Unwanted Art: What to Do with Old Canvas Paintings?

I. Introduction 

Addressing the Dilemma: Unwanted Artwork

If you’re a devoted artist, you know the struggle of every artist regarding where to put which canvas.  You might be dealing with an incomplete painting or some great oil portrait which became old, and this article will help you discover what to do with old paintings. It is very typical for an artist to be in a dilemma about what they can do with their either completed but not completely satisfied with the art or completed but not have a particular space to put the painting. But if there is a problem, there must be a solution. However, the first step is to identify the problem and then resolve the issue. You will read and understand each and everything you need to know. 

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II. Creative Ideas for Repurposing Unwanted Art

1. Transforming Old Canvases into New Masterpieces

You might have many old artworks in your gallery, but you don’t want to throw them, or you might want to remake them; this part of the blog will address this issue. 

• Prepare your artwork: Remove the canvas from the frame or tape around the frame & mattes. 
• Paint over existing artwork: Apply a layer of gesso over the preexisting canvas painting on the canvas to create a fresh layer. You can also sand down the preexisting layer for a new and fresh one. 
• Sanding the painting: Sanding between coats can help the paint adhere and smooth the surface of the canvas. 
• Understand your art mediums: If the preexisting canvas had oil painting, you need to use oil painting again because acrylic doesn’t stick to oil painting. But if the canvas painting before had acrylic, you can go with acrylic again. 
• You can add texture to your painting. 
• With years of practice, you must have conquered the artistic skills of adding vibrance and depth to any painting. 
• You can always even simplify your painting. 
• You can go with big brushes, as they work best for unwanted canvas painting over a preexisting painting. 

2. Upcycling Canvas Frames for New Art Projects   

You might have been thinking about how you can repurpose your old artwork for years. But it is ending here. Read the upcoming points below to know more. 

Paint or strain on it

You might have an ancient canvas on which you painted something you do not adore. Well, it is normal. As an artist only some artists can be satisfied with their artwork. You can know what to do with your old artwork if you are not one of them. Put out the canvas now. You can sand the paint on it using sandpaper. Or you can coat a paint of any dark color. When you are finished, you can paint an abstract or whatever is in your mind. 

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Soak the painting

You can soak the unwanted canvas painting in rubbing alcohol for about an hour so that your paint loosens from the canvas. Take a container with alcohol to dip your paint on it. 

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Also read: Cracked Paintings: Causes, Fixes, and Preventative Measures

Scrapping of the paint 

Wear gloves before the process so they won’t irritate your eyes or skin. Use a knife to scrape off the paint. Place the knife along the edge and slowly push across the canvas to remove the paint. 

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Wash off the rubbing alcohol.

Apply a few drops of soap on a brush and scrub vertically over the canvas. Make sure that every inch of canvas is rubbed with the brush thoroughly. 

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Acrylic gesso application

Now you have to apply acrylic gesso on the canvas. You can paint with acrylic gesso in horizontal strokes or vertical strokes with the help of a brush. If you want any color on the canvas other than the already painted color, then you can mix any other acrylic color with the gesso and apply it on the canvas. 

              
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Another layer of gesso

Once the first layer of gesso is completely dried, you must apply another layer. But this time, in the opposite direction of the first layer. Always remember the direction you used to paint the canvas with gesso so it gets more accessible for the second coat. You must keep applying the gesso until the original painting is completely covered. Let this dry for two or three days, and Then you can start painting over it again. 

DIY ideas for repurposing 

In this part, you will learn about a few DIY ideas with the help of which you can turn your room or your place into an aesthetic one. 

DIY wooden frame: 

You can choose any type of wood. It can be distressed, paneling from old fence posts, doors stained cuts from your hardware store, or natural pieces. If you have various wood styles, you can go for the arrangement of multiple galleries. 

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Frame the picture with clothespins.

This DIY decor idea is best if you want to add a little rusty side to your room. This can add more texture and depth to your room. You can simply attach polaroids to create a memory lane. 

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Picture hanger with a tree branch.

This is something unique. You can hang your pictures from a tree branch in your room. You can choose any length of tree branch to hang But do not cut tree branches. If you can find some branches outside, take them as a photo hanger. This can add a feel of soothing and unconventional. 

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Frame pictures on painted mason jars

Mason jars have been a trend for several years. And guess what? You can use them as your photo frames. 

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3. Recycling Canvas Material: Can You Recycle Canvases?

