For oils, should I buy linen and jute streched canvasses and then do the following before painting?

Question

Apply two coats of gesso, then glue (I don't know what kind), then size it (what does this mean?) and then a coating of grey or beige paint as a base?

Answer 1

"Sizing", which is traditionally rabbit-skin glue, goes on the linen or canvas BEFORE the gesso. It seals the fabric so the oil does not soak into it, and shrinks it tight onto the stretcher. Glue and sizing are the same thing. (You have to cook rabbit skin glue before applying it... and sometimes it doesn't cook properly!)

You can skip this process by purchasing pre-gessoed canvases or panels - they're perfectly fine. The paint can be applied directly onto the gesso.

It's your choice whether or not to use a tinted base coat of paint, some artists do and some don't. Often this base coat will show through the finished work or give an overall colour that shows through glazes, depending on the style of painting. Some artists just block in their image with thinned oils to give them a idea of composition.

Answer 2

To prime linen, the best choice is hot rabbit skin glue (this is the "size" people refer to; buy pellets at any art supply store and melt down to a thin consistency) applied to a very loosely streched linen canvas. The glue tightens the canvas significantly so you have to start loose. Then take some titantium oxide pigment (this is safe to breathe but you want to ventilate properly just in case). Mix it with melted beeswax and linseed oil (which you mix together when warm beforehand) evenly until you get a paint of a sour cream texture. Apply about three coats of this mixture to your canvas once the glue is dry and you're all set! Sand with 320 grit sandpaper between coats and sand at the end. Wait about a day or two to use the canvas just to be on the safe side.