How to start painting on canvas when you don't feel confident
Starting can easily feel like the hardest part. Not because painting is difficult, but because your brain gets in the way.
“What if it looks bad?”
“I don’t know what I’m doing.”
“Where do I even start?”
As a professional over-thinker, I’d be lying if I said I’ve never felt this. Breaking down those walls can feel difficult, but in reality it’s less about learning how to paint, and more about quieting that noise enough to just begin. Once you do, things tend to shift a lot quicker than you expect.
You don’t need to feel ready
There’s this idea that confidence has to come before you start, but it actually works the other way around. Confidence builds during the process, not before it.
The first few marks might feel awkward. You might hesitate or second guess what you’re doing, and that’s completely normal. But the moment you actually begin, something changes. Your hands take over, you start mixing colours, your focus shifts and it stops feeling like this big, intimidating thing you’ve been building up in your head. It becomes something you’re just doing.
There is no “right way” to paint
A lot of the pressure comes from thinking there’s a correct way to do it. That there’s a certain outcome you’re supposed to reach or something specific you should be aiming for.
But there isn’t.
You’re not following instructions or trying to get it perfect. You’re simply responding to what’s in front of you. One mark leads to another, then another, and before you know it you’re in the process without really thinking about it anymore. That’s all painting is at its core.
If you don’t know where to start, start small
If everything feels a bit overwhelming, keep it as simple as possible. Make one mark, then another, and then respond to it.
Add colour, change direction, cover something up, start again on top. Let it build naturally instead of trying to figure everything out in advance. You don’t need a full idea or a clear plan, you just need something to react to. The rest tends to follow once you’re moving.
Test, explore and take the pressure off
One of the easiest ways to remove that initial pressure is to give yourself space to test things out first. Before touching your main canvas, try different colour combinations, see how the paint moves, and just get a feel for it.
Make a mess if you need to.
That’s exactly why we include practice canvas pieces in our kits, so you can explore freely without that underlying feeling of “this has to be good.” Because once that expectation is gone, everything becomes a lot more relaxed and a lot more enjoyable.
Use guidance if you need it (and ignore it if you don’t)
Sometimes it helps to have a starting point. A technique, an idea, or just something to get you going.
That’s where our digital art guide comes in. It’s filled with simple tips and ways to begin, but it’s not there to tell you what to do. There are no strict steps or rules to follow. It’s just something you can lean on if you want a bit of direction, and completely ignore if you’d rather figure it out your own way.
Because at the end of the day, the artwork you create is entirely yours. Every mark you make is part of your process, not something to question or overanalyse.
Letting go of perfection is where it gets good
The pieces people end up loving the most are rarely the ones they overthink.
They’re the ones where they stopped trying to control every detail and allowed things to happen more naturally. When you let go of what you think it should look like, and instead respond to what feels right in the moment, the whole experience changes.
It becomes less about making something perfect, and more about making something that actually feels like you.
What should you paint first?
If you’re completely stuck, start simple. You don’t need anything complicated to get going. Try:
- simple colour blocks
- loose lines or shapes
- layering tones on top of each other
Just enough to get you moving. Because once you start, ideas tend to follow.
You don’t need confidence to begin
That part comes later.
Right now, all you need to do is start, even if it feels a bit uncomfortable or uncertain at first. Because once you’re in it, you’ll understand it. You’ll find your rhythm, and you’ll probably end up enjoying it a lot more than you ever expected.
If you need a bit of help getting started
If you’re still feeling unsure, or you’re not quite sure which kit or canvas is right for you, just reach out to us. It’s literally just the two of us behind Plan, and we’re always happy to help you figure things out or talk it through.
And if you feel ready to start, or even just a little bit curious, you can explore our full art kits below. Everything you need, all in one place, ready when you are.
Emmi
Co-founder of Plan