You know how when you were a little kid, and you thought about the future and imagined flying cars and teleportation and stuff? Well when I got my hands on the Surface Pro and tried the app Fresh Paint for the first time I completely tripped out. It’s a flying car. No, seriously. You open the app, you have a paint brush in your hand, you pick a paper or canvas type, you pick paint types (the watercolor is my favorite) and mix paint colors in their virtual painter’s palette. You can add ‘water’ and dilute the color, and as you touch the canvas with your paint brush, the paints absorb into the canvas as they would in real life. If you put less pressure on the brush, less paint comes out. I swear this thing is BANANAS.
As I painted my first painting I felt the same way I felt when I used video Skype for the first time or experienced wireless internet. I had a total jaw-dropping moment of complete awe for this technology. Major game changer. And people, you can go back and ‘erase’ if you don’t like a stroke, you can change the background color of your painting half way through, you can import photos and paint ‘over’ them..I mean…
After being obsessed with this thing for weeks on end (even Ida made some pretty cool pieces), I finally painted something that I thought looked good and…wait for it…I placed an order for the painting I made on CanvasPop.com.
When the painting arrived I was equally dumbfounded. The painting LOOKS LIKE A PAINTING! I imagined it would look a bit pixely or kinda fake looking or too ‘digital’–but it doesn’t. It seriously looks like a real painting. I feel like this is kinda revolutionary.
Guys, I could gush on about the Surface, Fresh Paint and Canvas Pop, but I need to get to the BEST part of this whole scenario which is that I get to give one away which seriously you can’t even imagine how excited this makes me. One lucky winner will receive:
1 brand new Surface Pro
1 CanvasPop canvas (so you can get one of your paintings made).
1 Nomad FLeX digital paintbrush
And everyone can get $30 off a CanvasPop.com canvas with the code FP4576GRHJWR.
Here’s what you do to win:-‘Like’ the Fresh Paint Facebook page and leave a comment here saying what you’d paint with your Surface and where you’d hang your painting! Entries must be posted by this Tuesday, Dec. 3rd, at 11:59PM. PST. The winner will be chosen at random–(make sure to leave your name + email in the required fields so I may contact you).*
*Sorry folks, limited to readers in the U.S. and Canada. $950 USD total value. Winner will be notified by email once comments close, and announced at the bottom of this post.
*My Surface Pro and Canvas were provided C/O Microsoft
*This post was created in partnership with Microsoft. Thank you for your continued support of the brands that hook me up, so I can hook you all up with content that hopefully doesn’t make you keel over in boredom. Also, all thoughts, experiences, photos, words, and kickassness are my own.
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Comments are now closed.
THE WINNER IS #28 JACKIE!! CONGRATULATIONS AND PLEASE SEND YOUR SNAIL MAIL ADDRESS TO: HELLO (AT) JUSTINABLAKENEY (DOT) COM
What a fantastic app! I hope I win so I get to try it–LOVE the painting you made with it!
I would paint my grandsons and my wife. I would hang the paintings I. my office.
I’m over the Moon for this idea. I’d paint something special for the grand daughters reading nook I’m working on.
I would create a painting for my newly redecorated living room which has taken us 3 years to start. Hope to finish it off with some amazing, and badly needed, artwork.
I would paint an interpretation of some of my great grandmother’s jewelry I like to wear in blues and greens and hang it in my dining room.
I would paint my childhood home, and print two copies – one each for my brother and I. We both are far away, move frequently and don’t get home often enough. This way, we could have home with us wherever we go.
Wow- so cool! I would paint a funky and bright still life to personalize and warm up our tiny kitchen!
I’d paint my dog Luna.
liked on facebook! i’d paint portraits of my family + pets to fill my blank walls!
I would paint a 1000 petaled lotus flower that I could hang in the yoga studio that I have in my home someday :)
I’d paint something from the Muppets, and hang it in my living room. NO SHAME!
I would get my little guy to finger paint something, turn it into a repeating/geometric pattern, and print it out to hang in his nursery! :)
I’d paint a massive mural of the Eiffel Tower in my living room.
I’d love to paint some abstract paintings for my bedroom. Totally bare walls right now!
I am going crazy thinking about this thing!!! I would probably do paintings fro all of my kids. Of what? I never know when I start out, probably abstracts. I would hang them in there rooms. What an awesome app!!
I’ve been really into jellyfish lately, so I’d definitely use Fresh Paint to create a canvas full of color and lacey jellyfish tentacles.
I’d go abstract with my painting. Then, I’d hang it prominently in my new house!
Whoa! I would paint something abstract for my Grandmom and I would hang it in her house!
