Canvas Art
Creating your own canvas art saves you money while allowing you to customize the look to the color and style of your room. Creating artwork is a way to express your creativity. You don't need any formal art training to create your own canvas art.
Canvas Basics
A canvas that has been stretched and primed will save you time. For a true DIY project or to save money, make the canvas yourself. This allows you to create the exact size of canvas you need.
Work with either cotton or linen material, depending on your budget and the texture you want for your piece. You'll need four stretcher bars, staples, a staple gun and a ball hammer. Join the stretcher bars together, and use the hammer to tap lightly on the bars until you have perfect right angles. Leave 2 1/2 inches of canvas on each side when you cut around the stretcher. Staple the canvas to the stretchers and prime with gesso.
Realistic Canvas Art
There are a number of ways to create realistic artwork, even if you aren't an expert painter. Use a copy of a photo and make it look artistic by using rubber stamps, or change the colors in a software paint program. Print your photo using an ink-jet printer, then iron the photo to set the ink. Using a gel medium, place the photo onto fabric, then glue the finished fabric onto a canvas. You can paint around the photo with light color washes to blend it into the canvas, stamp the canvas and layer decorative rice paper on it for a collage canvas.
Fabric helps you add pattern to a canvas. Stretch the fabric and staple it to the back of the canvas while pulling it tight. Look for a fabric that depicts a scene or a damask pattern for an elegant theme. Create several smaller canvases with fabrics. Smaller canvases will have a big impact when you place them together.
Painting by numbers is a traditional way for a beginner to create canvas art. The canvas already has an outline of the scene, so you don't have to draw it, and there are numbers on each piece, so no shading is involved. If you can't find the perfect printed scene, make your own. Scan a picture into your computer. Open it using Paint by Numbers software. You'll be able to pick which brand of paint you want to use, your color palette and how much detail you want to show. Print out the line drawing. You may need to tape the pattern together for a larger image. Use graphite to trace your map onto a canvas. Paint within the lines using your selected colors.
Modern Art
Modern art focuses on bold colors and simple shapes, so it's an easy do-it-yourself project. Creating artwork can be as simple as painting a canvas a solid color. Choose a bold color like orange. This will have a big impact against the white walls of an apartment. You'll be able to try out different colors without having to paint your room. A teen can make artwork by painting several canvases in a series of pink, turquoise and lime green. For a more intricate look, dip jar lids or cup rims into acrylic paint and press against the canvas to create instant circles.
