Cheap Paintings

Would you reccomend using canvas cardboard for oil landscape paintings?

I plan on doing oil paintings wet on wet like bob ross paintings. I want to use thin canvas such as the cheap cardboard ones but is there any downside to using canvas on cardboard. I do not want to paint on wood frames because they take up to much space in thickeness. I need to complete 10 oil paintings and it seems easier to stack carboard into my portfolio then woodframes. please tell me the pros and cons of both types of canvas. thanks

Public Comments

1. Hi, What about canvas boards ? Not made of cardboard which tends to warp, but made of wood, such as MDF ? Best regards, José http://www.gogofrog.com/hushcolours/
2. I've never painted on cardboard with oils before but I have with acrylics. The cardboard won't warp unless you intend on completely drenching the thing with turpentine or linseed oil. If you want to kinda wet proof your cardboard, get some gesso and apply. Use about 2 layers. If you don't have gesso, use 3 parts white paint and 1 part elmers glue and just paint it on. And word of advice...the oil paint itself won't do this, but too much linseed oil or turpentine will bring out the texture of the cardboard. My biggest advice for you is to just experiment. Cardboard is pretty cheap and you can throw it away easily.
3. I think you mean canvas board not canvascardboard. The upside of using this is the price, the downside is that for larger pieces the board tends to bend. You really want to use this for practicing purposes, it's hard to do a gallery quality on the canvas board, and i won't recommend to showcase paintings done on canvas board as your main work. Once you have gain a proficiency in painting use stretched canvas and take pictures of it for your portfolio. Also if you want to do serious work i would not recommend the style of Bob Ross he does not uses wet on wet technique (vermeer is an artists famous for wet on wet). Bob's type of work is more for recreational puroposes, i do not know if his show its still on pbs but i've seen this other artist who has a show Jerry Yarnell he is a much better artist than bob ross, he does mainly landscapes and uses layers.
4. Cardboard might easier to stack, lighter and cheaper but what about your art? If you don't think your efforts and your talent deserve a better support than cheap cardboard why don't you try selling shoes? I used cardboard once and I felt cheap cheap cheap...Now I use Masonite for all my plein air painting. Will never go lower.