I’d love to make some artwork for my little guys. I’d hang it up in their bedroom. What a cool concept!
This would be an amazing tool for our little family to use! I would paint so many things but probably paint an east coast landscape to remind us of our hometown since we now live in the west. Thanks for your consideration! :)
I would definitely try my hand at pet portraits of our 4 animals and hang them in our stairwell. Cool app– can’t wait to check it out!
Well this is pretty amazing. Technology I tell ya! I would probably paint something geometric, with blues and greens and maybe a pop of orange. Something to brighten up our house during the cold winter months in MN. Then I would hang it above my sink because nothing is worse than starring at a white wall when doing dishes. Boring! Thanks for the awesome giveaway!
I would do some abstracts of my cats for my living room!
Amazing! I’ve wanted something colorful for our dining nook for awhile, so much painting inspiration to consider…definitely abstract with turquoise and mustard.
This is so intriguing, It would b fun to collaborate with my teenage son and have the piece displayed in his room. He loves “The Walking Dead” so this could get interesting.
This give away is amazing! I’d paint something abstract for my nursery – my son is about to turn one and we’ve noticed that he now likes to walk into his room and start playing with his toys – so exciting to see him do more than poop and sleep in there!
Just liked the “Fresh Paint” page – this app is crazy! Thanks so much for introducing us to it.
Here’s hoping me and my little family win! :)
Once again, U.S. only. Ah well… good luck:)
My skills are limited but I’d attempt to paint a house with a wrap around porch, with a white picket fence. I’d hang it on momma’s wall at her house because that’s what she’s always wanted.
Gosh! This is so genius!!! I would love to paint something to put in my living room. Somewhere I can stare at it while sipping my tea and listening to Sade and be proud that i I made it! And hopefully someday inspire my future children to create more. Thank you for this Justina!!
Congrats Jackie! You won the giveaway! Please send your snail-mail addy to: hello (@) justinablakeney (dot) com and we’ll send you out your brand new Surface Pro!!
YESSSSSSSS!!!!! Thank you. I look forward to creating tons of art with it!!!! :)
That canvas pop is cool. I would paint a landscape with some tall trees and hang it up in my living room.
I would paint something pretty and abstract with blues and greens for our entryway. That looks so fun!
liked their FB page!
coolest giveaway ever!!! im a graphic designer and have been coveting a tablet SO hard. I love painting and would love to try it digitally. im super into mixed media, so if the app has the capability to import photos, I would love to paint designs over some of my favorite photos.
AND im moving from so cal to oregon next month, so id love to have a photo of my home coast to hang in my portland home!
It DOES have the capability to import photos!!
Hi! Liked on FB. I would paint the scenery which is really snowy today! Thanks for the opportunity! Happy Thanksgiving!
This would be amazing to play with!! I’ve been itching to do some abstract creative play, and this would be perfect. The texture blows me away! I’d paint something to brighten up my girls’ bedroom.
Aja
Liked your page, great page lots of info! I would paint red poppy flowers and give it my Grandma for her to hang in her house. <3
Thank you, Justina! I have never heard of this product, so I am extra excited! When I win this, I will jump right into using this new medium (for me), as I am a pastel artist.
I will paint something welcoming, possibly with inspiring words incorporated into it and hang it in my entryway for all my visitors to see.
Liked on FB! Great give-away! So many ideas! Where to start? I’d paint interpretive illustrations from all my favorite novels and hang them in my studio, some modern folk art to hang in the kitchen, a moody self-portrait for my husband’s office ;), and some nature inspired patterns to make my own fabric out of to sew up a vintage dress I’ve been wanting to make.
Hi Great give away!
We just moved into our first home. Small little place filled with love and creativity. I would paint some cool designs and mix it up with some mixed media and put it up in the guest bedroom of our new first home!
ps. Liked it on fb.
Hope i win :)
I would ask my son to paint a picture for his playroom.
My daughters and I are just about to do a painting project for the hallway to their bedrooms. This would be so cool!
I have Fresh Paint on my laptop but it is not as easy to use as a tablet would be!
If I won, I would continue painting landscapes of the ocean!
I also can’t wait to try Canvaspop!
Thanks.
I’d make my own updated versions of all the landscapes my grandmother and great aunt used to paint- lots of bunnies and cabins and forests of upper Michigan!
I would create all kinds of designs for my shop (I own a consignment shop) and put the pictures up everywhere! The fitting rooms, the rest room, the wrap station, the sales floor, the break room…oh my gosh, my head is exploding with ideas!!
Oh my stars! How neat is this?
I’d love to “paint” some nature-scapes to brighten up my drabby bedroom!
