The most common surface for oil colours and one that has been used for centuries is stretched primed canvas. Alternatives include wood panels and medium density fibreboard (MDF), which last a long time and will not bend.
If you're trying "to" hard you could just be overworking yourself and overthinking about the problem. maybe it's a little more simple then your making it out to be. Just sometimes you gotta slow down and maybe ask for help
squash and strech because it is the most important, and therefore, most stress full to do, it is also the most usefull because it gives charicters and objects gravity, weight, mass and flexibility
