EcoZeal

Versatile hemp makes great canvas, and paper,too!

By conservative estimates, the U.S. and Canada combined are home to over 55,000 professional or semi-professional fine artists.  Many if not most of these are painters.  Factor in art students and the multitudes more who paint for enjoyment, and you can imagine the piles of paper and canvas they must consume in a year.

Like most industries, art supply manufacturers are responding to the now-universal demand for greener products.  Artists, too, can now choose materials that leave a lighter footprint on the planet.

Sustainable Artists’ Canvas

Until recently oil painters had their choice of cotton or traditional linen canvas.  Of the two, linen is preferable from the standpoint of conservation.  Its cultivation and manufacture require half the pesticides and a fraction of the water use of conventional cotton. 

Artists now have a third option available.  Earth Friendly Goods offers a selection of  hemp and hemp/cotton blend (some certified organic) artist’s canvas in rolls.  It comes in various weave patterns and colors, including natural, khaki brown and black, in weights from 9.05 – 18.5 lb. The canvas rolls, which vary in width from 57”-59,” are sold by the yard.

Eco Friendly Art Paper

Hemp isn’t just for canvas.  At Eco Art Works, the environmentally-conscious artist can choose from a whole variety of watercolor and sketch papers made from this versatile and earth-friendly fiber. 

Some of the companies making eco-friendly art papers will be very familiar to artists.  Crescent now makes a 100% recycled mounting board.  It’s white on both sides, and features acid-free surfaces. And Strathmore’s Greener Options line includes fine art papers made with recycled fiber and hemp – and manufactured using up to 100% wind power.

Do-It-Yourself Recycled Watercolor Paper

Frugal watercolorists have long known that one side of a sheet of watercolor paper is as good as another.  It’s common practice to flip over a failed painting and start afresh on the other side.  But did you know you can take it one step further?  Artist Alina Bradford explains how to recycle your botched paintings and trimmed edges to create your own hand-made recycled watercolor paper. 

Now it’s easy for artists to paint their pictures green in more ways than one!