How to Paint Oil on Copper
- 1). Purchase copper sheeting or flashing from a local home building and repair store. If you're planning on doing a lot of painting on copper, you may want to order it in rolls from a roofing supplier instead.
- 2). Cut the copper to size using metal shears. Determine how you want to set up your canvas. The sheet of copper can be used as-is, you can wrap it around a board or you can give it a wooden frame. Some modern artists will use smaller pieces of copper nailed side-by-side onto wood, to give the canvas a rustic look, according to artist Donna Dvorak in the online magazine "Copper in the Arts" from the Copper Development Association.
- 3). Paint the copper canvas, just as you would a cloth one. Copper is slick, which may cause your paint to run if it's too moist. Beware of this, unless it's a technique you want to use. The paint will also dry faster than on a traditional canvas, which means you can work at a faster pace than usual, said Dvorak.
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