DIY Wall Art

When you’re a 20-something girl living with champagne taste on a lemonade budget, it sometimes takes a little bit of creativity to doll up your not-so-awesome apartment. Today’s post is all about how some cheap paint and quality girlfriend time can turn a few blank canvases into some pretty fab wall decor!

Email me at oliviarink@gmail.com if you’re interested in any of the pieces Kiana & I created below. Also – let me know if you’re interested in a custom piece.. we’ve decided to turn this hobby into a weekly activity and would love to create an original piece for your home

Materials needed:

-Acrylic ‘CraftSmart’ paint from Michael’s

-Canvases from Michael’s

-Brushes  (3″, 2″, and fine tips)
– A great friend & a good playlist
(note: the 50 shades soundtrack is about 500 times better than the movie)

Piece #1: Brushstroke Art

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This one is pretty fool-proof! Use your 3″ brush to spread the paint across the canvas. Stroke back & forth creating an unfinished edge on each different line of color. Overlap the colors to create a more blended look.. viola 🙂

To make the colors more vibrant, let your first layer dry and then go back over it with a second coat. 

(Only one coat pictured)

Piece #2: Peaches
[The next 3 ‘fruity’ pieces are perfect spring time decor for your walls!]

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1. I mixed the peach and pink to get the color of the fruit.
2. Created the peach shape by drawing ‘lopsided hearts’.

3. Outlined & shade the peaches with red using a fine tip brush.
4. Add a few leaves. Leave some white slivers for ‘highlights’.

Piece #3: Melons!

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1. Create the ovals & half moon shapes using a regular brush.
2. Use a fine-tip brush to add black seeds & dark green lines to the skin.
3. The seeds look more natural if you angle them out from the center.

 Piece #4: Lemons

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1. Use bright yellow to create the lemon shapes.
2. Shade the lemons with gold!
3. Use a fine tip brush for the green leaves (shadow with darker green)

Piece #5: Words

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Two Easy Steps:

1. Dip a piece of paper towel into light pink paint and lightly dab the edges of the canvas. (Hi Koda)
2. Use a fine tip brush to write ‘I love you’ across the canvas. Don’t worry about making your cursive perfect, it’s meant to look “naturally handwritten”! Go through the first time using one dab of paint for each word. Go over it a second time to darken each word.

How pretty does the original Sugar Boo piece look above this beautiful vanity?? So easy to recreate your own. Song lyrics, poems, or bible verses are also great ideas for a DIY hand written canvas.

 

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I’ve always loved sketching, painting, and putting my ideas down on paper. This is a fun way to get my creative fix and decorate my apartment at the same time! Kiana and I work at Alice Lane together where we are surrounded by so many beautiful pieces of art and other elements of decor.. constant inspiration! Our next project is going to be experimenting with gold leafing and maybe a few more fun prints – pineapples, cacti, banana leaves, kiwi.. the list goes on!

E-mail me for pricing on the prints at oliviarink@gmail.com

Thanks for reading & have a great week 🙂