Canvas Painting Ideas
Canvas Painting Ideas and Composition Guide
Finding Inspiration
In this post I will inspire you to find your next canvas painting idea. Creative ideas and inspirational moments, exist all around us. There are times that I feel simply awed and inspired, simply slowing down and taking notice of my surroundings. One tangible thing you can do here is to always have a camera on hand. Take the time to go for walks, and slow down. Nature is is an experiential gold mine of inspirational ideas ideally suited to help you find your canvas painting ideas. I find inspiration in the abstract patterns and vibrant colors visually presented by nature and snap up lots of source material on my camera.
I usually have something special in mind when i’m out looking for inspiration be it a special repeating pattern of shapes or an unusual balance between empty space and an object. Take notice of natural lines that express life through their unexpected gestures these are the places that new ideas arise. For each one of my canvas paintings that I put onto a canvas I usually will have ten to twenty ideas that do not make it into a painting. Create an idea folder. My folder is lately brimming with ideas for a series of abstract realism paintings. The subject of the Series will be tulips. I was inspired with new ideas from my trip to the Tulip festival in Ottawa May 2011. I will choose the canvas sizes based on the compositions and on my three different categories within the Tulip painting series.
Abstract design
The first category in the Tulip series is abstract design. I will create a pattern without referencing the realistic surrounding area. I will use a close focused look at the flowers to achieve this abstract pattern. The viewer will be brought into the image with the familiar shapes and lines of the tulip but will be allowed to imagine and emote their own thoughts into the design by being free of the real life references.
The portrait painting style
The second category for the Tulip series is the portrait painting style. These paintings will capture the individual tulip flower and focus on the gestures lines, delicate folds and the different personalities of the tulips. I will elongate the stems and personify the flowers with a personal composition.
Sea of colours and shapes
The third category will capture the overwhelming number of tulips in Ottawa drawing attention to the sea of colours and shapes. The painting will show the row upon row of flowers and the surrounding landscape to emphasise the multitude of flowers.
