When you pick up your brush and tubes, the canvas underneath matters more than you might think. The “right” canvas for acrylic painting doesn’t just support paint, it interacts with it. Whether you’re just starting or refining your materials, here’s how to choose canvases: material, texture, strength, and finish.
Painting on custom wood panels gives you a solid, long‑lasting surface and opens up creative possibilities. Here’s a clear, artist‑to‑artist guide on the best mediums to use and why they shine on wood.
When you buy painting canvases straight from the manufacturer—like CanvasLot—you gain advantages you won’t get from middlemen or big-box retailers.
Introducing children to canvas painting offers a unique opportunity to nurture their creativity and self-expression. Using custom-sized canvases can make art projects more engaging and tailored to young artists’ needs. Here are some great ideas for teachers and parents to inspire children:
Painters, mixed media artists, and muralists often explore diverse techniques and materials, making them well-suited to teach others. By offering workshops and tutorials, you can diversify your income while fostering a community of creativity. Here’s how to establish yourself as an educator in this field:
The art world is evolving rapidly, influenced by global challenges, technological advancements, and shifting collector interests. For painters, staying relevant in today’s market means staying informed and adaptive to these changes. Here’s how painters can navigate and thrive in 2025.
Brush techniques are the backbone of a painter’s craft, enabling artists to bring their visions to life with precision and flair. Whether you’re an aspiring artist or an experienced professional, refining your brushwork can elevate your art to new heights. From achieving smooth gradients to creating dynamic textures, mastering essential brush techniques is key to unlocking your creative potential.
Finding and connecting with your ideal audience is crucial for your growth and success as an artist. By combining creativity and strategy, you can consistently attract the right people who resonate with your work. Here are fun and effective methods to achieve this.
Color theory is an essential foundation for any artist, enabling a deep understanding of how colors work together to evoke emotion, convey meaning, and create a lasting impact. By mastering color theory, artists can strategically incorporate bold color choices to elevate their work and create pieces that resonate with viewers on a different level.
Every type of damage in a watercolor painting has different procedures in order to clean and restore them. These procedures cannot reverse color fading but it can help prevent and stop further fading. Here are some tips that you can do for each type of damage.
Water Damage
• Gently remove the painting from the frame and separate the watercolor from the glass frame immediately after it has become saturated. Mold also begins to form after saturation. Don’t leave the image in place pressed against the glass because the image will be bonded permanently to the glass.
• Lay the watercolor on a flat, dry surface. Leave the artwork untouched until completely dry. Lay the artwork on a towel, blanket or on dry grass in the yard.
• Mist the front and back of the watercolor with a light coating of spray Lysol. Do not substitute with a chemical that contains bleach. The damage incurred from the bleach is irreversible. Wait for the mold to dry out and become dormant. You will notice that the mold will become powdery.
• Brush the mold off of the watercolor lightly with a clean, dry, soft-bristled paint brush.
• Put the painting back into the frame.
Dirt and Debris
• Break a loaf of bread in half. Grab a handful of the white inner portion of the bread. Roll the dough into a ball.
• Scrub the dough gently against the watercolor painting.
• Replace the dough as the piece you are working with gets dirty.
• Brush the bread crumbs off of the watercolor using a clean, dry, soft-bristled paint brush. Make sure that all bread crumbs have been removed from the painting.
Fade Prevention
• Instead of using an ordinary glass, use a UV3 coated Plexiglas. This will reflect the UV rays that cause the color to fade.
• Move any watercolor artworks away from direct sunlight. Artwork with the UV3 Plexiglas will not prevent all UV rays from damaging the color in the painting. Direct sunlight can harm the color and raise the temperature surrounding the painting that can fade the colors.
• Avoid hanging watercolor paintings where the temperature of the artwork would rise above 70 degrees Fahrenheit. Avoid hanging on outside walls that are not properly insulated, over fireplaces or near furnace grates and windows with direct sunlight.
• Replace all florescent lighting with incandescent light bulbs. Do not use direct lighting of any type on a watercolor.
Image source: www.paintingdemos.com