Can Oil Painting be done on Paper?

Wanna make an oil painting? Cool but if you thinking to spend less time and money on surface preparation then paper is the best choice to work upon. Just you need to give the same treatment as given to a raw canvas at the time of preparing oil painting.

Bingo!! You got your answer Oil painting can be done on paper as it will be less time consuming, no formal like stretched canvas or panel and reasonably priced.

Select and Prepare
# First of all, select a good quality acid-free heavyweight paper such as Arches Watercolor Paper.  A weight of at least 300 gsm is recommended for small studies and sketches, and 640 gsm for larger paintings.

# Now Pinup the paper to a board and apply one layer of acrylic gesso primer in one direction. Mix the primer with water as necessary so that it is the consistency of heavy cream.

# Wait till it gets dry, then apply another coat of gesso in the direction cross to the first direction.

# If required, apply a third coat in the original direction when the second coat is dry. You may also sand the dried coats of gesso between layers if you'd like a smoother surface.

The benefit of using acrylic gesso is that you can create some textural effects in your painting before you've even begun to apply paint. You can also add other elements such as sawdust and sand to the gesso for greater textural effects if your paper is heavy and durable enough to withstand it.

# Now, You can remove your painting from the board by extracting the pins or staples, or cutting the edges off with an Exacto or mat knife.

Paper Types
In first para you got the answer that oil paintings can be done on paper. Now the next point to be discussed which type of paper can be used. Here below we are talking about three types of paper and let’s discuss all one by one.

Arches Oil Paper
First one is arches oil paper which is specially made for making oil masterpiece. Also no base preparation is required for it. It can be used as it is without the need of priming as well. This paper holds durability and can be experimented by different types of painting techniques. The paper is 300 gsm (140 lb) and also comes in pads 9x12 inches and 12x16 inches.

Watercolor Paper
A heavy weight and rough surface watercolor paper make a good and perfect oil painting. If we talk about roughness then cold pressed watercolor paper is rougher than hot pressed watercolor paper. But finally the choice is yours which one to prefer. They both not make much difference depends on how many layers of primer and how thick is applied on it.

Watercolor paper comes in pads and blocks. Both the pads and blocks are convenient, easy to prime, and good to use. I recommend the Arches Watercolor Pads and the Arches Watercolor Blocks. Arches is well-known for its high quality papers. Lastly you can use sheets also.

Printmaking Paper
Printmaking paper also makes a good surface which is acid free for making a good oil painting. It comes in sheets up to 280 gsm or you can purchase it in a roll of 300 gsm and cut it to the sizes. Printmaking paper will work well when primed with matte gel medium or acrylic gesso.

There are many other types of paper available in the market but if you don’t have them doesn’t mean you can paint. You can use low quality paper without or with using any prime on it but the results are worth looking. By using cheap materials you get a freedom to experiment with your work. Your painting may last for less years but you can do whatever you want to in your own way.