CanvasLot.com strives to provide all artists and individuals who use pre-stretched canvases for projects with the best product they can offer.  What you may not know is that the material used to create your brand new blank canvases is a traditional, well-known textile called cotton duck canvas.  Let’s explore this remarkable textile that is as rich in its historical uses as it is beautiful hanging on art gallery walls!

This material has been a tried and true textile for the arts community since the sixteenth century!  It gained popularity in Italy, one of the world’s most well-known places for Fine Art and modern design.  Although it is known that panel painting was used most commonly and widely throughout Europe, duck cotton began to make its move within the Arts community as the centuries rolled on.  Today, cotton duck canvas is the common textile used to stretch into a canvas for artists all over the world.

Oftentimes, duck is un-sized, and its uses are determined based on weight.  For those of us outside the textile industry, the material duck is known as “canvas” and is commonly used to make fashion accessories such as shoes and handbags.  Did you know that it is also used to make shower curtains and sails?  What a versatile textile!

The editors of Wikipedia have the most comprehensive explanation for those of us that need information in lay terms:

“A numbering system is used to describe the various weights of duck cloth, based on the weight of a 36×22-inch piece. Weights below 19 ounces are called numbered duck. The grade of numbered duck refers to the number of ounces subtracted from 19 for a 36×22-inch piece of fabric. For example, a piece of #8 numbered duck with dimensions of 36″×22″ weighs 11 ounces (19 − 8 = 11); those above 19 ounces are called naught duck.^[2]

Numbered duck is nominally made in weights from 1 to 12, but numbers 7, 9, and 11 are no longer used. ”

[Retrieved on July 18, 2012 – Gerilyn Hayes]

Another point of interest to you should be the good company that CanvasLot.com is keeping with renowned Fredrix.  Fredrix has been an art materials and canvas supply company for over one hundred and forty years!  That’s quality you can believe in, and one that I recommend for artists in need of bulk blank canvas purchases.

So it’s true!  Cotton duck canvas really is all it’s quacked up to be!  To purchase your very own canvases at discounted, wholesale prices visit CanvasLot.com.

Attention all canvas artists who need a online promotional overhaul!

You’ve gotten your pre-stretched canvas from CanvasLot.com.  You’ve painted and painted your well-measured ideas.  You’ve told your friends and your family about your masterpieces.

What’s next?  Online promotion, of course!

If you do not know where to begin, I am here to help you!  As you can see, CanvasLot.com is not only a place to purchase the best quality canvas for your buck but a hub of relevant information for artists just like you!

Well, here are the details in a nutshell… take notes!

HOW TO CREATE A SIMPLE PROMOTION CAMPAIGN FOR YOUR ONLINE ARTS BUSINESS IN 3 EASY STEPS

No. 1 Determine your goal – Developing your fan base!
A good starting point to your brand new online promotion campaign is to determine your goal, which in this case would be to develop your fan base.  Although you may have the support of many friends and family members, your ultimate reach should be to potential buyers of your artwork.

In order to do this, create a buzz!

No. 2 Create a Buzz Online!
If you are living in the 21st Century, you are most likely a social entity on the beautiful beast we all know as Facebook.  By using this amazing social networking resource, you can create a buzz about your canvas art by premiering your art on your Fan Page (if you do not how an art business page please visit www.facebook.com/help/pages/getting-started) and, if you’re feeling particularly entrepreneurial, create a release date for your new big art piece.  Think of it as a virtual lifting of the veil!

The Facebook Fan Page is the one place where you can post photographs and images of your artwork other than your website.  Also, you can encourage your regular site visitors to “Like” your artwork on Facebook!

That’s what I call a win-win, my friend!

No. 3 TELL EVERYONE via Your Social Network
We’ve already determined your goal to develop your fan base into a more financially generous demographic, created your own Facebook Fan Page where new fans can enjoy perusing your virtual wares, and picked a release date for one or more of your prized pieces.  The next, and final, step to this online promotion campaign is to tell people about it!

Facebook is probably the best social network to start telling your virtual audience about the release of your unveiled canvas art piece, but don’t forget about Twitter and Pinterest!

I highly recommend that you create at least five Twitter feeds per day to keep your audience abreast of your big reveal – this creates anticipation for your art’s big moment.

I also recommend using Pinterest as a source of advertisement and promotion since you can develop an interactive fan base that can re-pin your artwork onto their social networking space.  It creates double exposure for your business!

