Linen is a kind of fabric made from the fibers of flax. Linen requires a lot of labor to make, but when made into clothes, it has a particularly cool and fresh feeling when worn in hot weather. The word "linen" in English comes from the Latin "linum" and the earlier Greek "linon." The history of words has given rise to other related words in the English language, the most famous of which is the English word "line", which was originally used to draw a straight line with a pair of linen threads.
These may be professional differences, but what do they mean to the artist
Cotton is popular because it is reasonably priced and easy to stretch. It costs less than linen and is the most popular underside for oil and acrylic painting, especially for students. Cotton canvases are also graded according to weight and surface texture. Better quality cotton canvas life is close to linen canvas, and more flexible, easier to stretch. However, cotton canvases are too flexible for larger paintings.
Cotton canvases can be pulled more tightly than linen canvases, and there is no need to tighten the wooden substrate, because cotton fibers are easier to stretch than hemp fibers. Although the fastness of cotton is not as strong as that of linen, heavier cotton cloth can compensate for its firmness by weight.