What a treasure! Thank you for the opportunity Justina!
I’d paint a summer landscape to get me through the Canadian winter months. I’d hang my painting above my computer monitor at work.
This is so dear!
I would paint landscapes & cityscapes of my hometown of Lowell, MA & hang them in the local coffee shop :)
This is really awesome.
I’m going to let my 3 year old scribble play with brushes for a while and hang it in the living room.
I was planning to do this with actual canvas and paint but with the Surface, looks like it will be a lot less messy :-)
I’d paint a Start Night version of my own city and hang it in my boring office.
Whatever my kids would create.
I’d love to paint some colorful fish for the bathroom.
I’d paint the whales & seabirds foraging here in Monterey Bay and hang it in my office.
I would paint a picture of my neighborhood for my roommate. She just spent a lot of time painting our walls. So I thought it would be nice to give her something in return :)
This is so cool! I would use this in my classroom and paint something for our reading corner!
I would paint an abstract of a poem that I teach and display it in my classroom. Then my students could have an opportunity to use a new technology that most of them have never seen!
I liked Fresh Paint on facebook and am excited to see more of them. I would paint something for my bathroom — probably tree forms. This is exciting! I love your blog. Blessings [email protected]
I like them on facebook (jeannine drenchek-scavo)
I would paint a winter scene of a local park that has a creek. I did a spring painting and would love a winter one with the snow
Liked on FB! I would love to experiment with this. I’m thinking something really ethnic, wonder if it will allow for a digital collage? Something wildly colorful for the bedroom, perhaps? Thanks for the chance!
I’d paint some abstract florals and hang the painting in the living room. There would also be the possibility of making a pattern from the painting so it could live on as fabric and on all types of things! Also, liked on FB!
i would hang my canvas painting in my hew home i am moving into in 2014. it would probably be a floral.
I would experiment with patterns & new color combos. Make art for friends.
I have four boys who LOVE to draw. However, the amount of paper they use is enough to bury a small village! I would use this as a way to save all their works of art. The ones I print off would be used to decorate our dining room.
This is awesome. I so want to play with it and create art for the walls in my new house. I’m dying to paint a lotus flower for my living room.
I would paint food art and hang it on my kitchen wall.
I would paint a scene of flowers and nature that would somehow abstractly symbolize my two boys and the joy they bring to my life everyday.
I would paint anything and everything I could! And hang them all over my house
So cool! I’d love to paint my two rescue doggies and hang it over my couch.
I’d take the Surface outside, probably to a body of water – stream or ocean – and see if I couldn’t, with Fresh Paint, figure out how best to replicate the water’s movement. This combination of goodies seemed designed to invite practise until perfection. Love it! And I liked it on fb :)
I would paint a bodacious woman figure with flowing red hair…lots of vibrant colour and with many gold flecked accents (gaga for gold right now). This lovely canvas would then be delicately hung on the wall next to my fig tree.
p.s I was drooling over the Surface Pro earlier today :D perfect tool for a student.
I would paint one of my whimsical flower designs and give it to my daughter to hang in her apartment after she graduates from college this spring. Something to remind her of me and of home!
I am in live with the concept of this app ! I would paint pictures for my bedroom, powder room and bath ! Im my room I want a his and hers picture, not with the wording but a cute pic of a hen and one of a frog…I have thought about doing it myself but the supplies are so pricey! Winning thus would be so much fun !!!! -Riley
I would paint something abstract, but it would be VERY COLOURFUL!
I would give it to my son with autism, he loves to draw and paint various things all the time–I believe he’d enjoy painting on the go.
i would totally create something with my one year old to hang proudly in our living room!
If I was to win the one thing I would paint on the surface tablet would be my first born child that will be coming into the world next year!
I really love the way your canvas turned out.
I have liked Fresh Paint’s FB page and am looking forward to checking out CanvasPop.com.
My daughter is in need of a colorful picture to brighten up the blank walls she currently has.
Your canvas turned out awesome.
My first work would probably be a fun, colorful interpretation of the Eiffel tower for my daughter’s room who wants a Paris theme.
This would be such a fun item to win, as an artist who started before the computer age it would be fantastic to join the computer art generation.
What you made looks so fresh and very undigital. Really liking it. If I had this software, I would use it to create more patterns for my collection.
What a cool program :)
Thx
I would actually gift this to my friend Josh. He’s an artist who is going through a lot of rough times right now and this would be an amazing gift to him and his family.
I’ve lived in my house for over three years and most of my walls are still bare. Ugh! The idea of being able to put something up that I made myself is so great!
Ah! This is very exciting. I’d be painting to experiment with colors! And hang them all above my bed to create a cool headboard effect.
