Wood as a Painting Surface

If you enjoy painting with acrylics and oils but don't like the framing process, then consider painting on wood. There's no need to frame your painting when you're finished. Just nail on picture framing hardware and hang. Besides eliminating the problem of framing, the beautiful textures and grains of various woods can add to your paintings.

History of Painting on Wood

In fact, painting on wood is an ancient art form as the earliest oil paintings known were done on oak or poplar wood. Covered with an even ground coming from animal chalk and glue, the ground was polished to make the surface adaptable for oil paints.

The first wood panel paintings date back to the 9th Century A.D. when many Greek and Roman artists painted on wood panels. Most of the early wood panel paintings carried a religious theme, with many paintings of Jesus Christ and the Virgin Mary. However, by the 15th Century the concept of humanism replaced religion as a subject, giving way to more secular paintings.
Best Wood Surfaces

Usually choosing a painting surface depends of your painting style. Contemporary artists consider pure hardwood panels the best for painting with oils, although they're hard to transport as well as expensive. Plywood made from poplar, birth or mahogany is a better alternative. Hardboard refers to panels or boards made from a hardwood such as cedar, oak, walnut, mahogany or birth. On the other hand, softwoods as pines aren't adapted for painting as they are prone to crack and have excess resins. Also, pine wood isn't suitable because it isn't moisture resistant.

Preparing the Wood

Before you can paint or draw on wood, first ensure the wood is free of nicks and blemishes and is as smooth as possible. Sand down any rough spots and clean the wood. On the other hand, you can buy wood plaques sold in art stores.

The next step is priming the wood to seal the wood's surface so you can paint on it. Failing to seal your surface will result in the wood soaking up the liquid, making your painting efforts frustrating.

If you plan doing much painting on wood, then it may be more practical to buy a can of white priming paint from a hardware store. A large amount of primer is also a good idea if you plan to use to paint large murals or stage sets. On the other hand, if you just want to paint a few pieces, then smaller cans of white gesso can be found in crafts and art stores, as well as some department stores. You don't have to have to have your primer or gesso paints remain white, but can easily tint it to whatever color is best suited for your painting.

Drawing on Wood

Besides using paints, you can also draw on work using pencil, color pencils, oil pastels and pen and ink. After lightly sketching in a design, use color pencils or pen and ink for your drawing. After you've finished shading and are satisfied with your drawing, spray with Spray Fixative.

Experiment on various types of surfaces. Work in both oils and acrylics, determining which surfaces do better with each medium. After trying different woods you'll get a better feeling of what works best for you and if you want to continue using wood as a painting or drawing surface. You can always go back to using regular linen or cotton canvas if you find wood isn't suited for your style of painting.

Originally published on Suite 101.