Today’s question comes from Renee:
Renee Writes:
“I painted a canvas with acrylic paints, but am very unhappy with it. Is it possible to just start over with the same canvas? Is there a way to wash it, or should I just paint it white again and paint over it? Thanks so much! (ps. this is my first time painting)”
Do you have any information that might help Renee?
Please leave your response in the comments box below.
Hi Renee
Yes… you can paint over it, good news! Acrylic can be painted over with acrylic or oil paints. Sometimes I just turn the canvas upside down and start a new painting…. there is already some nice ground colours to work on, and often some nice texture also.
But if you would prefer to start with a fresh white canvas, I suggest you give it a light, light sanding (be careful here as you don’t want to damage the canvas, be esp careful around the edges where the timber frame is as it is easy to sand too hard there) and then give it a couple of fresh coats of white acrylic…. or a neutral colour on which to recommence working.
Hope this helps.
Happy painting!
Pauline
Hello Renee. You asked if it was akay to paint over an acrylic painting.
You are just about to learn one of the many wonders of Acrylics!. Yes, you can start over and over again and again if you want. You could paint over the painting with Gesso or simply ignore the existing design and just paint over it as is. If you do that I would suggest that you turn the canvas upside down so that you aren’t being confused by the earlier image. Sketch your ideas using charcoal or acrylic paint and begin creating. Acrylics do not build up as oils do so you should be painting over a fairly smooth surface…….if not, sand back any bumps if you find them annoying to you. Actually, I enjoy painting acrylics on a canvas that I have covered with gesso, using an X or other random strokes, just so I can build up a textured surface. You might want to give that a try. Acrylics are forgiving as long as you haven’t used oil paints over them. Oils can be used to finish acrylics BUT, once the oil is there, don’t attempt to paint acrylics over it. The acrylic won’t be stable once it’s over oils. Have fun!
hi,
if it happens to me i simply apply gesso and begin from start, maybe a totally different subject
I have made some (IMHO) very good artwork in this way cancelling the one I did not like and also the frustration
in case you have used heavy texture it can be a problem though to cover the first painting, it’s better to use a new canvas then
My recommendation would be to keep your painting even if you are unhappy with it.. As you get more practice you will find that it can be quite a learning tool to look back upon.
I have reused many canvases but I find that if the paint is very thick that I used it will always look bumpy. Try practicing on a pad of canvas paper it is less expensive than framed canvas. Happy painting 🙂
Yep- I agree with everyone else here. You can paint right over it. I have done the turn it around or upside down and paint again- sometimes you get something super cool!! Or you can gesso over it and then paint. I do a lot of collage and inclusions, so even if I gesso over the painting, and start over, the texture is still there. I love acrylic!!!
Hi folks, With watercolour, how do you achieve really dark reds and yellows over a large area. I mean really dark almost into opaque. Any suggestions please. David
Hi
Love your work,I have only just started drawing I use charcoal pencil can you tell me please what paper you use in your charcoal and pencil drawings it seems very smooth
Regards
Paul
Yes go ahead and paint over the canvas with oil or acrylic paint…if it has a lot of ridges you will want to sand it first but don’t use a power sander it can burn the acrylic paint and cause even more problems
Hello,
This may seem really bad but a while ago i had the same problem but i just washed the paint off using a wet piece of cloth. Be very careful if you try this because rubbing too hard can damage the canvas