Picking the perfect oil paint canvas is crucial for your process. Standard paper isn't enough to stand up to oil paint, so a high quality canvas will support your painting and allow your vibrant colours to sing. On this page, we've chosen a variety of ready-to-use canvas options for experienced and beginner artists.
To make our selection, we've used a combination of our own tests and experience, as well as user reviews from around the internet. If you're not sure what type of canvas you need, then scroll to the bottom where you'll find the key things to consider when choosing an oil paint canvas.
The best oil paint canvas available now
+ Very high quality
+ Easily adjustable
- No extra large sizes
Winsor & Newton's professional canvases offer a heavyweight, quality surface, coming in at 480gsm (16.9oz). The frame is made of pine, with a cross brace in larger sizes, making it less likely to warp. The cotton surface can be stretched very tightly. These stretched canvases are a bit pricier than student quality ones, but their quality makes them a solid option for more serious projects.
+ High quality surface
+ Sturdy frame
- Lacks smaller sizes
The Masterpiece Elite line offers very high quality canvases. These provide an excellent surface to work on, and have solid construction. They also have very tightly wrapped corners, giving the canvas a crisp, professional look. The surface is primed to show colour well. These canvases are of archival quality, meaning that they will last a very long time and are suited to high-end professional projects and commissions.
+ Excellent quality
+ Lightweight
- Very textured
Winsor & Newton's Artist's canvas boards offer quality at a fair price. The board is stronger than a lot of canvas boards, and doesn't bend easily. However, it is still thin enough to be lightweight. The surface takes paint well, though it does have a strong canvas texture that can interfere with details. If you prefer smoother surfaces, it might be a bit much at small sizes, but should be fine for the larger panels.
+ Neutral tone surface
+ Good quality for price
- Only square-shaped
- Limited sizes
Pebeo's canvas boards use a natural linen that offers a neutral warm grey to work on. They are fairly tough and handle heavier paint well. The surface quality is excellent, as the texture doesn't interfere with the painting either. The backing board is strong and sturdy, and doesn't show any signs of warping. The only big downside to these canvas boards is that they only come in square sizes.
+ Very sturdy surface
+ Easy to use
- Surface a bit slippery
- Less suitable for finished work
Canson's Figueras oil paint paper is affordable, but strong enough to handle fairly heavy paint. It has a canvas-like texture and is easy to cut. It holds oil paint well and doesn't curl or soak through. It does have a slippery-smooth feel that is common to oil paint papers, though it has more tooth than most. Canvas papers are good for studies and beginners, as they are easy to use and don't take up much space – just tape to a drawing board.
+ 100% cotton surface
+ No slippery texture
- Fairly absorbent
- Not so good with heavy paint
Arches oil paint paper is an excellent surface to work on if you prefer oil paint papers. It is 100 per cent cotton, so it should last well, and comes ready to paint on. The paper feels more like watercolour paper than other oil papers as it has less texture and a more absorbent surface. The paper has a nice tactile feel, but may cause more oily mixtures to 'sink' and lose their lustre a bit. Otherwise, the lack of texture makes applying flat colour and details a breeze.