Ah! This program is too neat! Gosh, I would dabble with some abstract patterns to liven up my apartment. Pops of color are simply the best!
I can’t believe how authentic that canvas turned out! I would love to get out some ideas I have in my head for some unique paintings for my son’s room as well as the rest of our house! I have never used a digital medium to paint or create art and would love to experiment with this app :)
I would paint a picture of the Crab Nebula. It would hang on the ceiling above my bed, so that I may look up at it, before going to sleep.
I would paint something bright and cheery to add to my future gallery wall in my freshly-painted turquoise living room!! Bring on the funk! :)
This is amazing! I’m not too sure what I would paint, I think something abstract so I can have fun experimenting with it ;)
XO
I would paint some zoo animals and hang them in my son’s bedroom!
I would love to make something colorful to brighten up that empty space on my living room wall. :-)
OMG, T, I want this so badly! I’ve been wanting to start painting again for years but haven’t because no space! This would solve that problem…I want to paint the beautiful sky….
This is a fantastic tool! I’d have my small son paint has grandmother a picture and hang it in her nursing home room…a pop of color and love in an otherwise drab environment.
I think this is my favorite giveaway in all the internet, ever! Let’s see, what would I paint? What wouldn’t I paint!! My kids, my dog, my plants, random stuff I make up in my mind. And I would hang it all over my house!!
I would probably paint an abstract doodle-y thing for my kitchen. I doodle on throwaway paper all the time, but doing it for real would be fun.
Hi Justina,
I love your blog! I would paint the sunset I remember from my childhood home.
Keep up the awesome work! I rarely keel over from boredom anymore since I discovered your blog ;)
I would attempt to paint my 2 best friends, my miniature pinschers – Sasha and Titus
I used to always create art that my mom would lovingly display on her fridge and walls. I haven’t done something in years that I could give to her. It would be wonderful to reboot the tradition.
Love this…. I would recreate a Van Gogh painting and have it printed on canvas for my house.
I’d paint something bright and large that I could use to fill up my empty walls in my new place.
I would paint album covers for my music!
I would paint a watercolor of my Boston Terrier, Daisy and get it made into a canvas to hang in my house. She’s only got a few more years with us, and I want something special to remember her always.
I would love this! I would paint a portrait for my wife for our upcoming anniversary and hang it in the living room so she could see it as she entered our home. Shhhhhh don’t tell her.
Wow!!! What a great giveaway. Would love to win!!! I would paint a picture of Bill the Cat being chased by Jason with a chainsaw. This was a small painting I did in high school and always wanted to paint a larger version of it. I am sure the colors would really ‘pop’ and would hang it in my man cave. Thanks for the opportunity to win. Pete :)
Loving the piece you created! I will create a piece that has 2 sets of lips or 2 sets of eyes and hang it in our bedroom. Something cool to symbolize our love ;-) Our bedroom is the only room that has doesn’t have artwork in it!
Thank you!
I’m not good at painting but I love birds, so I guess I’ll paint a pigeon and hang it in my living room :-)
I would paint a guitar and put it in my home recording studio
Thx
I would paint sun shining on crop circles and hang it in my living room to look at on rainy days
The possibilities are endless. I would do paint projects with my grandchildren. We can hang the canvas on our walls to remember all the fun.
I would paint some much needed artwork for my daughters room. :)
I’d paint a beautiful mother and son piece, for my son’s nursery <3
I would love to paint without all the mess, but also I could paint anywhere. I would also be able paint and not have to worry about my toddler getting into anything. Also he could join in the fun, what grandma wouldn’t love a masterpiece from their grand kid.
Love this! I’d create a masterpiece to adorn my new letterpress studio at The Unique Space!
Awesome, thanks for sharing! I would paint my horses that I miss so much and hang the canvas in my room so I could see them every day.
I live the idea of painting nature scenes in an up close and abstract way. My bedroom is dying for such a piece too!
What wouldn’t I paint? This is so rad. I would have to start by painting something inspired by a favorite fabric.
I would love the chance to give this a try….I would paint flowers, flowers and more flowers. I would also do some tangling!!!! I am keeping my fingers crossed.
This is a marvellous idea! I would paint my grandmother’s beautiful flower garden behind her house in Scotland to hang by my bedside. xx
I would paint my feelings for my new baby daughter and hang it in my office to look at whenever I’m away from her.
I would paint the sunset in Cambria, CA and hang it in our living room. It was where we had our wedding. Cambria blends both us together all too well: redwood forests and mountainous hills for him and the calm, collective surface with raging currents below for me.
This painting would be a memory that is so unique from photographs.
