Of late years there has been such an increase of materials upon which to paint, that we will not attempt to enumerate them all, but be content with noting a few of them, and offer a few brief suggestions regarding them that may be profitable to the new beginner. Again we say, get good materials in selecting your canvas, etc. With good tools and good materials you can do good, lasting work. It is a clear case of "false economy" to use cheap cotton canvas for a painting of any importance. Get that made of linen, as the cheaper kind made of cotton will shrink in time and crack the painting. The canvases manufactured by Windsor & Newton are among the best made, and may be bought by the yard, or stretched in wooden frames, of different sizes. This comes in four different varieties, viz.: the single primed, the smooth finish, the twilled, and the Roman canvas. The last named is very coarse in texture. It is purely a matter of taste as to which is chosen. But the single primed is a good canvas for all kinds of painting, and is kept by all dealers, and may be painted upon without any more preparation, although some artists further prepare it by painting it thickly all over with a light gray tint. When this is done it must be allowed to dry quite hard; it is then scraped with the palette knife, so as to remove all roughness; this done, take a large flat bristle brush and give it a thorough application of oil (in other words, "oil it out") before painting over such a surface.,The other materials upon which to paint are: ebonized wood, wooden panels, mill boards, academy boards, etc. Academy boards are better adapted for small easel paintings and decorated cards. They are thinner and cheaper than the mill boards, but should not be used in the large sizes, as they will warp. They can be purchased in different sizes, from 18 x 24 down to 6 x 9 inches, which cost but ten cents each; the large sizes are cheaper accordingly, and can be cut to any desired size.,The mill boards make a firm foundation for a painting of medium size; and where a fine finish is desired, they are often selected instead of canvas. They come in about the same sizes as the academy boards, and furnish a foundation equally as firm as wood, and will not warp. They also possess a fine smooth surface upon which to paint. But for large paintings, the canvas is always used. When possible procure the canvas ready stretched upon wooden frames of different sizes, as the cost is moderate.,But for the benefit of those who may live a distance from towns and cities, and find it sometimes difficult to procure the canvas in frames of the size wanted, we will endeavor to explain the method of stretching, and describe how to make that simple little article called the canvas frame or stretcher.