For the most part, plain tote bags are laid out over a wooden packaging called a bunk and may be coated with gesso before being used to prevent oil paint from coming into direct contact with the canvas tote bags fibers, which would cause the canvas to degrade over time.

A regular and durable chalk gesso is made of lead carbonate and linseed oil, and is spread over a rabbit skin stick ground; an assortment using titanium white shade and calcium carbonate is extremely fragile and prone to cracking. Since harmful paint is toxic, it should be treated with caution. Mechanically, a variety of different options and more compact plain tote bag foundations are available, with the most common being a designed latex paint made of titanium dioxide and calcium carbonate and bound with a thermo-plastic emulsion.

The early canvas was made of material, with a particularly strong caramel surface. The material is particularly well-suited to the application of oil paint. Cotton canvas tote bags commonly referred to as "cotton duck," became popular in the twentieth century.

The fabric is made of higher-quality materials and is highly regarded by various master trained professionals, especially those who work with oil paint. Cotton duck is a more traditionalist choice, as it stretches even more completely and has an even, mechanical weave. Acrylic paint has greatly enhanced the popularity and use of cotton duck plain tote bag, which comes from two completely different plants, the flax plant, and the cotton plant, respectively.

Tote bags have been promoted as a more environmentally friendly alternative to unimportant plastic bags, as they can be reused on occasion. Furthermore, they have been left as exceptional products.

According to a study conducted by the UK Climate Office, cotton plain tote bags should be reused on several occasions until they can help reduce carbon emissions from a single insignificant plastic bag, and up to several occasions if the plastic bags are used as holder liners.

Cotton bags will be used on various occasions to conduct their environmental effects, according to a 2018 assessment by the Danish Natural Security Office. Tote bags made from recycled polypropylene plastic, on the other hand, take 11 reuses to put together.