When it comes to oil painting surfaces we usually always think of gessoed linen canvas or wood. However, it is also possible to paint on paper with oils! It has a lot of benefits such as affordability and ease of use. As it is easy to be held back by the cost of painting surfaces – but painting on paper solves that issue.
Here I show how to use shellac to prepare paper for oil painting so that it is archival and easy to paint on. With minimal materials you can quickly make painting surfaces for the fraction of the cost of gessoed linen.
Gather Materials Needed for Painting on Paper
You don’t need a lot to prepare paper for oil painting, and you likely already have most of the items needed. However the one item that is necessary for the process, that you may not have already, is Shellac.
Shellac can be used as a primer, and is one of the best materials to prime paper with. Just a few thin layers of shellac are needed to seal your paper for painting. You can apply it to sketchbook pages, regular cardboard or any extra slightly thicker paper you may have lying around. In this tutorial I use heavy drawing paper. But know that it can be applied to any kind of paper. Here are the materials needed and where you might find them.
List of Materials
- Shellac – The particular shellac I use in this post is unfortunately only available in Italy. Thankfully you can find this shellac very easily at any hardware store. You can also get a darker variety of you wish to make your painting surface darker.
- Paper – Any good quality paper will be appropriate. Here is an example of the type of paper I used in this tutorial. However, you can use any paper you would like.
- Board – If you are using loose paper, then you will need a board as a surface to mount your paper on.
- Brush – Use a wide brush like these wide brushes that you can quickly and easily apply your shellac with.
- Tape – Masking tape will work well to mount your paper to a board with.
- Container (optional) – Any recycled container will work to pour your shellac into. Unless your shellac has a wide lid that allows you to dip your brush into it.
- Rag (optional)
How to Mount Paper for Priming
If you apply shellac to a sketchbook page then you will not need to mount your paper. However, since I use heavyweight drawing paper from a roll, I need to properly mount it flat to a board to keep the edges from curling up. To do so, I simply use tape to secure the edges as seen in the image below.
Applying Primer to Paper
Pour shellac into a separate container so that you can evenly apply it with your brush to the paper. Apply two to three thin coats. Paper that is on the thicker side might need three, while thinner paper may only need one to two.
It is important to apply thin coats because otherwise the surface will become too gummy. Also, be sure to make sure each layer is dry before you apply more. It dries very quickly so you will not need to wait very long!
How to Apply Shellac with Paint Brush
The shellac will also dry very quickly on your brush. However, once you put it back into shellac though it will become very pliable and usable once again. So, don’t be alarmed about the shellac drying on your brush. You can wash it with oil soap once you are done.
Begin a Painting on Paper
Once your paper is dry (after a few minutes) you an start painting on it immediately. Depending on what kind of paper you chose to use, you will notice that the texture is very different from canvas linen. You can experiment with different kinds of paper and choose your favorite. Or you can focus on just using the paper you have around your house.
Painting on paper with oils is an affordable and practical alternative to traditional surfaces like canvas or wood. By preparing the paper with shellac, you can ensure it is archival and easy to work with. This simple method allows you to create high-quality painting surfaces at a fraction of the cost, making it a great option for artists looking to experiment or save on materials without sacrificing quality. Give it a try and unlock new possibilities in your oil painting practice!
Have you used paper for your oil painting surface? Let me know in the comments below!
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10 thoughts on “Oil Painting on Paper (Preparation Guide and Materials Required)”
Would this be applicable for acrylics as well?
Yes, you could paint with acrylic paints on a shellac surface. However you would not need to as with acrylics you can paint directly on paper. With oil paints you need a barrier between the paint and the paper – otherwise the oil paint will eventually destroy the paper surface and the painting will deteriorate.
Excellent post. Will try it using 140 lb. watercolor paper.
Do you have a post showing how to mount paper on board ?
Thank you for your generosity
Thats a great idea to use 140 lb paper. With that weight you will also feel more free to use thicker paint layers if you wish to do so. I don’t yet have a post on how to mount paper to board but I do have a post and video on how to mount linen to board – the process would be very much the same! https://artstudiolife.com/mounting-canvas/
Thank you for sharing this very insightful tip. I had absolutely no idea you could oil paint on paper!!! I love reading your posts and appreciate all you have to share!
Hi Patricia, You are very welcome! Thank you for your kind words, am so glad that you enjoy reading my posts.
Hi Elizabeth.
You ave taught me a lot re painting and all that goes with it.
Today is my turn to tell you something about shellac. When I saw that name you opened a lot memories for me.
First of all real shellac is natural reddish brown fine flakes. It must be dissolved in meths or white spirit mainly. The one you use is bleached. The original one is used primarily in the furniture industry, at least it used to, don’t know nowadays. It is applied by brush dried and carefully polished to a high sheen.
I used it, back in years, as an insulator in electrical appliances esp when winding transformers and motors because once it dries it is imprevious to humidity.
There you are. Hope you liked this.
God bless.
Joe
Hi Joe, Thank you so much for the valuable info on shellac! I find it fascinating that you used it as an insulator in electric appliances. That is very interesting, but makes sense about it being impervious to humidity. I wanted to get the flakes of shellac and show that in this article – but think might just create a whole separate article on that and different types of shellac. Thanks for sharing – enjoyed learning!
I read about this a while back,
Also there is clear shellac and amber shellac. How long does it take for paintings on paper to dry.. like in a book, I suppose you would have to prop it open for a while? And I don’t know why but the curled up drawing paper- it never occurred to me to tape it down! Thanks 😉
Hi Blair, Yes, there are different ‘colors’ of shellac. So, you can choose one that is clear or more amber in color. It dries very quickly actually – just in a minute or so depending on how thickly you apply it. But it is generally best to apply thin layers.