SIMPLE IS AS SIMPLE DOES
As you can see, online promotion for canvas arts businesses, whether freelance or fine arts professional level, can be quite simple.  If you have the proper social media tools and know-how you can promote every aspect of your business without a hitch!

For more cool tips about Art and Arts Promotion for Canvas Artists, stay bookmarked to CanvasLot.com’s Blog!

If you are an artist who loves the rush of feeling paint smoothly cover the surface of canvas, you’re probably anxious to share your passion with the world.  If you do not know how to go about doing this, especially as a canvas artist in the beginning stages of your career, you’ve come to right place!

I am going to share a secret with you to help your art be seen by an international audience!

Ready to learn more?  Great!  These websites are hosts to my top choices for the best online art communities for canvas artists!

RAW Artists –  Raw Artists is an excellent international community for canvas artists because this company is hip, young, and fresh with a keen eye for exceptional talent!  What’s even better is that anyone with a passion for canvas art can sign up and begin showcasing their work on the RAW network.  If you’ve been dying to have your art shown in public arenas, RAW has a space for you at one of their amazing monthly events.  More information is available on their website.

 

deviantART – deviantART is much like Facebook or Myspace, where you can create a new social identity that helps you exhibit your art in a virtual setting.  This community is particularly beneficial to canvas artists because the network enables artists to develop a following of fans that are also artists!  From graphic designers to black and white illustrators, deviantART is a community of people that virtually display their wares for money.  Visit their website, and remember to purchase your bulk canvas on the way!

 

Blue Canvas – If you have yet to visit Blue Canvas, I highly encourage you to do so.  You’ve been searching a community that provides you with an outlet to feature your canvas art for a while now , and Blue Canvas is one of the premier networks to help you!  Artists and art lovers are welcome within this community that also has its own quarterly publication that specifically features its members.  Best of all… it’s FREE to join and you can begin posting your artwork as soon as you register.  Visit their website to begin showing the world your canvas art!

GET STARTED TODAY
These are just a few truly wonderful artists communities on the world wide web that will help you exhibit your artwork to a large audience, and build a loyal following!  Make sure you adhere to the community policies, as each social network has their own set of standards.

Until next time, keep your bookmark on CanvasLot.com’s Blog!

There are many benefits to online shopping for pre-stretched canvas in lieu of traditional retail shopping.  I’ve discovered that online shopping is much more convenient than planning the fastest route to the local art supply store, increasing my gas costs to drive my car (however fuel efficient my lovely Yaris may be), and spending money on just two large canvases that may lack the quality I was looking to find.  Not mention, online shopping for pre-stretched canvas guarantees me exceptionally low stress levels!

I enjoy making smart canvas purchases through CanvasLot.com because I trust their quality and a click of my mouse saves me money!  Below, I will tell you why.  Let’s get started!

RETAIL THERAPY OR AN INEVITABLE FINANCIAL HEADACHE
Although traditional retail shopping does provide a genuinely positive shopping experience most of the time, I’ve found that it does not keep gas money in my pocketbook which causes me stress.  Sure I could budget properly for gas costs but I usually remember that I need to go to the grocery store for a random replenishment item or just find another reason to shop on impulse.  You’ve been there before, I’m sure and it takes an exceptional amount of willpower to ignore a sudden itch to spend.

To alleviate the pitfalls of spending while shopping at retail stores, I’ve chosen to shop for art supplies and canvas in the comfort of my own home.  This way, I know what I want to purchase and how to get it to my home in a timely manner.  I also do not feel the pressure that comes with spending in public or guilty if a nice salesperson makes me feel obligated to purchase just one more little item that will improve their metrics.

ONLINE SHOPPING IS A GOOD MOVE FOR YOUR BUDGET
As previously mentioned, I refer to Canvas Lot  for my bulk canvas purchases.  When you land on their website, you’re immediately greeted with videos that detail their production process.  If you can believe it, there are real people that are stretching the canvas by hand!  Made-to-order and custom-fitted, these canvases are the real deal.  You’re not going to purchase five canvases wrapped haphazardly in celophane that have been warped due to poor shipping and storage practices.  You’re going to receive hand-stretched canvases that have been given the attention that you’d expect.

Many artists, such as yourself, know how to stretch their own canvas but in the event that you just don’t have the time to do so, you need to sit in front of your computer and go to CanvasLot.com to get your bulk canvases.

