There is no greater quintessential art experience than painting a canvas at an easel. First-time painters may be intimidated by the preparation for canvas painting. This can be simplified. Pre-primed canvases can be purchased, and table-top easels are inexpensive and readily available. By minimizing the investment required to begin canvas painting, it becomes an easy and enjoyable hobby.
Canvas Preparation
Buy stretcher bars from a craft store. Assemble them into the desired dimensions. Cut or tear a length of canvas slightly larger than the size of the stretcher bars. Lay the canvas on the floor and place the stretcher bars squarely in the center. Pull the canvas over the sides of the stretcher bars and with a staple gun, staple the canvas to the back of the bars. Fold down the corners neatly so they cannot be seen from the front of the canvas. Staple all four sides of the canvas to the bars, securing the canvas snugly to the stretchers. Prime the canvas by mixing 2 parts acrylic gesso with 1 part water. Using a large flat paint brush (the kind that would be used to paint the walls of a room), lather the front of the canvas with gesso. As the gesso begins to dry, the canvas will shrink and stretch much more tightly over the stretcher bars. The more water in the gesso, the more the canvas will shrink and the more tightly it will be stretched. Allow the canvas time to dry.
Set Up
Place your easel in a well-lit, quiet location. Adjust the easel to the dimensions of the canvas, so the canvas is not too high or too low, and the angle is preferable. If you are using oil paints, the room should be well ventilated. Collect your paints, jars of water or turpentine, paint brushes and palette. Where applicable, set up your subject or the photograph of your subject. You may wish to sketch an image of the painting to come on the canvas. The sketch should be done lightly on the canvas. Although pencil marks are possible to erase, it is difficult.
Painting
Begin your painting in any place that feels natural. You will likely wish to start with a thin wash of paint to cover the canvas quickly and efficiently. Thicker layers of paint may be added later, but you may find that if you begin with thick layers of paint, the canvas will absorb the paint greedily and this will slow you down. It will also use up your paint.
Paint in sessions. Do not push yourself to paint longer than feels good, and try recognizing the signs that you need to step away from your painting to gain perspective. If you find yourself unsure of what to paint next, or what needs to be perfected, then you are probably at a good stopping point. Even if you are on a roll, it is best not to overwork the image. Try coming back to the painting after some time has passed so that you can view it more objectively. You may even wish to seek a second opinion, or multiple opinions.
Errors
If you know that it looks wrong but you are not sure why, try turning the canvas upside down. Be brave. Try painting while the canvas is upside down and see where it takes you.
Finishing
Once the painting is done, you may frame the painting at any art store or paint the sides of the canvas to give it a finished appearance. You may either choose a color that matches the overall scheme of the painting, or you may try to continue the image on the painting onto the sides of the canvas (not recommended if your image is complex).
