& CANADA 
Now that the lazy days of summer are a fond memory, it’s time to settle into winter and fall projects. Less desire to be outdoors buys you more time to bring your large wall art ideas to life!
Whether you’re looking to update your home or office building decor for Thanksgiving, or just wistfully remembering a time in your life when you experienced the vibrant changing of the leaves and crisp, fresh fall air, large wall art can completely change the feel of a room. Creating the piece yourself makes it doubly rewarding.
Here are a few canvas wall art ideas to keep you busy this fall, with tips on how to buy canvas that will stand up to whatever you throw at it!
AUTUMN THEMED CANVAS PANELS
This simple DIY canvas panel arrangement can set the tone for the entire room and can incorporate any colors you’d like. You can either prime your canvas white and paint the background pieces in, or paint each canvas and then paint the trees in (which is the way to do it if you want a multi-colored background.
The key to a large wall art installation like this is in the stretcher frames, each of which must be keyable and perfectly square to ensure they look their best hanging together.
MULTIMEDIA ON CANVAS
Wow your Thanksgiving guests with DIY multimedia on canvas wall art. Get creative–this is your chance to use metals, textiles, paper or anything else at hand to create texture and depth. For a variation, you can add multimedia to your large canvas prints, as well, bringing a whole new look to your favorite photos. Check out this acrylic and buttons on canvas piece that has taken Pinterest by storm:
Using a heavier duty canvas stretcher gives you the freedom to incorporate heavier elements like plastics and metals.
If you’re incorporating media heavier than paint, it’s important to make sure your stretcher frame can support the weight of the finished piece. Use the Heavy Duty Buyer’s Guide to determine which features and supports you need to keep your canvas strong and taut over time.
TRY A LARGE CANVAS CUTOUT
Clearly, cutting into the canvas will reduce its ability to stay tight, so you’re going to need to use a lightweight paint in thin layers. Even so, this creative DIY wall art looks stunning, doesn’t require a huge investment of time or materials on your part, and is a fairly simple entry to larger pieces.
Large canvas cutouts make for spectacular wall art anyone can create.
Sketch out the area you’d like to keep, lay your canvas flat on a cutting board or mat, and use a sharp blade to create your cutout. Paint what’s left (don’t forget your canvas edges) and you’re done!
USE THE WHOLE CANVAS
This piece by a French artist is actually made on the back of canvas, with metal wire detail making it not only a stunning piece of art, but a functional wall hanging, as well. Like this artist, you can use upcycled scrap metals, fabrics, buttons and more.
Upcycle scraps of all kinds to give your large works on canvas depth and texture.
It’s still important to use a keyable canvas stretcher, especially if you’re affixing heavier media to the back of the canvas. You’ll want to be able to key it about once a year to keep the canvas tight.
LARGE FALL PHOTO PRINTS ON CANVAS
Buying home decor photo prints can be pricey (the panels below, for example, were $173 at time of writing), and typically these mass produced pieces are stretched over low quality frames. Stretching your own canvas photo prints gives you a more personally meaningful piece, and you can control the quality of the materials used, as well.
Canvas photo prints can make for spectacular autumn-themed wall art. Source: VVVArt.com
Pick a wide shot to get the effect above. You can learn how to choose a printer and stretch your own canvas photo prints here.
READY TO BRING YOUR LARGE WALL ART IDEAS TO LIFE?
Use this simple cheat sheet to determine which canvas stretcher you need, then browse our selection of cotton canvas, or give high grade linen canvas a try for your heavier duty pieces.
If you aren’t ready yet to try stretching your own canvas on a larger frame, you can start out with professional quality gallery wrapped canvas. Each one consists of #12 cotton duck canvas stretched and back stapled over a keyable frame and gives you the structure and tight weave you need for gallery quality DIY wall art.