ONLINE SHOPPING WITH CANVAS LOT
If you have a budget of $100.00, you can get at least 9 quality canvases, if not one more for giggles!  Sure, you can go to Amazon.com to search for a more affordable price but are you going to receive the same quality?  Do you know where your canvas is coming from?  Do you know who made it?  Most likely you won’t know the answer to these questions – with CanvasLot.com you have the assurance of knowing that your dollars will get you the most canvases at the best quality from the experienced hands of Austin, Texas residents.

It’s just that simple!

What are you waiting for?  Follow me to CanvasLot.com today!

With so many options to buy pre-stretched art canvas at a reasonable price, you may be asking yourself why you should pick CanvasLot.com as your canvas retailer.  I’ll give you a few good reasons why CanvasLot.com is the online art supply retailer for you!

THINK GLOBAL, GO LOCAL!
Many art supply companies purchase their products from vendors that offer their products at discounted rates but sometimes the quality just isn’t there.  The benefit of shopping through CanvasLot.com is that you know exactly where your canvas is coming from: Austin, TX.  Every canvas is stretched by hand under the supervision of well-trained technicians that know that quality will always override quality.  If you ask me, that’s a bargain in and of itself because you’re getting the best canvas for your hard earned buck!  Plus, you’re helping the local economy and when you take care of the locals, the locals will take care of you.  It’s a win-win, my friend!

BULK BUYING IS THE WAY TO GO
For many artists, students, and teachers buying art supplies and canvas in bulk is the most reasonable and affordable route to take on a spending spree.  Most art supplies are not very costly on a need-to-buy-now basis.  It’s the long-term, big picture business of art supply management that typically eats away the dollars of the customer.  Since you want to save yourself money and time, buy in bulk!  CanvasLot.com offers you this option in addition to high quality pre-stretched canvas.

WHOLESALE DISCOUNTS
Did you know that CanvasLot.com offers discounts to wholesale buyers?  For the past ten years, Canvas Lot has made every effort to perfect their quality standards to offer their customers the best canvases at the most affordable prices.  Canvas Lot also understands the importance of offering wholesale discounts to individuals and entities that need them most.  If you’re a school teacher who wants to provide art canvases to your entire class or a volunteer at an art therapy office, you have a reliable foundation for buying your canvas at a wholesale price!  Isn’t that a relief?  Now, you can get down to the business of making art not wasting time with an affordable art supply treasure hunt!

What Are You Waiting For?  Buy Your Canvas Today!
These are just a few reasons why CanvasLot.com is your one-stop online shop for the best canvases.  Once you actually receive your brand new blank pre-stretched canvas that’s been waiting to exhibit your imagine on its fibers, you’ll see just how brilliant your decision to buy from them was… go ahead – pat yourself on the back for your future frugality!

De Stijl on Canvas

De Stijl is everywhere, and you love it but you don’t even know it!

One of my favorite forms of artwork is De Stijl, a composition of lines angles and primary colors on a stark white background.  I would imagine that art history teachers find this particular art movement very exciting to teach based on its exultation of the abstract and the pure forms within human beings’ everyday lives.  De Stijl was a direct result of neoplasticism, which rejects the idea of painting or recreating objects in a traditional sense.  Only the form and color were the absolute highlight of De Stijl.

The most well known artists that used De Stijl on canvas were Piet Mondrian (1872–1944), Vilmos Huszár (1884–1960), and Bart van der Leck (1876–1958), and  architects Gerrit Rietveld (1888–1964), Robert van ‘t Hoff (1887–1979), and J.J.P. Oud (1890–1963).  Theo van Doesburg (1883-1931) was the founder of the De Stijl art movement that has influenced so much of our modern art and design.

Piet Mondrian is important to canvas art because of his idea of De Stijl as an art movement that claimed to reflect the absolutes of form in nature.  This idea has influenced many artists around the world, and it has also influenced individuals who are not typically thought of as canvas artists but performing artists and scientists.  His most recognized work is a series of “lozenge” paintings that are canvases tilted at 45 degrees to create a diamond shape.  They are known as Composition With Blue and Composition in White and Blue.

Outside of the art world, De Stijl on canvas has influenced brilliant minds.  Frank Lloyd Wright, the world’s premiere architect with a personal history full of intrigue, uses the most recognizable form of De Stijl in the erection of commercial and residential buildings.

Of all Wright’s creations, the most famous and revered is located east of downtown Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania called Fallingwater.  I think of it as a residential structure that was influenced by De Stijl because of its sharp lines and neutral color scheme.   This building was erected in the mountains over a 30′ waterfall.  De Stijl is a movement that heralds nature.  In my humble opinion the Fallingwater home encompasses many of the ideals that De Stijl upheld, and that is why I love it so much! Take a look for yourself!  I plan on packing up a suitcase and leaving Austin to visit this amazing structure one of these days.  Until then, I’ll continue to study the De Stijl movement in canvas art and modern architecture.

