PAPER or CANVAS?
I have spent years purchasing different products from professional vendors across the country and whittling down offerings to find a simple product selection that was high quality but economically priced and, if possible, from a local vendor. The two surfaces that I think complement digital paintings best are a fine art paper and canvas and I am very happy to have found vendors that provide exceptional quality. Here’s an in-depth review of the two.
PAPER
Velvet is a 100% cotton paper. The acid-free base is perfect for preserving fine art paintings. It has a bright white surface so that the colors that are printed are the same ones you saw in your approval proof. And it has a patterned texture with a similar look and feel to watercolor paper with a matte finish.
I love how the paintings look on this textured paper - they show every stroke detail and have great depth of color.
Velvet has a delicate surface that is less resistant to scratches and scuffs than other fine art surfaces. These prints must be handled with extra care. For this reason, I only sell unframed fine art prints as 8x10s and 11x14s gift prints - the larger prints require much more handling.
CANVAS
If you order canvas, your painting is printed on a satin finish canvas and hand-sprayed with a protective UV coating. The woven cotton texture of the surface comes through the painting and the sheen mimics traditional varnish. All of my canvases are hand-finished with acrylic gels to add texture and brushstrokes for a truly custom portrait.
Canvas prints are offered in two styles:
A gallery wrap - where the edges of the painting are extended and then wrapped around the corners of a hollow in-flexible box for a modern and simple hanging option. The back is sealed with a dust-cover.
Framed - the painting is printed on canvas and then mounted to a sheet of masonite which holds it smooth and strongly in your choice of frame. Float frames are available in a variety of colors and provide a beautiful finish to the canvas.
