

While gouache can be used on smaller paintings or to create effects like the gouache resist technique, painting on canvas can use up gouache very quickly, and you may find that using acrylic paint is a better choice. Gouache can be applied to canvas, but it is best to apply a fairly thick layer, with minimal water added. It is composed of color pigment with a binding agent such as gum arabic, often with a solid white pigment such as chalk (or sometimes even acrylic) incorporated. These two factors give gouache a much heavier texture and higher opacity than watercolor alone, but not quite the opacity of acrylic. Gouache is a unique type of paint that has characteristics of both acrylic and watercolor paint.

Like acrylic, oil paint can be applied either with a brush or a palette knife it can even be applied without either, by using oil pigment bars (sort of like oil pastels). Their thick, viscous texture requires a heavy-duty painting surface to rest upon that won’t be degraded by oil, and a primed canvas provides just that. Whether it’s traditional oil paint or water-soluble oil paint, oils are very well suited to painting on canvas. Thinner acrylic paint (sometimes called “fluid acrylic”) will require a lot more paint to create an opaque layer, and can drip downward if painting on an easel. In terms of what type of acrylic paint to use, a thicker acrylic paint (sometimes called “heavy body”) will work best on canvas. A primed canvas provides an ideal surface for acrylic, which can be applied with a brush or palette knife. It’s easy to work with, requires minimal supplies and dries quickly. The best types of paint for canvas AcrylicĪcrylic paint is one of the most popular types of paint for painting on canvas, and with good reason. In this post, we’ll explore what paint to use on canvas by reviewing common painting media and explaining why they do or don’t work well on for painting on canvas. But you don’t have to learn the hard way. With so many paint options out there, it can be hard to know which medium is best suited for which painting surface.

Canvas is a classic surface for creating art. But what is the best paint for canvas? Read on to learn the best and worst types of paint to use on canvas.