Do you love elephants?  Great!  I do, too!   What I love the most about the world’s largest living land mammals – besides their ability to communicate in sonar, amazingly intricate bone structure, and their production of ivory – is their high level of intelligence.  These decedents of prehistoric mammoths have come a long way as a species: surviving extinction, avoiding poachers, and becoming world renowned canvas artists!

The canvas paintings of one of the world’s most beloved creatures is a beautiful contribution to the modern world of humans.

“Anyone who spends time with these wonderful mammals and observes them when they paint freestyle, cannot fail to understand that they simply love what they do,” states The Elephant Art Gallery Director Issaraporn Kaewthanasawad.  It is apparent in the resulting artwork created by elephants that imparts their contentment in the act of painting.

Wanalee
There are several popular elephant painters that have touched the lives of everyday human beings.  Wanalee is an Asian elephant, hailing from Thailand, that has been lauded as royalty and has had her artwork shown internationally since 2005.  This gentle giant was adopted by the late Princess Galyani, the elder sister of His Majesty the King of Thailand, and is still considered one of the world’s most talented famous animal artists.  According to The Elephant Art Gallery, Wanalee’s artistic style has been described as “free flowing expression with a rich combination of vertical, horizontal and lateral strokes and then occasionally producing a more studied basket or ‘nestlike’ image with the brushstrokes ending in a flourish toward the middle of the paper.”

That’s pretty impressive!

 

Tao

Most likely you’ve heard or have even used the term “rescue animal”.  Would you ever consider this term for a brilliant beast like Tao?  It is documented that this elephant artist was rescued from the streets of Bangkok, although little else is known about Tao before his brief art career.  Although Tao has retired from canvas art, his artwork can be seen online and one-of-a-kind pieces are in homes across the globe.

Kaew

Born in Lampang, Thailand’s Thai Elephant Conservation Center, elephant artist Kaew is very intelligent and also absolutely terrified of chickens!  Although this phobia is typical among the world’s biggest land beasts, that hasn’t stopped Kaew from creating beautiful pieces of artwork for the  masses.  Kaew is considered a rarity in the elephant art world because of his ability to arc his brush strokes, coming very close to creating a circle formation.  His artwork was so revered that he became a top selling elephant artist in 2010!

Elephants Are Amazing Artists
As you can see elephants are not only intelligent peaceful animals, they are also incredible artists that have a unique ability to touch the world with their talents!

The Opportunities To Create Art Are Endless!

Here are more excellent art project ideas for young people, especially children who have art projects and assignments!

Murals

Murals are fun and simple art pieces that make the artist feel as is there are no restrictions on their ideas.  In the case of children and young adults, it is important to encourage their imaginations and curious nature.  That is why I feel that murals, using pre-stretched canvas from CanvasLot.com, is the best option for letting kids of all ages let their imaginations run wild.  Pre-stretched canvas can take a lot of different ideas and mesh them into one.  For a project, try a natural landscape scene – paint trees and other natural plants in background then hot glue a few animals on the horizon line of the piece.  Add a sun or a moon or both!

Collage ArtCollage Art can be a derivative of the aforementioned mural, where hot glue and inanimate objects and even newspaper clippings can all become the best interpretation of a child’s inner most thoughts.  Remember those days of clipping out random letters, words, and phrases as a kid and pasting them on magazine pages?  If not, it’s a good start for a project with your child!

Still Life Paintings

Still Life paintings on pre-stretched canvas may seem advanced to some children but fear not!  Still Life can be exciting and help children understand forms that occur within their surrounding environments.  Children see objects such as pencils, markers, apples and oranges, and even toys every single day – why not get them to draw these objects, then paint them?  This is one of the best ways to help a young person to conceptualize the everyday objects in a way that helps them replicate what they see.  Now, don’t get discouraged!  I cannot tell you how strange animals look on a piece of canvas that I have try to paint… and I will spare you them odd images but you can help your child discover that even in still life, “abstract” results can yield some of the most encouragement in the art world and at school!

Results?
Well, it has long been debated that art is in the eye of the beholder but hey!  This is a school art project: this is meant to be FUN!  So, instead of reaching toward the projects as a matter of an “A” or “F” grade, reach for the fun of discovering where art can take your child’s imagination.  Who knows?  There may be a Picasso in your midst, that you may have to ground from time to time.

