonite or plywood panels only require 1 or 2 coats of gesso