When it comes to creating digital art, you want to choose the canvas size that will work best for you. Like with most things, there is no one perfect answer to the question of what is the best canvas size for digital art. There are a few different things to consider when making this decision. Many professional digital artists prefer to work on a canvas size of at least 3600px x 3600px. However, some find that this is too large for their needs and prefer a smaller canvas. Ultimately, it is up to the artist to decide what size they are most comfortable working with.
Some factors to consider when choosing a canvas size include the resolution of the finished product, how much detail is required, and the level of detail an artist is capable of producing. In general, larger canvases produce higher resolution images but need more time and effort to complete. The choice of canvas size ultimately comes down to personal preference and what works best for the individual artist’s workflow.
In this post, we’ll take a look at some of the best canvas sizes for digital art and give you some tips on choosing the right one for you. So, whether you’re just starting or you’re looking for an upgrade, read on for some helpful information.
What is Digital Art Canvas?
The size of the surface you’re drawing on is referred to as the canvas. The canvas is the drawing area where you can apply your brush in digital art. The size of a canvas can be measured in inches, millimeters, pixels, or other units, but for this article, I’ll use inches and pixels as the standard unit of measurement.
Digital art should include at least 2000 pixels on the long and 1200 pixels on the short side for reasonable quality when posted online. If your main online platform has standard sizes, you can also follow those. When you need to convert pixels to inches, etc., you can easily find online converters by searching Google. You can also use drawing software which does all the conversions.
Resolution and Canvas Size
In addition to canvas, the resolution is another important factor. It would determine how much detail you could incorporate into the canvas. In order to create a high-quality image, you should always set your resolution to 300 PPI/DPI.
The picture quality also differs when two canvases of the same size have different resolutions. A canvas with a higher resolution can provide the viewer with more detail than a canvas with a lower resolution.
The pixels on a low-resolution image would be large, so as a result, it would appear less detailed than a high-resolution image. For instance, the same image would have a high resolution if it had smaller pixels, which would make the image details sharp and clear.
The Best Resolution for Digital Art
For digital art, 300dpi is the best resolution, which can also be printed. You can achieve greater detail in your work by increasing your PPI (pixels per inch) or DPI (dots per inch). You will be able to print your digital art on a large scale if you choose a sufficient resolution when designing it.
The digital canvas size might need to be increased if your resolution is good enough, but your pictures still look pixelated while you choose the resolution. We strongly recommend that your canvas size should be twice as big as what you want to print on.
How to Choose a Canvas Size
Above, we discussed which DPI to choose for your canvas and how it affects its size. However, if all you want to know is what size canvas to use for your digital art, and you don’t care about how it all works, no problem.
The following chart can be used. The dimensions are based on a resolution of 300 DPI (dots per inch) which is generally accepted as the minimum resolution for printing. We will speak more in-depth about this in the section following this one, so if you are unsure of the size, then go with a bigger size.
| DPI | Inches | Pixels |
| 300 | 4′′ x 6′′ | 1200 x1800 px |
| 300 | 5′′ x 7′′ | 1500 x 2100 px |
| 300 | 6′′ x 6′′ | 1800 x 1800 px |
| 300 | 8′′ x 10′′ | 2400 x 3000 px |
| 300 | 8.5′′ x 11′′ | 2550 x 3300 px |
| 300 | 11′′ x 14′′ | 3300 x 4200 px |
| 300 | 11′′ x 17′′ | 3300 x 5100 px |
| 300 | 12′′ x 12′′ | 3600 x 3600 px |
| 300 | 12′′ x 16′′ | 3600 x 4800 px |
| 300 | 16′′ x 20′′ | 4800 x 6000 px |
| 300 | 18′′ x 24′′ | 4500 x 7200 px |
| 300 | 19′′ x 13′′ | 5700 x 3900 px |
| 300 | 20′′ x 24′′ | 6000 x 7200 px |
| 300 | 24′′ x 24′′ | 7200 x 7200 px |
| 300 | 12′′ x 36′′ | 3600 x 10800 px |
| 300 | 24′′ x 36′′ | 7200 x 10800 px |
Using pixel to print size calculator will let you calculate different sizes if you wish. You can also disregard the calculation altogether. Depending on your DPI settings, you can either use pixels or inches to set up your canvas, as we’ll discuss later.
