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Pastimes: Stunningly Simple – DIY Artwork
By DeDee Birdsall
Maya Angelou once said, “You can’t use up creativity. The more you use, the more you have.” We’ve all marveled at those with artistic talent and wished we could do the same. Well, now you can. Creating artwork for your home, office or to give as gifts just got easier as we’ve come up with some DIY artwork projects to help you explore your creative side. With a little help and a few supplies, you’ll wow your walls with wonderful art you can make at home and on a budget.
We’ve included price range estimates to assist with project costs, so use this key as a guide:
• $ – $20.00 or less
• $$ – $50.00 or less
• $$$ – $100.00 or less
The Right Supplies
Never painted before or suffering from painter’s block? We’ve provided a few easy ideas to inspire you and get you started. For the beginner, here are a few basics and required materials.
Paints
Acrylics are the best for the beginner as they’re easy to use, dry fast, and can be mixed or diluted to give you a professional, finished look. For our paintings, we chose Liquitex Basics, developed for students and artists who need dependable quality acrylic paint at an affordable price. Basics have a high sheen and simulate oil paint, but they’re also water resistant and permanent. For the sake of convenience, many of the paints are numbered according to the artists’ academic level. Therefore, if you’re a newbie, simply choose Level 1 paint and you won’t be out of your league.
Canvas
Depending on the size and style, canvases can range from as little as a few dollars to several hundred. You’ll want to consider the size and look you’re hoping to achieve before making your purchase. Canvases also vary in depth for different finished looks that are either intended to be framed or painted. You can purchase canvases at any craft store, so watch out for store sales or save your coupons. This can help save you considerable money if you’re looking for larger sizes.
Brushes and Palates
You can purchase brushes from the craft store, use small brushes from your tool cabinet, or even purchase foam brushes from the hardware store. All were used on our painting to give unique and different brush strokes. Save yourself money as other inexpensive around-the-house brushes will do the trick. As for a fancy palate, skip it. Paper plates work just fine and cost far less.
Patterns
Don’t want to go it alone? Consider using DecoArt Social Artworking patterns or kits ($4.99). Found at Jo-Ann Fabric and Craft stores, these include a supply list, pattern and transfer paper, easy step-by-step instructions and a full color image of what the finished canvas should look like.
Now that you know the fundamentals, here are a couple of painting projects to get you going:
Herringbone/Geometric Painting ($$ – $$$)
A great project for the beginning painter or those who don’t feel adept at crafty things; it’s fun, fast, easy and forgiving. Start by covering the canvas and side with a base color. Using a variety of brushes, swirl all your colors onto the canvas, then overlap colors and sizes of swirls or brush strokes. Cover the canvas completely using this technique, then allow the paint to dry.
Once the paint is dry, cut and apply pieces of masking or painters tape in a Herringbone pattern. Using a foam brush, paint a lighter shade over the entire canvas and tape. Once dry, remove the tape. Repeat and continue overlapping colors until you’ve reached your desired effect.
Affordable Copycat ($$ – $$$)
For the artist on a budget still looking to create something fun, exploring your copycat side is the way to go. We took our inspiration from artist Matthew Heller’s “Falling Ifs” print, recently featured in the CB2 catalog. As a fun and inspiring DIY project, we were able to change it up a bit and keep the cost down while still creating a project that was simple and interesting.
We used plastic stencils to create the “Ifs” but cutting letter stencils from everyday kitchen sponges will provide a more true-to-life copy; if you don’t care for Heller’s work, you can choose any collection of inspiring words and start painting. Cover the canvas with a base color, even if you choose white. We used Liquitex Basics Parchment and applied it with a 1.5 inch foam brush for a graduated look. Once dry, add the words and you’re done! Hang and enjoy.
Paint Chip Photo Art ($)
If actual paint isn’t your thing, using paint chips is a great way to create affordable wall art. For those that don’t know, paint chips are the color sample cards that you use to help pick out what shade of paint you’d like to buy and are available at most major home improvement stores. We’ve chosen a photo project that utilizes them to help create a distinctive gift that takes minutes to complete. No need to stress over colors, either, because any color will work. For this project, we’re using the large gradient, tri-color paint chip in a 4×5” size as photo paper. Some stores may not carry this particular size, but larger chips can be cut to mimic 4×6” or 5×7” photo stock.
Choose a favorite photo on your computer and use photo software to change the exposure to black and white or sepia. You can also crop the photos to include only certain portions. Adjust your printer settings to print the appropriate photo stock size (4×6” or 5×7”) then feed the paint chip into your printer and print your photo. Arrange the photos in a vertical frame and hang.
Remember, finding the right colors is easy, the bolder the better, and you can mix and match for the perfect look. If you don’t have an inkjet printer or would like a better quality photo, take your photos and prepared paint chips to a Quick Copy center and ask them to produce them for you. The overall cost is minimal and can be completed for as little as the price of the frame.
Cost Effective Crazy Wallpaper ($$)
For something a bit simpler, you can still get inspired with custom artwork. Start by wrapping an artist’s canvas with wallpaper; a single roll or less will do. Simply adhere the paper to the canvas using a staple gun or hot glue gun, then print your favorite quote onto inkjet waterslide decal paper and affix it to your covered canvas. The entire project should be done in less than an hour.
If you need some inspiration, wallpaper sample books can be found on sale at home improvement or paint stores or directly from manufacturers. You can also use fabric instead of wallpaper if the pickings are slim. For added texture, purchase a roll of paintable textured wallpaper and spice it up by painting it a solid color and using metallic paint for raised accents. To cut costs even further, consider reusing an old canvas painting that no longer suits your style.
Need more ideas? Go blog hopping or Pinterest surfing for DIY art and you’ll be amazed at what you see. You can also bring your friends in on the act with “Design and Wine Parties” and make amusing art with your best buddies. More details are available at www.mydesignandwine.com. No matter how you go about it, remember that just because you don’t feel creative doesn’t mean you can’t be creative. It’s as easy as finding the supplies you need and remembering to have fun!
