Five Invaluable Trips for Painting on Canvas - 5 Canvas Painting Guidelines for Beginners

Before using a canvas one must make sure that the canvas is adequately stretched. It may be easier to use a canvas that is pre-stretched and make sure to unwrap the plastic wrapper around the canvas before setting it up. The next step in preparing your canvas to paint is using a primer. This is usually achieved by applying a substance called gesso and it comes in three varieties - oil paint, acrylic and tempera. Similar to using a primer before applying paint on the walls of a house or room, a primer protects the fibres of the canvas and makes what you paint archival while making the surface easier to work with. Primers also help painters use less paint in creating their artwork as the canvas is less likely to absorb most of the colours and the primer also protects the brushes one uses.

Those who wish to add a mood or tonal backdrop to their painting can follow up the primer with a colour tone of your preference. A bright white and blank canvas can be too "clean" for setting the right mood to paint your masterpiece so create the mood with a base colour such as a light yellow, blue or grey to add atmosphere to whatever you wish to paint. A moody template is a good starting point for any painting as it gives the artist direction and initiative. Most paintings on show at the Sri Lankan Art Gallery as well as artworks in display in most exhibitions feature a tonal shade underneath.

There's nothing quite as discouraging as having an unorganized workspace when you are ready to get creative. Prepare your workspace well in advance by keeping the brushes, colour tube, palette knives and other supplies including water near the canvas so it is not necessary to break concentration and go fetch these items one by one when they are needed. Take ten minutes each day before you are ready to paint to make sure everything that's required for a seamless painting session is next to you.

Beginners may believe that most brushes are suitable for painting on canvas but that is far from accurate. There are certain types of brushes that are more suited for painting on canvas than others as watercolour brushes are less than useless on a hard surface such as a canvas, unlike regular paper. Oil and acrylic paint brushes are perfect for canvases while ones with stiff bristles and long handles are also perfect for using on canvases.

Expect different paints to appear altered after the canvas has dried and apply shades accordingly. Oil paints are known to look uniform in consistency even after drying but acrylics will appear noticeably darker than when the paint was first applied. Keep the finished product in your mind while painting and ensure the colours will appear how you wish when the painting is fully dried.