Which Size is Best for Digital Art
Choose a digital canvas size twice the size of the printed product as a simple rule of thumb. You can use the following canvas sizes as a starting point in most digital design programs: Letter (8.5′′ x 11′′), Legal (8.5′′ x 14′′), and Tabloid (11.5′′ x 17′′).
Digital canvas sizes that are sufficient will allow you to scale your art well when you print it on the final size. Your canvas should be the same size as your final product, or double it, whether you’re making a print or publishing online. Your artwork will look better overall if its dpi is higher. Getting it too low will result in pixelated and blurry images.
Having a good canvas size for digital art will allow your image to have sufficient detail if the pixels are spread across a large area. I’m sure that printing it out or projecting it on a screen will look great. Therefore, before you begin your next digital art project, you should consider the canvas size as well as the quality of your tools. You do not want to spend a significant amount of time creating something that will ultimately leave you disappointed in the end.
Canvas Size Guide for Digital Art
Social Media Canvas Size for Digital Art
If you want your digital artwork to be publicized online or on social media, a good canvas size for digital art is 2000 pixels long and 1200 pixels wide. Since you better understand canvas size and resolution, you are now ready to determine which one will work best for your project. Whenever you upload your artwork to social media, digital art canvas size for Instagram and Facebook, you should use an 8′′ x 10′′ inch image at 300dpi and 72 dpi.
Digital Art Canvas Size for Prints
The digital canvas is typically 4000 x 3000 pixels if you want to print out your artwork. In addition, digital printing can be done in any of the standard sizes, such as A3 and A4. Those who wish to print their digital art on a poster-size sheet of paper should select a canvas size that is at least 6000 pixels on the longest dimension.
Sizes of Photoshop Canvas for Printing
As for digital art canvas sizes, the same principles apply if you are using Photoshop. The correct canvas size in your workspace will be important when you print your digital artwork if you are planning to sell or display it as a traditional painting. For standard canvas sizes, 300 PPI at 8′′ x 10′′ should be used. You can use this to print out stunning digital wall art and cards, among other things.
Social Media Canvas Sizes in Photoshop
You will need a canvas size of at least 72 pixels per inch at 3.5 x 5 inches if you intend to use the image online or for mobile devices. Facebook and other social media sites will produce clear images when using this digital canvas size.
Best Procreate Canvas Sizes for Printing
When preparing artwork for projection or large format printing, using 2000 PPI at 9′′ x 12′′ is a good size to use with the popular professional Digital Art App Procreate. You can project this canvas size onto a screen for displays in galleries and art shows or print it out on large format paper.
Social Media Canvas Size for Procreate
Using Procreate for your everyday digital art will produce excellent results when using a canvas size of 500 PPI at 3.5 by 5 inches. When used with the iOS Digital Art App, this canvas size will yield excellent results when viewed on mobile devices, Instagram, and Facebook.
Why Canvas Size is Important?
During the painting process and afterward, if your canvas size is not considered, you can run into a few problems. You may run into two problems, either having a too-small canvas or a too large canvas.
The Effects of a Too Small Canvas
A smaller canvas allows your software to run more smoothly. A too-small canvas can cause problems once the painting is finished and viewed or printed at full size. By making the art too small, you may have to either view or print it smaller than you would like, or you may scale it up and experience blurring or artifacts. As a result, the art will appear worse, and it will be unsuitable for commercial use and will have to be repainted.
The Effects of a Too Large Canvas
Once you have completed a larger canvas, you will be able to do more with it. You will experience several problems when painting large canvases. Painting software and your computer or laptop for digital art as a whole can be slowed down by a large canvas. It is important to understand that if your system cannot handle the size of the canvas, it will take longer to apply brushstrokes, use tools, calculate filters, save, and so on.
