Canvas Pad

About

Canvas pads are textured, primed sheets bound into a block for practice, colour studies and plein air work. We stock A3 and A4 pads from Eraldo di Paolo and Art Spectrum, so you can test ideas and warm up without committing to a stretched canvas. When to use a canvas pad instead of a canvas A pad is for the work you don't want to be precious about. Students grinding through class exercises, hobbyists trying a new technique, artists sketching colour studies before the real piece. The sheets are cheap, portable and easy to store, which is why they live in most travel kits and plein air bags. Picking between the two weights we stock comes down to how wet your paint gets. Both ranges are prepared for acrylic and oil paint. The Eraldo di Paolo pads use 250gsm sheets suitable for acrylic and oil. Riot specifically describes the A4 pad as triple primed and made from 100% cotton, while the Art Spectrum pads use heavier 345gsm cotton that is double primed with a universal ground. The heavier Art Spectrum sheets may feel firmer under heavier applications, although buckling also depends on paint thickness and technique. Want a surface for something you'll frame or hang? Look at canvas panels for finished work instead. Canvas pads, boards or stretched canvas Each surface has a job. Pads are portable sheets commonly used for practice and studies, but suitable paintings can also be mounted or stretched for display. Boards are rigid and work well for small finished pieces. Stretched canvas is the traditional hangable option for work you want to display. Surface Typical cost comparison Canvas pad Usually lowest per painting surface Canvas board Varies by size and construction Stretched canvas Usually higher for an equivalent size For gallery-style display, stretched painting canvases are the usual choice. Canvas paper for acrylics and oils The sheets in these canvas pads are already primed for painting. The prepared ground reduces absorbency, helps paint remain on the surface and p