Painting 2: Painting Surfaces Trivia Quiz

Answer: Linen

High-quality linen is better than high-quality cotton and slightly better than synthetic fibers. However, avoid low-quality linen, as cotton and synthetic fibers are better. Silk is not used to make canvasses.

Answer: False

Canvas sheets sometimes have hidden creases that seem to appear when the painting is drying. This can ruin a perfect painting. Rolled canvas does not have this problem.

Answer: Staples

Canvas is traditionally stapled to the frame. Here is a common procedure for doing this:

Start by placing a staple in the center of a short side, then the center of the opposite side, then the centers of the two longer sides. The next staples should be two inches from the center, and each set should be two inches further out, until the corners are reached.

Answer: Have been primed

Primer gets the canvasses ready for use.

Answer: You can use oil paints on acrylic primer

Acrylic paints and primer dry much faster than oil paints and primers. Using oil on acrylic is fine, but using acrylic on oil will cause the paint to crack. This is very important when painting!

Answer: 1 ream (500 sheets) weighs 120 lb.

The weight of paper is the weight of 1 ream, or 500 sheets. Heavier paper is thicker and less likely to wrinkle when wet. Light paper should not be used for watercolors, unless it is stretched. (And, of course, the size of the sheet of paper also comes into play!)

120 lb. paper is quite heavy, and (apart from watercolors) is typically used for covers and cards.

Answer: Smooth

The texture of the paper determines how a painting will turn out. Hot-pressed paper gives a more even color and more accurate lines and details, but can be too slippery, and the paint sometimes runs out of control. Rough paper gives a more interesting texture and is easier to paint on. Cold-pressed paper has qualities between those of hot-pressed and rough paper. Hot-pressed paper is smooth, eliminating the need for a paper called 'smooth'. Cold-pressed paper is also called 'not' (meaning not hot-pressed) in Britain.

Answer: Hot-pressed is smooth; Rough is rough

Hot-pressed is pressed smooth while hot, making it the smoothest. Cold-pressed is pressed smooth while cold, making it smoother, but not as smooth as hot-pressed. Rough paper is not pressed at all.

Answer: Hot-pressed

It is smooth, so the paint does not go in the valleys, and brushstrokes are smoother. However, this texture is too slippery for many artists.

Answer: False

No, it should be rough, so the color grinds off. I hope you liked my quiz! If you did, please try some of my others!