The process of saving will take an exceptionally long time. Also, the files that are saved will be very large. In addition to slowing down your entire process, a slower running system increases the risk of your system crashing as well.
Tips to Pick: Good Dimensions for Digital Art
Whenever in Doubt, Use a Larger Canvas
It’s important to understand how much leeway you have before discussing the specifics of selecting the suitable canvas. That’s right; you have a lot of flexibility. Almost everyone has experimented with scaling images up and down to fit their needs. No matter what canvas size you choose, you will be okay as long as you get within a reasonable range. Don’t be afraid to go bigger when in doubt.
The quality of a small image is compromised more when it is scaled to a larger size than when it is scaled to a smaller size. If you’re going to be in a ballpark, be in the largest section. Ok, now let’s talk about DPI. Since DPI seems to balloon your canvas size, it’s very easy to get confused by it. Although you would think that it would affect your canvas size, there is a reason for it.
Consider Your Design Program’s Maximum Size
In most cases, you won’t have to worry about your design program being unable to handle a large canvas unless you’re designing a billboard. Therefore, it is an important consideration, especially if you design on an iPad or tablet.
Depending on the DPI, it is hard to determine the maximum canvas size for different programs. Some programs can handle a certain amount of pixels per design. A higher DPI means more pixels, so keep that in mind. As your DPI increases, you will have fewer inches of canvas available.
You should only worry about this if you’re using your design program to its fullest capacity. A tablet or iPad program is more likely to cause this issue because these small devices can only handle a certain amount. For example, It might be challenging to print a 24 x 36-inch poster at 300 DPI if you’re using Procreate.
Depending on your program’s capacity, you may need to lower the DPI. Generally, anything above 150 DPI prints well, although 300 DPI is recommended for printing. Test printing your document using lower DPI will still produce the best results. Check with your printer.
Review Your Social Media Platform’s Guidelines
Before selecting your canvas size, it may be good to check out the image guidelines of the social media platforms you plan to use. Choosing the correct canvas size for your project will help determine the aspect ratio. Digital art can be more complex to size than picking a canvas in an art store that fits the blank spot on your wall. Once you get used to it, it’ll become more accessible and more natural.
Your canvas size should be based on the final product you’re going to create. You can choose the DPI and then the size of your canvas. Fortunately, thanks to the power of technology, our design programs will bring your vision to reality and provide a digital canvas that is tailored to your needs.
Standard Image Sizes Chart for Online Platforms
| Online Platforms | Image Sizes in Pixel |
| 1200 x 630 px | |
| 1080 x 1080 px (Square)1060 x 566 px (Landscape)1080 x 1350 px (Portrait) | |
| Twitter Post | 1024 x 512 px |
| Twitter Card | 1200 x 628 px |
| 1000 x 1500 px | |
| Artstation | 1920 px width3840 px width |
| Deviant Art | 1920 x 1080 px |
| For Personal Website | 1920 x 1080 px |
| Desktop Wallpapers | 1920 x 1080 px2560 x 1440 px |
Standard Image Sizes Chart for Printing
| Paper Sizes | Image Sizes in Pixel |
| A5 | 1748 x 2480 px |
| A4 | 2480 x 3508 px |
| A3 | 3508 x 4960 px |
| 8.5′′ x 11′′ | 2550 x 3300 px |
| 11′′ x 14′′ | 3300 x 4200 px |
| 12′′ x 18′′ | 3600 x 5400 px |
| 18′′ x 24′′ | 5400 x 7200 px |
| 5′′ x 7′′ Postcard | 1500 x 2100 px |
| 24′′ x 36′′ Poster | 7200 x 10800 px |
| T-shirt | 3600 x 4800 px |
| Mug | 2700 x 1050 px |
| iPhone Case | 879 x 1830 px |
Conclusion
The size of your canvas can make a big difference in the way you create digital art. Larger canvases will allow for more detail and creativity, but be sure to work with what feels natural to you. The best way to learn which size is right for you and how it should be used is by experimenting with all the options available in order to find out what works best for your particular needs. Now that we’ve given you some tips on finding the best canvas size for digital art, go ahead and start painting.