Tips on Creating Large Canvas Art

download-8There will always come a time when we need to try something bigger and more difficult than what we have been used to. After honing our skills on small and medium-sized canvases, it is exciting to change to a larger scale. It should be remembered that painting large canvas art is not quite the same as making pictures of standard sizes. Here are a few tips to offer you some assistance in coping with this task.

1. Set up your canvas
For large canvas art you need to stretch your canvas or use a pre-extended canvas.

2. Set the mood with a tonal foundation color
As well as gesso, you can think about applying a tonal background to your canvas in order to immediately set the mood of your painting.

3. Make an under-painting
Since canvas is regularly utilized for opaque paints, it is a great chance to explore different avenues with under-painting.

4. Build your supplies
A bigger canvas size means significantly more paint. Can you make it work without incurring additional costs? One approach is to utilize less expensive learners’ paint for the early layers and more expensive craftsman’s-quality paint for subsequent layers.

5. Scale your painting
Since you are now managing a much more extensive area, you first need to decide how you are going to scale your subject so you can paint it in a larger size without adding anything.

6. Isolate the canvas into segments
Rather than trying to paint the whole canvas straightaway, it is prudent to partition it into four or six segments and manage each one independently. This is a useful approach to control your arrangement, particularly if you are working with quick-drying paints like acrylics.

7. Explore different avenues regarding the medium
Painting on canvas provides a great opportunity to play around with a medium, mixing for example with acrylic or oil paint to create interesting effects.

8. Use larger brushes
Painting on an expansive canvas offers you the chance to try out larger brush sizes. This can allow you to cover a greater amount of the canvas surface and thus work more speedily, but can also affect your typical painting style.

9. Give yourself enough space
While painting your canvas or some portion of it, you should step back frequently to regard your progress from a distance. Otherwise, you may miss some errors. Ensure there is sufficient space in your studio (or the space you are using). Your work will also need enough space to dry. If working in a smaller space is unavoidable, hang a mirror behind you so you can see your whole painting.

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