I turn 22 this year. And as adulthood creeps in &mdash; between responsibilities and reluctantly doing laundry &mdash; I&rsquo;ve also started enjoying its quieter perks. One of them? Setting up your first home.
I had a very specific vision: a gallery wall filled with art I&rsquo;d collected over time. I scrolled, searched, and saved. But as it turns out, collecting art is not a cheap hobby. Cough.
<img src="http://images.mid-day.com/images/images/2026/apr/Onions_e.jpg" alt="One of my first attempts at colouring was a half-sliced onion" width="1280" height="720" /> One of my first attempts at colouring was a half-sliced onion
So, I did what any slightly delusional, mildly ambitious 22-year-old would do: I decided to make my own. If you&rsquo;ve ever wanted to try canvas painting but didn&rsquo;t know where to begin, here&rsquo;s everything I learnt as a complete beginner.
<h2>Know my medium</h2>
After experimenting a bit, I landed on acrylics and canvas. Here&rsquo;s a quick how to:
Step 1: Get your supplies A basic set of 12 acrylic colours is more than enough. Buy extra white &mdash; it&rsquo;ll run out fastest. Three round brushes will do: size 0, 6, and 10. A palette with sections helps keep colours clean.
<img src="http://images.mid-day.com/images/images/2026/apr/Martini-glass_e.jpg" alt="One of the initial paintings I made with just one object to make it easier" width="1280" height="720" /> One of the initial paintings I made with just one object to make it easier
Step 2: Pick your subject Start simple. Fewer objects = easier painting. A flower, your breakfast &mdash; mine was quite literally a half-sliced onion. Avoid human portraits unless you enjoy suffering.
Step 3: Use the grid method Getting proportions right is the hardest part. And hence, I propose you use this life hack: the grid scale method. Print your reference image and draw a grid over it. Then replicate the same grid on your canvas. This lets you focus on one square at a time instead of the whole image, making accuracy much easier.
Step 4: Sketch first Treat your sketch like the bones of the painting. It may get covered, but it holds everything together.
<img src="http://images.mid-day.com/images/images/2026/apr/Game-night_e.jpg" alt="One of the first paintings I made with so many objects to commemorate my roommate and my favourite hobby of hosting game nights. It&rsquo;s the one closest to my heart, despite all its flaws" width="1280" height="720" /> One of the first paintings I made with so many objects to commemorate my roommate and my favourite hobby of hosting game nights. It&rsquo;s the one closest to my heart, despite all its flaws
Step 5: Start painting Remember basic colour theory. Mix as you go, trust your instincts, and don&rsquo;t overthink it. Painting is mostly just about observing, how colours mix, how shadows form. Observe and replicate.&nbsp;
Step 6: Trust the process A painting often looks terrible before it looks good. Acrylics dry fast, so mistakes are easy to fix. Be bold &mdash; confident strokes always look better.
<h2>Know your medium</h2>
There are as many painting mediums as you can imagine, but they broadly fall into three categories &mdash; solid, liquid, and gas. Solids include colour pencils, charcoal, oil pastels, and crayons. Pair them with a simple drawing pad. Liquids &mdash; like acrylics, oils, and watercolours &mdash; offer more flexibility but require more control. A happy in-between? Watercolour pencils. You can draw with them like regular pencils and then blend with water for a painted effect. Gas refers to spray paint &mdash; not exactly beginner-friendly, unless you&rsquo;re planning to take up graffiti.

If you’ve ever wanted to try canvas painting but didn’t know where to begin, here’s everything to learn as a complete beginner by a Gen-Z in Mumbai

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