One of canvas users' most common queries is whether they can recycle canvases. This part of the blog will answer all your questions regarding that. Canvas boards are usually made of wood. There are usually four different types of canvas. 

Also read: Choosing the Right Canvas Size for Digital Art

Stretched Canvas

For acrylic painters, stretched canvas is the most common available type. It is commonly made with cotton. To create an ideal surface for painting, the canvas is first painted with gesso. But, the stretched canvas is made of cotton and is not recyclable. Cotton is an organic material, but it can not be recycled. It has to go through several chemical steps to produce the ideal canvas level, making it non-recyclable. 

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Canvas pads:

Canvas pads are usually made with spiral-bound canvas paper or prime canvas. Sometimes, the pad is made with heavy canvas paper, which has a canvas-like structure. Other canvas pads are made of mountable or stretchable canvas sheets. Canvas pads are very durable and last for a long time. However, they are not recyclable. 

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Canvas panels: 

Canvas panels are made up of cotton, primed cotton mounted upon a rigid board. Canvas panels are easy to carry but less durable and long-lasting than stretched canvas. But they are more suitable for large paintings. But these are also not recyclable. 

Canvas rolls:

Canvas rolls are designed for professional artists who love to prepare and stretch their canvas. It is always ideal for large paintings. Canvas rolls are made with either cotton or linen. They come with various textures, structures, weights, and fibers. 

III. Donation and Community Engagement

Yes, there is an option for donating your painted canvas or paintings to any social welfare or community that accepts such painting donations. In this blog, you will read about such acceptors of painting in detail, how you can donate there, and what points you must remember before donating it to a nearby charity. 

1. Donating Old Paintings: Where and How?

Museums

Various museums accept donations but usually accept only unconditional gifts, meaning they can exhibit, store, or sells artwork.

Goodwill or Purple Heart: 

If local organizations don’t have use for your artwork, you can donate it to Goodwill or Purple Heart. 

Local organizations:

If your paintings are of high quality, you can offer them to local communities such as women's shelters, childcare organizations, or ministries. 

Salvation Army

Salvation Army is a charitable organization, and they accept any kind of donation. You can donate your painting to them. 

Furniture banks

usually provide furniture, but they also value the price of a painting. You can contact them to donate your painting.

Guidelines and Considerations for Donating Artwork

• • Donor status: The donor must have held the artwork for more than one year, so one year to receive a charitable tax deduction. The deduction is limited to 30% of the donor’s AGI and is not subject To capital gains tax. 
  • Donor requirements: Donors must have a complete name of their artwork and should have valid proof that this art belongs to them. 
  • Museum acceptance: Sometimes, only some museums would accept your art; sometimes, they only accept unconditional gifts. 
  • Donation appraisal: If any outside appraisal is required, the donor is responsible for the cost. 

• Donation to charity: It is essential to understand your philanthropic goals so that you can analyze and donate to such charities. It is advisable to consult with an art advisor who can give you more insight into this matter. 

• Donation to parks: You should also consider donating to permanent monuments. 

2. Community Art Projects and Collaborations

Collaboration in art projects with your community is one of the most common things. It will let various artists come together and work for a better outcome. It has numerous benefits to society also. This part will explore that part of the paintings. 

• Learning opportunities: You can have various professional artists with experience in this field for extended periods. Participants can observe and learn from these professionals' works. That is a great learning opportunity. 
• Networking: Networking is essential. For any profession, networking is one of the greatest keys to success. If you are a part of community art projects, you will meet various new or experienced artists working and brainstorming new ideas together. Your networks will grow stronger. 
• Idea exchange: Collab projects help artists share ideas and perspectives on any topic. This will lead to dynamic outcomes for even a straightforward topic. 
• Community engagement: You can join any such projects where even beginners or people with no art background can join. This will help them explore the art world, and this will also help artists to have a perspective of anyone who has no art background whatsoever. Thus, the community can start working together and will increase engagement. 

There are various successful art projects example available from history, such as - 

• Murals and street art collab: Collaborative murals and street art are some of the most famous artwork collab. It has gained more popularity now. 
• The AIDS Memorial Quilt is one of history's most famous and significant collaborative art projects from the 1980s. It raised awareness regarding the AIDS pandemic and in honor of those who passed away because of this disease. 
• The Inside Out project was founded by French street artist JR in 2011. It was a global participatory art project that invited individuals to share their portraits and stories to explain their identities, beliefs, and values. 

