From textured paintings to what to use for cleaning and painting, we’re stepping you through everything you need to know to upcycle an old acrylic painting. Oil paint needs a slightly different process, but for acrylic paint, it’s quite simple to do. Follow along for how to upcycle your old acrylic paintings.

Clean your canvas first
Before upcycling old canvas art, it’s important to always clean the canvas of any dirt before starting. Once clean, you can paint directly over old paint. Keep in mind that you might need multiple coats of paint if the colours are too transparent. Painting over old paint to upcycle an old artwork is a great way to affordably reuse an old canvas, plus you’re doing the environment a favour too! 

Remove texture first before painting
Before painting over old paint, check if your artwork has any texture or layers to it. 
If your painting has textural elements, it’s important to sand them down first, then prime the canvas before any paint reaches the canvas. Sand the texture down, then wipe the canvas clean before applying a coat of gesso. Gesso can be applied with a paint brush or foam brush -whichever you have handy. Once the gesso is dry, you’re ready to get painting. 

Use a palette knife to strip back layers
If you have a heavily layered artwork or large textural paint, you can also use a palette knife to scrape off thick paint or textured elements. Once the surface is flat, use gesso to prime the canvas. Alternatively, you can use white paint to prime the canvas before painting. If you’re not sure which paint to use, handy hint: Titanium White is always the best choice for a new blank surface, but the choice is all yours! 

Grab a foam brush or a paint brush
What’s the best way to apply new paint over acrylic paint? Reach for a foam brush or a paint brush to apply the paint, this will make sure the paint is covered evenly to the old canvas or board. Depending on what colour you use for the base, you may need to use, up to two layers to completely cover the old paint. Once that paint is dry, it’s ready to use for your new project!

We hope these tips help you next time you’re looking to upcycle an old artwork. Shop our range of gesso here or check out more of our handy how-tos here. 

If you’ve created a completely new artwork from your old project, we’d love to see it! Don’t forget to #montmarteart or tag us @montmarteart on Instagram or Facebook, we’d love to see your new creation!