Linen or cotton?

[iosif]

On the first education I am a mathematician with chemistry. On the latter - marketing . And here comes the split personality (in a good way) .
Linen canvas several times more expensive than cotton . And what is better? This is not the sheets, which are known , are rarely carefully primed .
Professionals, please vpravte brains former chemist and current marketing manager . A former chemist finds that the ground should be securely protect the underlying cause of the harmful effects. And if not prevent - the question to the chemist , who developed this primer. Marketer believes that the less overhead in the already complicated business of the gallery - the better. By the way, six years ago the artist slipped clean linen, half-linen and pure cotton canvas of the same company.
Six years - normal flight . When there is the difference? And maybe it's not a question of chemistry , and marketing - but only in the marketing of the canvas?

[Pablo]

iosif, in the year one written on linen canvas, because it is cheap and fast.
Now busy painting hobby is not cheap, respectively, and a price , such as:
" The Old Masters wrote on linen canvas , so it's cool. So expensive. +200%To the price !"
And cotton canvas is usually sold with a small grain size , the flax is bigger. Of those that are for sale. Difference, in general, I do not see.
I write on anything that comes their way.

[sdk321]

What is special linen and what is its advantage over cotton ?

- Linen fibers undoubtedly much longer and stronger , that is, flax higher resistance to mechanical damage
- Linen canvas is highly resistant and less deformability, which means there is less risk of sagging
- Len has a pronounced and distinctive texture and cotton more even . Embossed texture gives particular picture, and also better keep more layers of paint
- The presence of different types of grain. Small canvas suitable for drawing portraits and fine detail , medium and large are used to painting with a strong texture (trees , rocks, cliffs) impasto painting or painting palette knife.

[Seriy]

iosif, there are some objective reasons why the county is a more reliable basis for painting. It is mechanically more durable, it is less susceptible to rotting, it is less hygroscopic. This is not the sheets, the fabric is stretched on a frame and then wetted, is primed. Linen drying stretched like a drum, cotton remains fairly hanging. If the primed canvas push behind finger, linen elastic back into place, and on cotton produced dent and damage to the soil. And writing brush difference in elasticity of linen and cotton canvas is very different. So I do not know any artist who would be at the free choice would prefer cotton.
Cotton for the painting came into vogue in the United States in the middle of last century, which is not a linen and cotton in bulk. T e paintings on cotton is not even a hundred years.
Our linen is made in Russia and Belarus, so the difference is not at times, and, conditionally, in the tens of percent, if we take the same manufacturer, for example, Tuyukan. However, there are China cotton or semilinear, that is, 50%linen, 50%cotton. In addition to cheap, they do have another attractive quality-they are lightweight enough to thin pieces of wood. If you go to exhibitions or send picture mail, the issue of weight is very important. So many artists choose China because of the weight.
Speaking of inexpensive products to, say, $ 500, why not write in Chinese cotton? If you talk about a solid product in several scroll thousand dollars, then we in the West write on flax is both quality and respect for the customer and saving as a percentage of the value of the picture is small.
The difference between linen and cotton occurs in extreme conditions, humidity changes, mechanical damage, hauling, storage in a shot from the subframe condition. If the picture is stored in the original stretch at a constant temperature and humidity, and not in an unheated barn, nothing they will not. But I saw in San Francisco turnovers cotton canvas 1940-all of them in spots, or mold, or moisture .. do not know .. One artist told me that when you try to waist China cotton canvas ripped like paper, but that Chinese branded canvases like GAMMA overtighten without problems.

[NATA NOVA]

Сообщение от Pablo; 2499331"

And cotton canvas is usually sold with a small grain size , the linen is larger .

Flax can be technically different granularity. Case " resolution" flax huge. In ancient Egypt, for example, produces very fine , transparent linen ( the threads of which were invisible they could only feel with your fingers) , so, for the information ..

Traditionally, the best painting canvas - hemp .
Linen- noble, good material , ( was, is and will remain) .

As for the prices and demand for the product , the media is not just a secondary - and probably a decimal factor ...
But there will always be experts who will attach importance to every small detail ..

[Pablo]

NATA NOVA,

Сообщение от Pablo; 2499331"

Of those that are for sale

About grit - to my knowledge, their is only three small medium and large > A hemp canvas - burlap . I agree with
NATA NOVA, it's good stuff.
But any canvas capricious and demands the utmost care and thoughtful approach , I think something like these ideas and prompted the creation of the author's themes of this.
All of the above " the difference , and the difference was" sure , are familiar to the author. I have written from his point of view - whether the artist , whether painter , or the black ones who know .
Of course, the nicer paint on canvas . But compared with the same veneer, confident in the durability of canvas loses. Ie I still think it's a marketingovorm approach. Alternatively, linen is much less produce than before, but not sure. It's all my IMHO.

[iosif]

sdk321,
Higher resistance and less deformability - I agree. But in my experience (though not very long ) mechanical damage paintings infrequent. A sagging occurs more frequently because of bias or stretcher when pictures are stored "in bulk ." Moreover, a separate conversation on stretcher : expensive , heavy , durable and adjustable stretchers more susceptible to problems due to gravity, and it is their inconvenience of mass storage.
The preferred light , cheap cheap stretchers with light cotton canvas . Of course, this opinion is based only on my personal experience.

Added after 2 minutes
Seriy, I do not over-tighten once the cotton canvas. There were no problems . True, and his paintings are not antique .
In general , if the picture nemeryannom valuable, then there will always be ways to physically store. This is the chemist in me says.

[NATA NOVA]

My dear fellow !

It all depends, " with which the bell tower " look (and that).
let us define the levels , categories and goals.

For , a black square ( Rothko, Banksy , Picasso ) * media is not important ( or important? ), For " chamber " of painting , depends on the camera.
In other words, this is a personal creator .. Will - demand and will take on cotton, and the plaster .. and, together with the walls !

[iosif]

NATA NOVA, of course, linen - a noble and traditional material . But if the wound is still " tied " lint , the mortality would be obscenely high . Although the material noble - Grand Duchess did not shun pinching.
Agree about the grain . But the county also has a fine-grained , and too expensive.

[color="#666686 " ]Added after 3 minutes[/color]
NATA NOVA, again from personal experience - the customer does not really care about the media. Although the notorious " oil on canvas " somehow sounds more attractive to him than the " cardboard- oil" or "oil on cardboard - oil ." We must honor the preferences of customers , but it seems that the real benefits of flax to cotton - rather, physical and moral , is not very relevant to the market.

[NATA NOVA]

Сообщение от iosif; 2500301"

We have to honor customer preferences, but it seems that the real benefits of flax to cotton - rather, physical and moral , is not very relevant to the market.

Again, depending on the customer . And on how to submit .. good linen in good cardboard (especially small - small size ) than miniature - miniature will write on the tree) has many more advantages than linen canvas , especially if it is made by the artist himself (imho)