Category: Acrylic Painting

paint brushes on a jar

4 Tips for Choosing the Right Brushes for your Canvas Art

When it comes to painting on canvas, selecting the right brush can make a huge difference in how your artwork turns out. Just like the paints you use, your brushes are tools that shape the texture, details, and overall quality of your piece. Understanding the type of brushes, their shapes, and materials will empower you to make informed choices for your artwork.

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A woman looks at a contemporary painting at a gallery

4 Strategies to Achieve Greater Media and Public Recognition as a Painter

As a professional painter, the pursuit of media attention and public recognition can be as essential as creating the art itself. While skill and creativity are the foundation, getting your work seen by a wider audience requires a strategic approach. Here’s a roadmap to help you achieve the recognition you deserve.

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Painter's palette

6 Tips for Overcoming Common Canvas Painting Challenges

Canvas painting offers a unique and satisfying creative outlet, but like any artistic endeavor, it comes with its own set of challenges. Whether you’re a seasoned painter or just starting, understanding common obstacles and how to tackle them is key to producing your best work. Here, we’ll explore the primary challenges artists face when working with canvas and offer practical solutions to overcome them.

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Close-up of hand painting on canvas

How to Varnish an Acrylic Painting: Step-by-Step Guide for Artists

Varnishing an acrylic painting is an essential final step that protects your artwork and enhances its appearance. A varnish not only provides a protective barrier against dust, dirt, and UV rays but also helps to even out the painting’s finish, making the colors look richer and more vibrant. Whether you’re a seasoned artist or new to painting, this guide will walk you through the process of varnishing an acrylic painting successfully.

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color wheel

Mastering Color Theory in Canvas Painting

Color theory is a fundamental aspect of canvas painting, serving as a guide for artists to create visually engaging and emotionally resonant artworks. By understanding the principles of color interaction, artists can elevate their work, ensuring that their paintings are not only aesthetically pleasing, but also evoke the intended emotions in the viewer.

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Custom-sized canvases from CanvasLot

Painting Techniques for Different Canvas Sizes: How to Adapt and Succeed

Understanding the Relationship Between Canvas Size and Technique

When it comes to painting, the size of your canvas plays a crucial role in determining the techniques you’ll use. The dimensions of a canvas can influence everything from the brushstrokes you apply to the overall composition of your artwork. Adapting your technique to suit the size of your canvas is essential for achieving a balanced and visually appealing result.

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painter holding a palette knife for impasto painting

Mastering Impasto: Adding Texture and Dimension with Thick Paint

Impasto is a painting technique that involves applying thick layers of paint to create texture and dimension. This method, often associated with expressive and dynamic artworks, allows artists to add depth and movement to their pieces. Try the impasto techniques to open up new creative possibilities.

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Plein-air painting of people sitting on bench during daytime

How to Varnish Your Canvas Paintings: Expert Tips for Artists

Varnishing your canvas paintings is an essential step in preserving and enhancing your artwork. A well-applied varnish can protect your painting from dust, UV rays, and environmental pollutants, while also enriching its colors and providing a professional finish. Here are some expert tips on how to varnish your canvas paintings effectively.

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Small painting of an ocean wave

6 Tips to Make Paint Last on Canvas

Ensuring the longevity of your paintings is important for preserving your artistic legacy. Whether you are an amateur or a professional painter, taking steps to make your paint last on canvas is essential. Here are six tips that will help you achieve lasting results.

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Tips for Caring and Handling Acrylic Paintings

Acrylic_care

Acrylic paints were introduced in the 1950s, much later than oils, but museums, galleries, and art collectors have included many acrylic paintings in their collections. Artists have experimented and used acrylics on canvas for its versatility of use and quick drying time. The properties of acrylic paints differ from oils so the maintenance and caring for acrylic paintings is different from oil paintings. Since acrylic paint is relatively new compared to oil paints which have been used in art for centuries, people are just starting to know its aging characteristics. For now, the best way to preserve and lengthen the life of acrylic paintings is by preventive care.

Here are the tips for caring and handling acrylic paintings:

Cleaning
Currently, there is no concrete guideline how to clean an acrylic painting. Below are just suggestions that you can do at the moment.

1. Use a clean towel or a feather duster and lightly remove the dirt on the surface of the painting. Acrylic paintings gather dust more easily than any other medium so you may have to dust them frequently.

2. If you want to keep off the dust, put the painting in a protective frame. Acrylic paintings have electrostatic charges on the surface which attracts dust and a protective frame will prevent dust from accumulating.

3. Don’t use water, soap, or household cleaners when cleaning acrylic paintings. Most cleaning agents have ammonia which can damage your painting. When you use cleaning sprays in your house, make sure that your acrylic painting is not nearby when you are cleaning to avoid excess droplets of the spray go to the paintings.

Maintenance

1. Keep acrylic paintings away from direct or extreme heat, cold, and humidity. Acrylic paint becomes soft around 60° so display your paintings far from ovens, stoves, heating lamps, or any other source of heat inside the room.

2. Don’t touch the surface of an acrylic painting. Your fingernail may accidentally leave a dent or put extra pressure on the painting which will lessen the value of the piece.

3. Mold growth is a common issue in acrylic paintings. There is no solution for it yet that would retain the original paint of the piece. The best way to lessen mold on the surface is to hang the painting in a room where there is less humidity.

Transporting

1. Put the acrylic painting in an effective packing case that would protect it from damage. According to this website, a packing case should be able to do the following:

  • Support the painting, insulation and cushioning foams
  • Protect the contents from impact and puncture without serious distortion
  • Maintain a sealed environment
  • Protect against intrusion of moisture
  • Provide handles for lifting and moving
  • Survive a multi-venue tour without compromise of any of the above functions

2. Include instructions for unpacking and repacking outside the container. The recipient may not know the proper way of unpacking the painting so proper instructions should be provided by the sender. These instructions are important especially if there is a dispute about any damage caused by shipping, unpacking, or repacking of the painting.

3. If you have to transport the painting by rolling it, here are tips:

  • Allow enough time for the painting to be completely cure.
  • Put a polyethylene plastic onto the surface of the painting before rolling.
  • Roll and unroll the painting at room temperature. A heated room will melt the paint while a cold room will cause cracking.
  • Roll the painting loosely and evenly to prevent adhesion or ferrotyping.
  • Once packed, secure the painting with a tape.

Image source: www.goldenpaints.com