ABSTRACT PAINTING

I am a HUGE fan of modern abstract art.  Some of my favorite artists can be found on my pinterest page including Tobias Tovera, James Nares, Aurora del Rio, Elizabeth Sheppell, Kate Long, Paul Ruiz, Steve Keane and of course Viraj (my bestie's mom) to name a few.  I've never been a fan of literal art because it doesn't seem that novel to me anymore.  Abstract art may seem like static pieces but they are anything but.  Instead, I find them to be incredibly fluid, organic and vibrant.  Its like being introduced to color.  I wish I was even a tenth as talented as these greats, but sadly my skills are less dimensional.  One day when I can afford one of their paintings I plan to replace my own.  But until then, this DIY obsessive will be creating accent paintings like the one shown above.  

SUPPLIES NEEDED

  1. canvas + frame: I like to make my own because these get to be too expensive in bigger sizes.  The above painting is 8' x 3' which would be an exorbitant price.  You can find smaller ready made canvases here.  Sometimes another affordable option is to buy the canvas and frame separately (see here).  If you want to go completely DIY then you will need measurements, wood cut to size, painters canvas, white latex paint + primer, and a miter box (don't be too intimidated - I promise its not too bad). 
  2. pick your color palette by going to the paint section of Home Depot/Lowe's.  For the painting above we used 6 different color sample containers.  You should not need more paint than the paint samplers which I believe are a pint.  
  3. staple gun
  4. wood glue 

INSTRUCTIONS

  1. Choose your painting size.  If you are going for a painting that is less than 4' in any direction, I would suggest buying the ready made canvas.  Anything larger than 4', I would suggest just DIYing the entire thing.  Start by figuring out your measurements.  I wanted a long painting, so I chose 8' x 3'.  
  2. I purchased wooden studs from the local hardware store.  Since I chose 8' mine did not need to be cut.  However, if necessary they can and will cut them for you.
  3. Miter the edges using the miter box kit and hand saw.  This might take some muscle if you want to volunteer a friend for this job.  I did one then got tired and volunteered the HUBS :)
  4. Using wood glue put the frame together, and let dry for 24 hrs.
  5. Staple gun the mitered corners.
  6. Staple gun the canvas around the frame.
  7. Prime your painting using your latex paint + primer.  We also used this step to create texture in the painting.  Let dry overnight.
  8. Paint your background color.  Let dry overnight.
  9. Paint you remaining design.  We did three layers to create the painting above.  Dry overnight in between each layer,
  10. Hang for viewing pleasure :)
DIYCharisma ShahDIY, ART, PAINTING, DECORComment