Painting Surfaces

I am in the process of stretching and preparing a new canvas. I am planning on using it for a portrait of my son who will be finishing basic training at Fort Benning, GA this week. I generally use stretched canvas or wood panel for oil paintings. The canvas works better for brush work, but I prefer wood panels for thick, impasto paintings - especially when using painting knives. I generally prepare the surface with acrylic gesso, and I am very fussy about the application. Paintings executed on a surface that has been prepared properly should last hundreds of years.