Why Are Canvas Prints So Popular?

Thursday, September 28th

Why Are Canvas Prints So Popular?

Happy little clouds.

If you've ever had the pleasure of watching talented painter Bob Ross put color to canvas, then you're familiar with the concept of happy little clouds. Mr. Ross would frequently include them in his painting du jour as he explained to those of us watching at home just how easy it was to do.

Yeah, right.

Let's face it. Most of us will never be able to paint anything on a canvas that will even remotely resemble happy little clouds or green trees or beautiful mountaintops. And that's OK. We're not all designed to be talented artists.

But now there is an option for those of us who know a pretty picture when we see it but are unable to recreate it with paints - canvas prints.

With the continuing advances in photo technology, the majority of us are able to take some pretty decent photos with the help of a high-quality digital camera. Any camera with a resolution of 8 megapixels or higher is designed to produce a quality print. And quality prints are necessary when making canvas art. Most new cameras have megapixel ratings of between 8 and 12, with higher-quality digital SLR cameras having megapixel ratings much higher. As a general rule, the higher the megapixel rating on the camera, the better quality canvas art that will be produced from the photo image.

Aside from the ability to create art without actually breaking out the paints, another reason canvas prints have become so popular is the affordability of them. The average price for a 24x36 inch canvas print is around $80. A painting created the traditional way and of the same size could cost as much as $300 or more. People who have always wanted to own a painting that was of decent enough quality to hang over their mantles - but who don't have hundreds of dollars to spend on one - have found canvas art to be a great alternative at a price they can afford.

It also is quite easy to have a canvas print made, which also makes them wildly popular among those who would like to have more canvas art hanging on their walls. When canvas prints first came on the scene, there were only a few specialized places where you could have them made. Now, many traditional photo studios offer canvas prints at reasonable prices. The only benefit to using a specialty printer which produces only canvas art is that they will have the tools needed to provide not only the original canvas art, but also the ability to incorporate creative special effects or professional retouching.

Another reason why canvas art has become so popular is that it lends itself to making a great gift for just about anyone. If you find yourself struggling to come up with the perfect gift for that hard-to-please friend or family member, you can't go wrong with canvas art. Because it can be personalized to portray something of importance to the person who will be receiving it, it makes a better gift than a standard painting or piece of artwork you may find elsewhere.