How to make your own canvas art: 4 simple steps to create beautiful art at home
Have you ever looked at a beautiful piece of artwork and thought “I wish I could make something like that”?
Maybe you've always wanted to try painting, but you're not sure where to start. Perhaps you don't consider yourself creative, or you're worried that your finished artwork won't look anything like the picture in your head.
You don't need to be an artist to make beautiful art.
Creating your own canvas artwork at home can be much simpler than you might think. At Plan, we've designed our art kits around exactly that idea. Rather than needing years of artistic experience, you get everything you need to build your own canvas, create your artwork and finish it ready to hang in your home.
And the whole process can be broken down into just four simple steps.
Step 1: Build your canvas frame
Our canvas frames are custom designed for Plan and handcrafted for us here in Edinburgh. The unique design means the frame pieces simply slot together, before the triangular corner pieces are added to secure and strengthen the structure.
Then you use the staple gun included in your kit to fix everything firmly in place.
It might sound like proper DIY, but that’s part of what makes the process so satisfying. There are no complicated woodworking skills or specialist tools required. Everything has been designed to work together, so you can go from a handful of frame pieces to a finished canvas frame surprisingly quickly.
Step 2: Stretch your canvas
Next comes the part that often looks more intimidating than it actually is: stretching the canvas. Our kits come with either cotton canvas with a classic smooth surface or linen canvas with a more natural, textured finish.
Lay your frame over the rolled out canvas, gradually pull the fabric taut and use the same staple gun to secure it. Taking your time and working around the frame little by little gives you an even, tightly stretched canvas ready to paint on.
And if you've never stretched canvas before, you aren't expected to somehow know what to do. Every Plan kit includes access to our Digital Art Guide, including video tutorials that walk you through the practical stages of making your canvas, so you can follow along whenever you need to.
Step 3: Create your artwork
Once your canvas is built and stretched, you have a blank surface ready to turn into something made specifically for your home.
You could create a minimal abstract painting, experiment with geometric shapes and masking tape, work with large expressive brushstrokes or simply start with colours you already love in your interior. There isn't one right way to make your own canvas art. And you don't need to sit down knowing exactly what the finished piece is going to look like either.
Your kit includes canvas practice pieces, giving you somewhere to test colours, brushstrokes, paint combinations and techniques before taking them onto your main canvas. It’s a small addition, but one that takes a lot of the pressure out of getting started.
You'll also have access to the Plan Digital Art Guide, where you'll find painting tips, techniques, inspiration and guidance to help you along the way. Use as much or as little of it as you want. If you already know exactly what you want to paint, go for it. If you want a little direction first, it’s there when you need it.
Step 4: Add the edge frame
Once your painting is finished and dry, there’s one final step: framing it. The edge frame is one of the features that makes a Plan canvas a little different from a standard DIY canvas painting.
Just like the inner frame, our edge frames are custom designed for Plan and handcrafted for us in Edinburgh. You can choose between oak or dark oak, depending on the look you want for your finished artwork.
The four frame pieces sit neatly around your painted canvas, creating a slim border around the artwork. And there’s no need for another set of tools. You use the staple gun from your kit one final time, this time with the included T staples, to attach the edge frame securely.
Once it's on, your artwork is finished and ready to hang.
From a box of materials to art for your home
You can watch the full process of making your own art at home with a Framed Canvas Art Kit from Plan here.
It's just four straightforward steps: Build the frame. Stretch the canvas. Paint your artwork. Add the edge frame.
Everything in a Plan kit has been put together to make those stages feel achievable, even if you've never built a canvas or painted a piece of artwork before. The materials are there, the tools are there, and the guidance is there whenever you want it.
What you end up with isn't just a canvas you painted yourself, but a finished, framed piece of artwork made from start to finish for your own home.
Four steps, one canvas and something completely your own at the end of it. And as always, we cannot wait to see what you'll create.
Full Art Kits
Blank Canvas Kits
Emmi
Co-founder of Plan