5 Things To Do With A Blank Canvas

 It’s finally quiet in the house; you are inspired, motivated and focused. Your mood is just perfect to create something. You are not sure what the idea is, but all you want is to get your hands dirty. This spur of imagination and artistry can escape any moment and you want to make the most from it now. You head towards your craft room, set your canvas on the easel and poof! All the ideas went out of the window. This is called blank canvas syndrome. There isn’t an artist in the world, which hasn’t gone through this. Nothing, absolutely nothing comes to the mind. No ideas, incentives and motivation help you. Seeing the emptiness and bareness of the canvas, the mind goes blank. Even if you are not an artist, and you got the abstract paint by numbers painting kit as a gift from a loved one, you still need inspiration, an idea to actually do something on the canvas. All the excitement and motivation turns into frustration and distress because your mind is just stripped from all the ideas.

Before telling you ways to conquer this situation, I’m first going to address the ‘why’. Why does this happen? Why do so many artists and other people fear the blank canvas? Why does a piece of white paper look like a scary expanse? There are so many good things you can do with a blank canvas. It is a way to express your feelings, creativity, mood and mind.  Completely block all the tensions and worries of the world and paint your heart out. But still people are not comfortable with this form of relaxation. This is because they fear failure. Universally, adults are scared to make mistakes and to make a fool out of themselves. We don’t want to embarrass or humiliate ourselves and deflate our egos by showing that we aren’t good enough or capable. We tend to judge ourselves too hard. This makes us worry about the end result so much that we forget to enjoy the actual process. This self-doubt is instilled in us by our upbringing, or by unaware, unkind elders or teachers. We feel unsafe and unsure in front of the canvas as we fear a potential possibility to mess up. If you are a beginner, start with a sketchbook or single sheet. Be comfortable and then start.

What if you need a good artwork to grace your walls? It’s hard to shop paintings, as it is either too expensive or too simple that you think there is nothing special about it. Sometimes it is a boring hotel, an animal or some random strokes of paint. Now who wants to buy an artwork that is expensive, but looks simple enough that you can also make it by yourself? Then why don’t you make one. Buy a canvas paint by numbers kit and unleash the artist inside you. You have the potential, competence and ability to create an amazing art work. So no holding back on your ideas and don’t shy away from your imagination. It is your time to shine and reveal the inner creativity of yours. You’ll be so happy when the guests or people around you, will admire the canvas of your imagination. Trust me, they will ask.

Here are some ideas to beat the blank canvas syndrome, try them out to kill the whiteness and bring out colors in your canvas.

1.    Pour the paint

Get your canvas painting kits out and try your hand at abstract painting. Yes! Abstract painting may seem like an expert’s cup of tea but with this simple trick anyone can make abstract art. Lay down your canvas on the floor and pour paints on it. Take a generous amount of paints; add water for a pouring consistency. You can use poster paints or fluid acrylics. Pour down the paint with your hands or use a brush. Shimmy down the paints from different angles and heights, sweeping, stroking, dripping, flicking and pouring it. You can use one color or several.

2.     Stencil it

Take out stencils from the internet or use dolly papers, they work great as stencils. Place them at the canvas and spray paint or paint them to achieve different patterns. Use layering as a way to get a more complex pattern. Change mediums and colors for making the design more interesting and creative.

3.    Doodle and scribble

Doodling and scribbling is better for sketchbooks, smaller canvases or sheets, but that is not a rule. Make a line with your favorite color and take it for a walk on the canvas. It doesn’t have to mean anything or look a specific way. Go wild and set your mind free. You can use brushes, papers, tissues, or even your fingers. It’s very effective in freeing and purifying the mind. It is a great way for a head start, as whatever you do at first is most probably going to be covered by the end. Play with colors, smear them, blob them.  

4.     Cover up the base

Start by completely covering your canvas with any color you prefer. Just get rid of the white spots peeking through. It’s maybe the most mindless and simplest thing to start with. But it brings out the richer hues later on in the painting; you can leave some places from where the base color can peek through. If you are still unsure, just pick any color and let the creativity find its way.

5.    Make a collage

Use the canvas and ditch the paints. Sometimes it’s not the canvas but the wide range of paints that overwhelm you. Bypass the paints, stick things to the canvas, adding texture and dimension to the look. Stick bits and pieces in a way to create a picture. You can also crumble foil, tissues or newspaper. These pick up paints in strange ways and give a unique look to the painting.

There are so many more things you can do with a blank canvas, buy a canvas painting kit and let the creative juices follow. A blank canvas gives you a plethora of opportunities to play, don’t hold back and let it go!