Thick, textured paint on canvas is a great way to add more dimension to your next project. Some of the world’s most famous artists such as Vincent van Gogh and Jackson Pollack used texture painting techniques on canvas for their well-known works.
All of this is to say that there is something instantly captivating about textured canvas art. If you want to master this technique, we’re here to help. Read on to learn more about how you can achieve this look no matter if you’re new to painting or a seasoned artist.
Best Paint for a Texture Canvas Painting
When you want to create a texture painting on canvas, it’s important to invest in the right paint. Acrylic paint is a versatile and popular option among artists, and this is true for creating texture as well. Since acrylic paint is smooth and creamy, it can easily be thinned with water or, in this case, thickened with gels or home remedies.
To create a heavy-textured paint, you will need to add a texture medium to your traditional acrylic paint to make it thicker. These mediums are often translucent, so all you need to do is add a bit of the acrylic color you desire to create thicker paint. Alternatively, you can paint a texture medium directly onto a primed canvas where it will dry white or off-white. From there, you can paint over the texture with your acrylic paint.
Many people also choose to use oil paint to create texture due to its naturally thick consistency and slow drying time. However, these paints are more expensive and can be slightly more difficult to work with for beginners.
Tips For Creating Texture Painting on Canvas
With your paint ready to go, it’s time to create your textured acrylic painting on canvas.
Here are some of our favorite tips and tricks to complete a texture painting on canvas for beginners.
Collect Your Materials
Before putting your brush on canvas, you should make sure you have all your materials on hand.
This includes:
- Acrylic paint
- Heavy body acrylic gel or texture medium
- Palette knife
- Sturdy canvas
- Dry brush
- Other tools to create texture, such as combs, bristle brush, or even a credit card
Of these materials, the paint, medium, canvas, and palette knife are truly the most important. A thick, cloth canvas is important for holding up against the weight of the heavy texture paint. The palette knife is ideal for ensuring the applied paint maintains its texture.
Everything else is a bonus for creating abstract texture.
Prime Your Canvas
Like with any canvas painting, it’s important to prime your surface before beginning. Use gesso to ensure the acrylic texture will stick to the surface.
Impasto Technique
While there are a few texture painting techniques on canvas to try, impasto tends to be the most popular and widely known. This is an art technique where paint is laid onto a surface thickly so it holds the imprint of an artist’s brush or palette knife.
Artist Judith Bridgland recommends painting the general (large, flat, thinly painted areas) to the particular (small, complicated impasto details). Impasto is all about creating layers of paint, so it’s important to ensure the colors don’t get muddy. Colors tend to bleed when wet paint is applied to wet paint.
To prevent this, paint thick marks only once. Be confident with your brush strokes and don’t shy away from abstract texture. You should also let each layer of paint dry before moving on to the next.
Let it Dry
Finally, it’s important to let your texture acrylic painting on canvas dry completely before varnishing and displaying it. While your average acrylic painting may be completely dry in under 24 hours, this may not be the case with your textured canvas art.
Depending on how thick your acrylic paint has been applied, it can take weeks to even months for your artwork to be complete. You want to avoid touching or displaying your artwork before it’s dry because the paint could still shift and colors could blend if it’s placed upright.
After it’s completely dry, you can choose to varnish your artwork. From there, it’s ready to display in your living room for all to see and enjoy.
Acrylic Paint From Nova Color
If you’re ready to try your hand at creating a textured canvas painting, collect your supplies from Nova Color. We offer a wide variety of acrylic paint colors and mediums for all your painting technique needs, including impasto.
Ideal Mediums for Creating Impasto
Shop our full collection of acrylic paint and more today.