Drawing on Canvas

Preparing the Canvas

Before an artist draws on a canvas, it is prepared. First, it is stretched over a wooden frame and attached to the back with staples. Then, it is covered with a layer of gesso medium with a large brush. Gesso primes the canvas and stiffens it, making it more suitable for artistic uses.

Drawing Medium

Gesso often gives the canvas more texture, which makes drawing on canvas more challenging. Even without gesso, a canvas has a certain amount of "tooth'' that makes drawings bumpy and irregular. To minimize this problem, the artist may choose a large stick of woodless graphite or charcoal, which will move more smoothly over the surface than a pencil or pen might.

Smudging

The raised tooth of a canvas will cause empty white dots in the drawing because the drawing tool glides over the indentations. To remedy this, the artist may smudge the drawing so that medium is carried into the indentations and crevasses of the canvas, making the color more uniform. He may also brush graphite or charcoal dust into the white area for a finished look to the drawing.

Resources

• How to Choose Drawing Supplies
• How to Add Shading to Drawings