Are you looking for a canvas suitable for watercolour painting?
A standard primed stretched canvas is not absorbent enough to be used with watercolour, the paint will bead up. But, it takes just one simple step to convert any format of ready-primed canvas into a watercolour canvas. You can use stretched canvas or canvas panels and even wooden panels if you give them a coat of primer first.
Watercolour Canvas
The following products are like applying a layer of watercolour paper to any primed surface, so the surface is then ready to paint on using watercolour or using acrylics with staining techniques.
Simply take a regular ready-primed canvas and apply three to five thin coats of one of the four brands of watercolour ground:
Schmincke Watercolour Aqua Primer
Daniel Smith Watercolour Ground
Golden Acrylic Absorbent Ground
Golden Qor Watercolour Ground
The Stretched Canvas Department on the Jackson’s website.
When the canvas is fully dry after about 24 hours, it will have a more absorbent surface and you can paint on it in a way that is similar to painting on paper.
And what about framing and protection of the finished watercolour painting?
The watercolour paint and paper surface are fragile and will need to be protected under glass or with a varnish. If using watery acrylics in the manner of watercolour there might be enough acrylic film to be able to varnish without disturbing the paint. With watercolour, you would either need glazed framing or a carefully sprayed varnish.
Watercolour Grounds at jacksonsart.com
Click on the underlined links or the image to go to the grounds on the Jackson’s Art Supplies website.
As always- standard UK shipping is free with orders of £39 or more.
8 thoughts on “Watercolour Canvas”
You mention ‘spray varnish’ for watercolours used on a watercolour ‘primed’ canvas and mention the primers but exactly WHICH spray varnish would you recommend? I would be extremely grateful for some advice please!!!!
Hi Zoe
There are many options.
Schmincke Watercolour Aero Watercolour Fixative might be all you need or it might be the first coating and then after the watercolour is secure you could use Lascaux UV Protect 2 Matt Spray or Schmincke Acrylic Matt Varnish or another final varnish in Matt, so it continues to look like a watercolour and doesn’t become shiny.
I hope that helps.
Most spray varnishes will work if you start very lightly to not get the colour wet. Test first on an unimportant watercolour.
Is one layer of the Schmincke watercolour ground enough on
canvas? And how long does that one take to dry?
Hi Jolanda
One layer might be enough for not very diluted applications of watercolour, but 2 or 3 layers will be more absorbent and better suited to all types of applications of watercolour. Drying time will depend on how thick the ground is applied and the environmental temperature/humidity – anything from a couple of hours to a couple of days!
Many thanks
Lisa
I’ve been painting on Arches ‘cold pressed’ watercolour paper using
acrylics with staining techniques. I would like to switch to
stretched canvas as this is a 100cm x 100cm painting. Is it
possible to achieve the same texture on canvas and how?
Hi Darr, we have another post about watercolour grounds which can be used on canvas – https://www.jacksonsart.com/blog/2020/02/18/watercolour-grounds-painting-with-watercolour-on-canvas/ – you might find it helpful. I’d recommend the Golden QOR cold pressed ground.
What if you don’t have an absorbent and
has no extra money to buy one. What is
a preferable alternative for the
watercolor paint to stick on the canvas?
Hi Monique
The regular acrylic primer on a canvas isn’t suitable for use with watercolour. If you don’t want to add a layer of watercolour ground then it is best to paint on watercolour paper.
This is another post about watercolour ground, if you’d like to read more.
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