Choosing the Right Canvas Size for your Painting

“The artist is a receptacle for emotions that come from all over the place: from the sky, from the earth, from a scrap of paper, from a passing shape, from a spider’s web.”
– Pablo Picasso

Local art suppliers offer a wide range of sizes for canvases. This may intimidate amateur artists and overwhelm them with the variety of choices in a store. You can paint on any size of canvas but you need to know the canvas sizes available. One advantage of using standard canvas size is that its frame is readily available in a store. You don’t have to pay extra to get a custom-sized frame.

To be able to select the perfect canvas size for your painting, here are some information about canvas sizes. Artists use the height x width measurements when specifying the dimensions of a canvas or frame.

Here are the common canvas sizes (in inches):
Small sizes
5 x 7
8 x1 0
9 x 12
11 x 14
12 x 16

Middle sizes
16 x 20
18 x2 4
20 x2 4

Large sizes
24 x 30
24 x 36
30 x 40

If you’re just starting to paint, try using the 18 x 24 canvas size. It has the right size and proportion for a beginner. Experienced artists may opt to use the 30 x 40 size since it is large enough for a professional painting.

Landscape painter Stapleton Kearns suggests using six stock sizes when painting. You can choose two sizes from each category and you can buy premade frames from your art retailer. It’s easy to purchase and store these frames in your home so whenever you’ve finished with a painting, a frame is readily available for it.

If you want to use a different size of canvas, custom-sized canvas is also available. There is no stopping you from creating your art beyond the limits of standard canvas sizes. Your art supplier can provide you the canvas you need based on your requirements.

Aside from standard size canvases, CanvasLot provides custom-built and hand-stretched canvas at an affordable cost. If you need a huge canvas, whatever your specific needs, they can provide it. A custom-made canvas does not need to cost you an arm and leg. Many art students and children buy their art supplies from CanvasLot since they offer an excellent range of products at a discount.

Image source: Picasso Paintings