I think I would paint something more abstract for my living room
I would paint white lilies on an oval wooden plate with the motto, Consider the lilly, to welcome everyone into my home. It would hang in the entrance.
I would create a typography painting with character words I wish my boys to have like honor tolerance strength compassion etc. And hang it over my fireplace!
Strange that I stumbled upon this post today, as I’ve been trying to figure our how I could turn a photo I recently took into a work of art to hang in my home. You see, I have a very large (Great Dane mix) dog. He has a beautiful spotted coat and everyone remarks on how handsome he is. What’s funny about him is he’s managed to find a way to climb up on our home’s rooftop (bad dog!) and it’s quite the spectacle to be seen; a very large dog atop our two-story home, presiding over the entire neighborhood. I caught him at it again last week and was able to grab a quick pic with my phone before scolding him to get down. I was amazed at how lovely the photo turned out… sun setting in the background, him, perfectly posed at the peak of the roof. It’s both beautiful and hilarious and I’d love to turn it into a painting with the Surface Pro!
Years ago, I bought a bunch of lil Ikea frames that each have a tiny mirror in the middle. On them, I have painted, stapled fabric or paper, glued twigs or yarn or the random stuff in a fun junk drawer. I like clustering these lil frames together in different themes, etc. Some have been gifts. My mother loved hers so much she made some, too. I think I would like to try to paint a few digital paintings for those frames, for my first project. Another theme, perhaps. Also, since I’m an artist who moves a lot, this would be handy!
I’ve been aching to paint something for my living room – there’s nothing above the couch right now, and this would be a great place to start!
I would totally use the watercolor setting to paint some woodsy birch trees… and put it above my piano. Great ideas on here, Justina!
I would paint wolves and place it on top of my dresser.
I’d collab with my wife to paint a big ol’ cheese pizza, and hang it over our kitchen table! :D
I’d paint a lovely compilation of our two fur babies Rama and Chichi, thanks for the chance to win this!
and I’d hang it in our entryway!
I love how your painting turned out! I’d paint an expressive outdoor market.. That’s one of my favorite things to check out anywhere I travel!
Oh, and of course I would hang it in my home.. probably the eating area!
Likes on Facebook! I would probably let me children paint something and hang it in their room. There is a big bare spot on the wall and this would be a great way to fill it!
I’d to have it in front of me for exact inspiration but I would paint something NYC architecture inspired and the perfect red would be heavily featured. It would hang in my living room.
Love this! I’d have my kids paint new artwork for their rooms! (and let them do their homework on the Surface Tablet when they’re done!). What a wonderful way to be creative wherever you are!
My daughter has become quite the artist. I would let her paint whatever she wanted and display that art with pride in our home!
I would paint a Vermont fall foliage scene with vivid oranges, reds and yellows, and hang it in our hallway to let the outdoors in.
I would paint the landscape scenes that remind me of my faraway home and hang them in my office to let me dream and take a little relaxing breaks from time to time to refresh the mind.
I would try to talk my kids into painting me a side-by-side masterpiece that I could hang in the dining room.
I would paint a picture of city skylines, starting with Manhattan, then Cincinnati and Chicago.
I would paint a blossoming Sakura tree to express rejuvenation. So when people look at it they will feel like “no matter what happens, there is always a chance to bloom again”.
I would also upload the file, print ready to the internet so others can print and frame as they like.
What a brilliant idea Justina! The effect of the Fresh Paint App on canvas is remarkable. Very impressive overall.
If I were to win, I would love to paint the cascading sunset in Seattle as it washes over the city and the hills.
I would also be very proud to hang this over my mantel, so that even when the winter gloom envelops the city, it will stand as a reminder of the warm sun and beautiful summer days.
Wow, Justina! This is some amazing tool, and a super-generous giveaway! I would most love to use the Surface Pro and Fresh Paint to do something other than make a painting to hang on the wall: I want to explore my growing interest in textile design. I’d like to experiment with watercolor techniques combined with pen to create geometric patterns colored in with paints… My hope is to have scarves printed with these patterns (silk/cotton, cotton voile, or jersey; I’m not yet sure which would be best), and maybe even attempt to sew a simple top in one of them!
I would love to try pop art like Warhol’s and display it in my classroom! Thanks!
I would use it to create a custom controller for the xbox one. There is a promotion going on right now from microsoft that will be using fresh paint as a judging criteria! I could totally prove my skills!
I would paint a self-portrait composed of the impressions of all the events that have shaped my life up to this moment, and I’d hang it on the wall next to my bedroom door.
I would paint something to go in the huge blank space that is right by my sofa. This space has been waiting patiently just for this opportunity!
Thanks for sharing useful information