5 Things I Learned by Painting Over Old Canvas Art

What do you do with all those old paintings?  I see this question being asked often and I’ve asked myself the same.  As an artist, I love painting on paper, canvas, wood, you name it.  However, that also means I  have amassed a good number of paintings around my house and studio. They are taking up space and energy.

In recent months, I had been gathering some of my old paintings. Some are at least 10 years old. There’s a nice stack of painted canvases now in my studio.  A couple of weeks ago, I decided to grab one and paint over it. Afterall, all I needed was a little courage, my imagination and to gather up some supplies.  TIP: Check out my 10 go to tools when I head to the table to make art, below.

Oh what an amazing experience it was!  I simply adore my new painting and I totally learned so many cool, creative things along the way.

Here are 5 things I learned by painting over old canvas art?

• Previously painted canvases can provide a background of amazing layered texture.

• I saved so much time because my background was already built.

• You can save money! No new canvases needed. Plus I used the same supplies used for the original painting.  TIP: I list my top 10 tools to get started making great art now at the bottom of this post.

• You do NOT have to paint it white first or sand it.  I just started painting using whatever colors I wanted.

• The colors that peek through make for an amazing, unique background

The 5 things I learned by painting over old canvas art might seem simple. Yet, it totally changed the look and feel of the background, from my typical painting style and I have fallen in love. So now I’ve got the answer for what to do with all of those old canvas art.  Grab your art supplies and paint over old canvas art and you too might find something to love by turning old art into something new.