Canvas Art: Expectation Vs Reality
Art. It's a nebulous term. It covers a wide array of topics, and its meaning is always up for debate. It is, nonetheless, all around us. Art is unavoidable. If you look hard enough, you will find it in exhibits, books, ads, movies, even street graffiti. One of the many terms of art is canvas art. Canvas art, as the name implies, is basically painting on canvas paper. As the medium is canvas, a painter has the option of either using oil paints or water paints. However, canvas art is not easy as it sounds to be. The reality is far different from the expectations.
Too frequently, a painter in the throes of mystical inspiration stands in front of a canvas and, wielding a magic wand made of unicorn tears, creates a picture with the utmost ease and perhaps even in a matter of minutes.
As mentioned before, this is not the case. Trying to create a unique and beautiful canvas art is a very difficult and complicated process. For example, creating a single painting involves extensive preparation, numerous preliminary sketches, draughts, color testing, various attempts to achieve the proper composition, selecting the ideal canvas size, utilizing a high-quality paint brand, and much more.
The result is not what you expected:
When I have an idea, it can be fleeting. The urge and inspiration to start putting that thought down on paper are both ephemeral. Then there's the difference between how that concept appears in actual life and how it appears in my thoughts. Sometimes these two things are poles apart.
Mind you; this isn't always a terrible thing. Actually, it usually leads to something unexpected yet intriguing. But, to be honest, my artwork never turned out the way I planned. They have their own existence. I begin painting with a specific idea, a color palette, and an atmosphere in mind, but the process leads me to new regions in my mind that I had no idea existed!
Don't be too hard on yourself:
Artists, especially painters, are some of the most perfectionist people there are. They always fight with the want to add more to the artwork once it is completed. Isn't it true that that line should be fixed, add more color, or offer more details? You must learn to recognize when a picture is finished and trust your instincts. Many artists I know deal with this. It can be tough at first to resist the want to constantly change things, but unless you stop doubting yourself and move on, the canvas will never be completed.
The problem comes after the painter completes the canvas art. They'll set down the paintbrushes, take a step back, look at the artwork, and call it finished. Then, after a few days, they'll go back and look at it and think it's dreadful! The key to this is either leave it as it is, or if you REALLY want to change it, then modify things here and there and move on. It's critical to understand how to move on.
Inspiration:
When painting on a canvas, do NOT approach it without a clear notion of what you want to do. It's up to you whether you want to paint from images or sketches, but whether you're creating realism or abstract art, make sure you have a clear vision of what you want the painting to look like once you've finished. Inspiration can be discovered in unexpected places. A scribble on the wall, a fracture in the sidewalk, a leaf falling from a tree. However, this isn't always the case. To create inspiration, just like anything else, will need time and effort. Inspiration might take a vacation and leave you staring at a blank canvas, feeling empty. You'll also have to drag it back.
For the beginners to the art of canvas painting, there are a few things they should keep in mind:
Type of canvas:
When selecting a canvas, keep in mind that you get what you paid for. When compared to cotton, linen provides a better painting surface due to its greater strength and finer surface. If you're just getting started with canvas painting, though, it would be a good idea to start with a cheaper cotton canvas. An inexpensive pre-made cotton canvas can always be improved by re-priming it with an oil primer.
Wooden corners:
The small bag of wooden wedges that comes with each canvas is one aspect of canvas painting that many painters overlook. These are really important, although they are frequently forgotten.
To create stress on the canvas surface, the wedges are designed to be hammered into the holes on the inside corners of your canvases. This is necessary to maintain a tight surface that allows you to manage your brushstrokes. If you want to pound in your wedges without breaking the stretcher bars, you should get a nice rubber mallet.
Primers:
You'll need to prime whatever material you choose for your support. Canvases that have been primed might be porous or non-porous. The underlying idea is that porous prepared support will allow the paint to dry faster since the paint's water content will be sucked into the support. The paint will dry spontaneously by evaporation on non-porous support. The main benefits of the latter are that the paint will stay wetter and more workable for longer and that the oil paint will retain more of its sheen. Because it has dried too quickly on porous primers, the paint can appear dead and chalky.
Canvas art is a beautiful legacy of painters. Each art is unique, but I personally love canvas art as it offers a more wide and open view of the creativity of the artist. Greg Furie Art is a website that allows you to buy spectacularly unique canvas paintings. The paintings are done with oil paints and are wonderfully abstract. Many a customer has felt deeply connected to the message that the painter is trying to convey through these paintings and have felt their emotions being touched and spiritual side being awakened when they see these works of art. By going to their website, you can buy whatever art piece touches your soul; there's no shortage of variety!
You can choose canvas photo prints if you are up for the urban look, large canvas wall art for the classical look, and even framed art. The choice is yours, so don't waste any time and go and buy whatever painting is calling to you.