Sometime back, I developed a penchant for painting on canvas instead of the usual MDF or wood items I had been used to.
It all started one day when I realised that I didn’t have time to basecoat an MDF item to paint a new project in class with my students. I thought of painting on paper but I discovered canvas boards among my hoard of “paintable” items and that became the perfect surface!
Since then, I didn’t have any qualms about taking any decorative painting design and painting it on a canvas board or stretched canvas.
For example, I had painted this MDF bin with a roses design and much later painted the same thing on a rectangular canvas board.
I also encourage my students to have a go and some of them actually like it. Its good to paint on traditional surfaces like the canvas, for a change! LOL
Basecoating your canvas for decorative painting is a little different because the canvas surface is not smooth like the MDF or wood surfaces we’re used to. So you will find it quite a challenge to basecoat it with a brush and thick paint straight from the bottle or tube.
But there is an easy way – I use a small roller sponge and extra pressure. Basecoat once, dry with a hairdryer and then basecoat again and voila…its ready to take your decorative painting.
You’ll also finish in half the time because no sanding is required….that should make a lot of painters happy!
Painting your design is not much different once you get the hang of moving your brush around on the basecoated canvas surface. You will always feel the texture of the canvas but all the decorative painting techniques you’re used to will work on the canvas.
No worries. You just have to try it to find out.
So why not have a go?
