Is it better to have downwash on the top or bottom of the wings (if it cannot be avoided)?
I know zero downwash is best because the airflow is so turbulent from the vortices created by the canards, which disrupts lift on the wings.

Just not sure if I should make horizontal canards on the same level as the wings just in front, or have them angled upwards above the wings (like on the YF-19 and SV-51 [bottom 2 images]).

The reason I want canards is because I will have zero vertical stabilizers / tails, so I'm going to need as much horizontal stabilization, and allow thrust-vectoring control the yaw movement of the plane.
In a sense, the canards will provide some vertical stabilization at very high angles of attack, proving some roll stability ??? [sm=confused.gif]