Do you have an inclination towards art but feel hesitant to give it a try? Wondering what to do with your artwork once you’ve created them?
You don’t require to possess a certain degree, get a “tag” as an artist, or have connections with art curators and galleries to become an artist. You can follow your passion and create masterpieces.
Art is nothing but an expression of thoughts on a blank canvas. So only your imagination can stand between you and your desire to become an artist. We have a remedy even for that!
This guide will discuss beginner canvas painting tips and ideas to start your artistic journey. Additionally, we’ve curated some best marketing tips to help you sell your art at art galleries and painting exhibitions online.
General Canvas Painting Tips
To start as a canvas painting artist, you’ll need to learn some basic tips and tricks to manage and setup a canvas:
Understand and Identify The Ideal Canvas Setup
- Ensure that your canvas is getting enough light exposure to understand the tone and shade of the painting.
- Also, adequate air circulation is necessary for quick drying.
- The canvas stand should be robust and strong to hold your canvas board, stands completely straight on the ground, and has a smooth surface to avoid wobbling.
Choose The Correct Painting Brush
- When you sell your prints online, it requires top-notch quality, and therefore choosing the right brush is necessary to make justice to your creation.
- Without the correct brushes, the color expressions might not come out perfectly on the canvas.
Prime And Prepare Your Canvas
- Start with a gentle water wash with broad flat brushes and allow it to dry for some time.
- Prepping and priming ensure smooth color flow. Skipping this step might impart a rough, bumpy texture of colors.
To get value for your painting at a painting exhibition online, your finishing aesthetic should be perfect.
Before Application, Test The Colors On The Palette And Paper
- Sometimes the color formulations and water content might submerge the color vibrancy.
- Additionally, you might not get the correct hues without the right ratio.
Test colors on the palette and preferably on paper to protect your efforts while canvas painting.
Practice Canvas Painting In A Safe And Dry Area
- The area or room you choose as your art studio or painting arena must be safe, free of distractions, and dry.
- While nature paintings are sometimes preferred by seasoned artists, the environmental elements (dust, moisture, insects, flying leaves) might come as a threat to your artwork.
- A dry area is necessary because if your canvas falls off by mistake and the ground isn’t dry enough, it’ll ruin your efforts.
- Also, place your water jar at a distance from the canvas stand.
Art Techniques Used In Canvas Painting
Underpainting
- White canvas is always a big no for acrylics and oil painting.
- Create a light underpainting with tones of umber, burnt sienna, and airy blues for an illusion of shadows and values. Quality creations increase the value of the painting to sell your prints online.
- Acrylics are among the best mediums for underpainting since they dry rapidly and are permanent.
Blocking In
- For your initial work, use larger, flatter, thicker, and broader brushes to cover expansive areas. A filbert paintbrush is good for blocking in form and paint.
- The dual nature combining the functionality of flat and round brushes helps highlight details as well as cover larger areas.
- Use smaller brushes towards the end of teh painting for finishing aesthetics.
Crafting Smooth Transitions And Building Texture
- A dry, flat brush is excellent for blending the paint and creating smooth transitions.
- From ready-made texture media to simple items such as eggshells and sand can be used to impart a creative texture.
- In fact, an old toothbrush can be strikingly effective at introducing noise and grain.
Dry Brushing
- Dry brushing involves applying fresh color to partially cover a dried layer of paint.
- For dry brushing, ensure to use very little paint and apply it with speedy, directional strokes.
- This technique is used for highlighting rock, water, or glass textures by applying light paint over a dark dried background layer.
Sgraffito
- Sgraffito is a painting technique to scratch away the paint while it’s wet, exposing the underpainting.
- Sgraffito is a popular method to bring out thin textures such as hair strands, scared on human skin, grasses, etc., using sharp objects such as rubber shaping tools or brush ends.
- Such detailing enhances the value and quality of your painting at a painting exhibition online.
Glazing
- Glazing is defined as a painting technique that involves laying a coat of transparent paint over a dried, painted section of your painting to intensify shadows and adjust colors.
Modifying Colour Concentration With Mediums
- Mediums are fluids added to the base paint to regulate its consistency, drying duration, effect, and texture. For acrylics, mediums can make the paint matte or gloss.
Supplies Your Require To Start With Canvas Painting
- Acrylic Paints
- Paint Brushes
- Surface/Canvas
- Color Palette
- Water Jar
- Apron
- Pencil
- Markers
Mistakes To Avoid While Painting In A Canvas
- Not covering the entire canvas with lighter paint and starting on a white background.
- Using small brushes and painting excessive detailing from the beginning.
- Using landscape greens or sky blues straight out of a tube
- Using thick paint too quickly
- Using excessive white paint
- Cramping and stuffing every idea into a single painting
- Painting the same amount of details in the foreground and background
Avoiding these mistakes can make your painting look like a pro, and you can sell your prints online at the rates you deserve as an artist.
How To Market And Sell Your Paintings Online?
- Sign up and create your profile on an art selling platform.
- Leverage social media and expand to market.
- Add an artist statement and a description for each artwork.
- Plan email outreach programs through newsletters.
- Show your personality, express your knowledge and engage with the audience through a blog.
Tell us in the comment section how this guide helped you to start your artistic journey and inspire thousands of aspiring artists.
