DIY Your Own Wall Art
We haven't lived in our apartment long and therefore I am still in the process of decorating it (does that process ever really end, though?). It's an industrial loft with very high ceilings and all white walls so for me, a lover of art, color, and texture, getting the place decorated is a top priority. Much of this process has meant hanging pieces we already own but we've also purchased new prints and a few original art works from indie artists. At some point though, with the lack of an endless budget, the decision to buy MORE art is weighed against the much less expensive option of making art.
This may sound intimidating to those of you who don't believe they can "draw a straight line" but the cool thing about art, especially abstract art is that straight lines are optional!
The most important part of this project is to simply find a piece of art that you already LOVE and have fun imitating it. Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, right? I fell in love with a giclee (The French version of a high quality print) named "Woven" at Crate & Barrel. It just speaks to me. The price isn't outrageous especially for the size (58" X 43") and quality but that $500 could go elsewhere so we decided to DIY it.
(Woven Print images are from Crate&Barrel.com)
Supplies:
Paint brushes, a canvas, acrylic paint, plastic cups, and a dropcloth/tarp.
3 plastic cups were used; 2 to pour the paint in and one for water.
First, we painted the white background. I didn't want a boring solid white so I purchased white paint with a pearl finish.
Then, after 1 hour of drying for each of the 2 layers of white paint, I pulled up the image of 'Woven' on my phone and lightly sketched what I saw onto the canvas. It doesn't have to exact or perfect. Just use it as a guideline and then do your own thing. I stuck with the original design pretty closely, as you can see. But at the end, we freestyled by getting a Jackson Pollack effect, splattering black paint randomly onto the finished piece.
But let's backtrack...
after I drew the lines onto the white painted canvas, we filled them in with black paint. Just one layer of black was sufficient...then we had fun flicking the paint brush and dripping black paint down onto the painting. Once we had enough of that, we simply let it dry overnight and hung it in our bedroom over the dresser in the morning.
That wall is sad and lonely no more! :) It's so cool to have a piece of artwork that will forever have sentimental value, which trumps financial value any day of the week.
