Choosing canvas size for your painting should ideally be based on what painting you are painting, and the idea you have chosen for yourpainting.

Full acrylic painting tutorial is included in this video.

No doubt the canvas format and size of a painting have great significance for how one experiences a painting. So ... what is the best size and format for the painting you want to start painting, and is one size better than another?

In my view the answer is ... Yes and no:
No, there is no "right" format, you can always adjust your painting to fit whatever format … and … yes, some formats are more suitable to better support a certain idea, which I will demonstrate in this video.

You have unlimited options regarding the format of your canvas. You have in fact endless possibilities so it can be really difficult to choose.

Some prefer small canvases, because a small size mentally is easier to comprehend, and then again some will prefer larger formats ... feeling that “big is better”.

Many of the superstars in the history of art for example Van Gogh, Vermeer and Renoir almost exclusively painted on small canvases.

I also mostly paint on a small or medium-sized canvas, because you quickly can change the entire painting using only a few brushstrokes. It is more complex and time consuming to change direction if you paint on a larger canvas.

I don't know if "big is better, but I feel that a big canvas is giving you something for free.

The decision on finding the right canvas size is often based on dull practical reasons far away from the creative process, and practical reasons are tough to deal with.

For financial reasons I often buy larger quantities of canvases and matching frames, and I like to show several images in the same format on an exhibition.

I prefer formats I am used to paint on, and to be honest, I then arrange my motive according to the format. This is not ideal, because I know, in the back of my head, that the choice of canvas size should depend on the idea and what you want to paint. Not the other way around.

I usually paint on ready-stretched canvases, and sometimes on paper. That’s it. My normal formats are:
30x30, 40x40, 50x50 60x60, 60x80, 80x80, 90x120 cm

Of course your preferences may be different, but I like the square formats. That's in my comfort zone, because I can rotate it in the initial phase to create new opportunities and ideas for my painting.

The comfort zone is nice, but not very challenging. You need to challenge yourself in order to develop your skills and process. So, sometimes when I am in a gallery or a museum, I look at sizes. When I see the size in front of me, it is much easier for me to decide, if a new format could be interesting to try out.

So, once in a while, I buy a new size. It's refreshing and I get a new perspective on my painting.

I am a member of an artist group called The Blue Tower. We are 17 artists who exhibit together once a year. When exhibiting in a group, it is important to have a common theme for the exhibition. Furthermore, working with a common theme forces me to paint pictures I wouldn't otherwise have painted.

For the past 4 years, our exhibitions have based on the classic elements: air, water, earth and fire, and in 2024, the theme is: "The 5th element"... whatever that is.

After some reflection, I came to the conclusion that TIME should be my 5th element... the fact that time passes.

And the idea for my painting is to show a progression in time, a motive that develops from left to right, which in my part of the world is the direction of the sun across the sky. To achieve this I decided on a long horizontal canvas 60 x 120 cm. This will beautifully support the idea.

So, to answer the initial question … yes … in my view, this is the right format, for this painting.

Timecodes
0:00 - Intro - is there a right canvas size?
0:26 - Yes and no, depending on the painting's idea
0:50 - Choosing a canvas size for a painting is complex
1:14 - Canvas size: Is big better or should smaller sizes be preferred?
3:00 - My preferred formats
3:30 - Challenging your comfort zone
4:05 - Working in a group using a common theme: The Blue Tower - a group af artists
4:45 - Choosing "The 5th element" to be TIME
5:00 - The long format is the right format for this painting
5:30 - Full painting tutorial using the theme idea: TIME
12:49 - Ending the painting - balancing the composition
14:48 - Correcting a mistake
15:38 - Adding details and finishing the painting
16:20 - The development of the painting photos from start to finish
16:49 - Ending the process
17:00 - Outro

I hope you enjoyed the video. If you did, please hit the like button and subscribe to my channel.
Please let me know what format you prefer for your paintings.

Also I would highly appreciate to know if you have any ideas for the 5th element. I may be able to incorporate your ideas in my next exhibition.
Se more videos on my channel : @skora-theoldguy.