While cloth canvas is the most commonly-known surface for oil painting, artists have been painting in oils on many other surfaces for centuries. Using copper sheets as a canvas was popular in the 16th through 18th centuries, and was a technique employed by masters such as El Greco, Chardin and Rembrandt. Copper painting is no more difficult than painting on cloth, and merely requires a different procedure for preparing the surface before you begin.
Instructions
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.
