Then, prime the canvas using acrylic gesso as you would a canvas on stretcher bars. Priming a painting very large in size will naturally require more gesso, and time. You will learn that patience is key and will allow you to reap the benefits of a well-primed surface of such large proportions. If you cut corners or rush, you will be forced to paint on a shoddy one. The quality of your finished painting will undoubtedly suffer.
Some artists choose to paint on unstretched canvas that is unprimed.
Such raw surfaces can help produce a unique quality, but will not facilitate a traditional oil painting finish. Furthermore, a painting on untreated surfaces will deteriorate quickly throughout time since the pigment is not protected by the acids present in the fibers of the canvas. Supplies Along with larger painting surfaces, it will be necessary to use larger brushes, larger containers, a larger palette, and a vast supply of oil colour, solvents and mediums. I decided to do myself a favor in order to avoid rudely interrupting my creative process by running out of the staples of oil painting, and I stocked up on all my materials before beginning to paint. Brushstroke One of the biggest stylistic mistakes an artist can make when painting on a grand surface is to fail to adopt a brushstroke relative to the size of the painting.