Do you happen to have an artistic frame of mind, and are looking for new ways to express yourself? Perhaps you have heard of the painting style known as ?faux?. This term is used to describe paints, combination paints, or effects paints that simulate the appearance of other materials (including wood, metals, plaster, and so on).

Most often, faux paint refers to finishing touches applied to walls or murals which give the appearance of a wooden structure or other type of material. However, faux painting began, and continues to this day, as a form of art on canvas and other surfaces and not just on walls (or caves, or pillars, depending on your century).

In fact, faux painting on canvas can bring about some of the most rewarding accolades in the art world, and has for centuries. In the Classical times, for example, artists who could trick observers into thinking that their canvas work was actually real wood were highly prized; it was a trick that could only be learned after years of practice (artists would labor under masters for ten years or more!).

Don't let that get you down if you are thinking of experimenting with faux painting on canvas, though; there are plenty of resources around today to help you get the experience you need. In fact, several businesses that specialize in providing faux paint finishes also offer classes that teach students to use faux paint on many surfaces, including canvas. Several art schools offer the same kind of instruction. For the faux canvas painter, there is no greater reward than having a fan or other observer mistake the piece on canvas for something that is not paint at all!

Classes in faux painting on canvas will educate artists in the different techniques and paint types that they can use to make their vision come to life, to simulate the appearance of a material through technique. Trompe l'oeil, strie, Venetian plaster, and other techniques are all great ways to turn a piece of canvas into an expression of artistic talent, and make it appear as though your work is made from something else entirely. If experimenting with new forms of expression appeals to you, you should seriously consider the opportunities faux painting on canvas has to offer.