Also read: Prints vs Paintings: Unveiling Differences & Making Informed Choices

IV. Environmental Considerations

1. Canvas Recycling: Sustainable Practices

If you can recycle or reuse your canvas instead of buying new ones, you will be able to help our planet. From this part, you will understand how you will help everyone. 

• Promotes zero waste: Recycled canvas promotes zero waste by converting used high-quality materials from landfills. 
• Reduce carbon emissions and soil degradation: Recycled canvas reduces carbon emissions, and soil degradation has already occurred because of growing cotton. 
• Reduces pressure on land, water, and other resources: Recycling canvas made of cotton fiber reduces too much pressure on land, water, and many other earth resources. 

Tips for responsibly disposal method of canvases and minimizing waste

• Reuse & recycle: If you want tips to reduce waste responsibly, consider reuse first. As mentioned earlier, consider reusing them with the help of those mentioned steps. 
• Donate: You can donate your paintings. As mentioned, you can follow such tips and guidelines to donate your paintings. 
• Properly dispose of waste: Do not rinse your brushes directly into the sink; you can check that you can still resume them on some of your paintings. 

2. Eco-Friendly Practices in Art

There are a few additional tips, too, which you can use in your eco-friendly art journey. Those are mentioned in this point. Keep reading to know more about this practice. 

Use natural colors & solvents.

For a long time, people believed that to get proper high-quality paint, it was ubiquitous and necessary to use cadmium, a proven harmful toxin. However, many researchers have said this has yet to happen over time. The first step towards sustainability practices should be to become mindful of what materials you are using in your painting journey. Always go for harmful, toxins-free paints; you can research them and go through the ingredients list. Nowadays, many companies provide a clear-cut view that this or that art accessory is toxin-free. Go for that. 

Use ethically sourced brushes.

The most unethical use is to use brushes made with animal hair. As cruel as it sounds, just rethink once before buying or thinking about buying such animal hair-made brushes for you or any fellow artists. Today, you can find perfectly well-crafted synthetic brushes to paint. You can always go for them. 

Adopt recycling and upcycling.

The most common meaning of eco-friendly is that you do whatever eco-friendly works are possible. You can consider recycling or upcycling your painting's canvases to reduce waste. 

Embrace sustainable packaging materials.

Artists should be concerned about how their art goes to the places or people so that unwanted issues do not destroy it. The most common practice for this is using bubble wrap. As we all know, those are made with plastic materials, which practically take much more time to degrade than we can imagine. Use pulp, biodegradable packing peanuts, and recycled cardboard to package your materials. 

V. DIY Art Projects and Crafty Solutions

1. Creative DIY Projects with Unwanted Art Prints

You can make DIY projects with your unwanted art prints. And in this blog, you can create a lot more things. Keep reading to learn more about such ideas. 

• Bubble painting: This activity is fun and messy, perfect for children, though anyone can try it. You can paint your bubble wrappers if any bubble wrappers are available and just press the thing over your unwanted art prints. 
• Hand art print: Anyone can paint their hand with toxin-free paints and press their hands on the prints they don’t want to continue with any more. 
• Paper flowers: If you have made art prints on any open paper, consider making paper flowers with the help of those flowers. 

More DIY ideas were discussed earlier, and you can consider using them too. 

2. Dumping Paint on Canvas: Artistic Techniques

There should be tips to dump your paintings, too. Well, this part will finally cover that part for you all to read to know more. 

• Dutch pour: You can use a hair dryer, straw, or your lungs to blow air on the canvas or the paint. This method uses air to manipulate the paint to pour the paint. 
• Traditional pour: This method is very relaxing. What you have to do is simply choose your favorite colors on a separate one over another and pour the whole cup slowly and nicely over your canvas. This is how you can create a smooth abstract gradient of various colors on a single frame. 
• Flip cup: This method is best for beginners. They must pour colors on a cup and flip it over the canvas. You can also cover the canvas with a solid color and then layer paint in concentric circles. 
• Puddle pour: Initiate by applying a thin layer of paint to a hard surface. Then, you can pour small puddles of different colors over the surface. 

The whole point of dumping paint on canvas is that it will express the openness and freedom of the artistic mind. Do freely whatever you want to dump on your canvas, keeping all the essential points in mind. 

VI. Conclusion: Unveiling the Artistic Potential in Unwanted Art

Addressing the issue faced by most artists worldwide and getting the bottom line of what you should and must do for your art is all you need to know. Initiate scraping off your paints on the canvas to apply gesso to make a recycled or upcycled canvas. Always remember to practice sustainability. You can always go with DIY projects because that’s what the name stands for! Keep painting, keep living.