Until next time, keep creating and painting!

Canvas serves many purposes in the Art World and also in fashion – clothing, accessories, and shoes can all be produced with canvas.  In addition to being one of the most important tools of artistic expression and apparel, canvas also inspires creative individuals to pursue careers outside of the seemingly glamorous lifestyle of an artist.  There are a few rewarding jobs that can turn into careers that have been inspired by canvas, and I am going to list just a couple of them that I find both interesting and rewarding.

Museum Guides
Art Museums.  Historical Museums.  Natural Science Museums.  Music Hall of Fame Museums.  These are all places that have been inspired by the human spark of expression.  Museum Guides, or more traditionally tour guides, are people that hold a special place in my heart.  These are the people that have the great fortune of looking at the art that they love every single day, and get to take brilliant new experiences with them every day that they go home.  The museum guide is at the forefront of a magical adventure in any art museum or gallery housing the work of the world’s most renowned human beings.  Could you imagine working at The Museum of Modern Art every day, or giving the inside scoop about The Mona Lisa at the Louvre?  How exciting!  To think, it’s all because of canvas!

Creative and Performing Arts Teachers and Instructors
After only a couple years of studying art as a solitary student, I have determined that some of the most important people in my academic career have been those with an artistic inclination.  My band directors, art teachers, and communications coaches are usually at the forefront of my most cherished adolescent and college memories.  I find that these individuals most inspiring because they showed me at an early age how to appreciate art and even sound (in relation to music as an art form), although I hadn’t an actual clue about the importance of it at the time.  I believe that canvas inspired these people into action, so much in fact that they decided to share their knowledge in a classroom setting with young students.  At some moment in each other my former teachers and instructors live, they were visually struck by the language they read on canvas, heard through musical arrangement, or experienced through the power of performance.

Long story short, I am grateful that their inspiration was shared in this particular manner.

Are You Inspired?
These particular occupations are worthy of praise in my book because of they require a high level of dedication to the history of art, and the understanding of how art can be an effective educational tool for children and adults!  I feel inspired by these people, and look forward to learning more from them every day.

All for now!

At what point does canvas become a piece of “art” and under what conditions?  Of course opinions may vary, but I will be so bold as to ask and to answer this burning question that has left me quite curious.

I will begin with a brief hypothesis: Canvas becomes art at the moment it has been transformed by the person that impresses their idea upon it to share a message within a visual conservation between the artist and the observer.

By definition, canvas is a textile.  As the trusted community editors of Wikipedia would say, “Canvas is an extremely heavy-duty plain-woven fabric used for making sails, tents, marquees, backpacks, and other items for which sturdiness is required. It is also popularly used by artists as a painting surface, typically stretched across a wooden frame. It is also used in such fashion objects as handbags and shoes.” (retrieved June 21, 2012 – G. M. H.)

Conceptually for the artist and his or her audience, it is a plane that is used to express emotions, re-tell stories that were either once forgotten or rarely if ever shared, and convey messages that are otherwise gone unheard.  To further explore my hypothesis about canvas I would like to further explore the genre of Abstract Art that may help to prove my point.

ABSTRACT ART
For the past year, I have been wildly obsessed with Abstract Art.  Being a writer and watercolor painter, the visual language of this genre speaks to me in a way that is a uniquely personal conversation between the artist who has created the work and my own interpretation of what that person may want me to know.

I find Abstract Art incredibly personal, and enjoy learning about the artist that has taken the time to share their stories with others.  To “learn” about the abstract painter, I read their work through the observations of an unwitting outsider.  I like to let the painting introduce itself to me then relax my own expectations of how I am supposed to feel about it, and simply receive its message.

The personal touch of Abstract Art is evident in the surface of the canvas that the artist uses.  This person has taken the physical plane of the canvas and transformed it into an extension of themselves with the use of pointedly purposeful pencil outlines, lines formed from paint on natural bristle brushes, and cuts made in the canvas to create sharp effects that emphasize points and arguments.  Digital images of abstract art are just fine but for the full effect of the messages of Abstract genres, I highly recommend visiting your local art museum!

I am not sure if there is a point to be proven necessarily by stating my opinion about the creation of Art on canvas… but I am happy to be able to kind of, sort of explain it in a way that utilizes the term hypothesis!  If it doesn’t make sense to you, then take a moment to enjoy this James Abbott McNeil Whistler painting below and keep Canvas Lot’s Blog “bookmarked” for more of my explanations.