A: I recommend that you spray seal your paintings with 3 coats of a UV-protective sealer. There are several products available in aerosol form designed for use on paintings, pastels, and fine art prints. At least the first two layers should be a gloss spray, and (if you like a matte finish, have the last coat be with matte).
A: The benefits of watercolor canvas vs. paper are... - The colors are brighter (no absorption)
- The darks are stronger (no absorption)
- You don't need glass when framing
- You don't need a frame (if painted on stretched)
- Collectors don't like the weight, breakage, distorted glare, and reflection of glass
- All Standard size frames match stretched or panels of canvas
- Lighter weight makes them easier to handle especially with large sizes.
A: We recommend mounting it to foamcore, masonite or mdf. Adhere it with spray adhesive or photomount and then frame it in a standard frame. In order to purchase frames go to www.tarapf.com.
*Properly formulated adhesives, such as Lamin-all, ARE archival and will not cause discoloration of the pigments.
A: We do not recommend using oil based (even if they are watersoluable) paints on our watercolor canvas unless you add an extra layer of gesso to the canvas. You might ask yourself, is it still archival? Yes, if you use archival gesso and paints.
A: Pencil can be used to sketch your image before painting just like on paper, although it will not erase as completely
A: Any and all brands of watercolor and acrylic paints can be used on watercolor canvas; even pen and ink and watercolor pencils.
A: Yes, any of our canvases can be sanded. You should make sure not to "over-sand" which will cause damage to the actual fibers. Use at least a 120 grit or higher paper (the higher the grit number the finer the sandpaper). And we always recommend the use of a dust mask – especially if the canvas is one of the hand-primed linens or the Scarlet O'Hara.
We also recommend you use a mask with an "N95" rating which means it will trap at least 95% of the particles in the air down to a micron or so in size. This type of mask is generally available at hardware stores, major discount stores, and home improvement centers. They may be available at art supply houses as well.
A: We have no fire test data at this time.
A: Yes. Although common sense would dictate that no one eat the gesso or primed canvas, our acrylic gessos are "non-toxic" under current regulations. And the Titanium Oil Prime, applied to canvas, is also considered non-toxic. Only the oil-priming on our hand-primed linens is considered toxic due to the presence of the lead pigment.
In addition, none of our canned products are toxic by regulation. This includes 4404, 4405, 4406, 4407, 4450, 4417, 4418, 95001, 95002, and 95003. Even the titanium oil prime, 4402, is not considered "toxic" in the liquid form, but I wouldn't bet my life on eating it. It certainly would make you sick. In the event that someone, especially a child, did eat any of these materials we should always recommend they seek immediate medical care to insure no ill-effects.
All of our canned products have been evaluated under the "LHAMA" regulations. LHAMA is the acronym for Labeling of Hazardous Art Materials Act. The evaluation process is covered under ASTM D4236. All of these products carry a notation on their labels regarding this evaluation.
A: In general this product should be dry within 72 hours. Weather conditions can affect the dry-time, but in almost all cases you should be able to paint on it within two or three days unless you've applied a very heavy layer (which is NOT recommended as it will be much more likely to crack). This priming will "age" some even after the 72 hours or so, but not like a lead-pigmented oil prime will.
A: They are called Keys or Wedges. They are used to tighten the canvas. They are placed in the corner slots. You can place them in all four corners or just two of the corners.