Another Purpose

Before Rain

Do you have a painting you've done that you absolutely hate? Are you wondering if there is a way to give it new purpose and new life? Well, repainting an existing painting is a very simple and easy thing to do. Repainting over an old, ugly painting can save you money. Instead of investing in a new canvas, you can reuse your existing canvas and create a new, more pleasing work.

Yesterday, going through some of my old paintings, I found a poor excuse for an Asian-themed painting. It was one of my early works and just didn't turn out very well. Not wanting to buy another canvas and not particularly attached to the painting, I decided to paint over it. What I ended up with was a gorgeous, misty, rainy painting that I love. How did I do it?

First, lay down your background paint color/colors. Mine were three different shades of grayish-blue.

After

Next, if needed, sketch out your new design on fully dry canvas. For my painting, I sketched out the silhouette and the umbrella.

Lastly, lay down your details and polish your work. I filled in my silhouette with black and added my gnarly, naked tree and rain.  To polish off my painting, I added some shadowing and highlighting.

Remember, once your background is down, the possibilities are endless. So don’t just frown down at that painting you despise, give it new life. Create!