Sometimes I feel that the ability to create art from supplies lying around the house is one of the most profound things we DIY-ers are able to do. This may sound totally pretentious (and I apologize in advance if it does), but I think a home without art is hardly a home at all. Art brings color, it infuses a space with so much warmth and it offers guests a glimpse at the heart and personality of those who live there. Now despite that monumental (possibly taboo) opinion, art is also one of the easiest things a person can make themselves. A little paint, some paper, maybe a frame or stencil, and you’ve got the beginnings of your own masterpiece.
One DIY-able art trend I’ve seen fairly often as of late is the paint swatch series. It’s just a few different colors slapped in a row across a sheet of paper but, once framed, it’s a really gorgeous way to show off a color scheme.
Source for both | Cocoa & Hearts
I really wanted to do some DIY art in our newly painted and styled bathroom, and thought the simple swatch technique would be the perfect solution. All I needed was a frame, and luckily I was able to pick one up during my last trip to IKEA for only $9.99. To make sure that my series of paint colors could span a wide area, I removed the matting (which had 3 openings in it) from my IKEA frame – This gave me the long and short surface area I had envisioned.
As for my color scheme, I took the colors straight from my new curtain in the bathroom. A lot of light- and mid-tone grays, black and strategically placed hits of mustard.
The project itself was as easy as you’d imagine. Squeeze some acrylic paint onto a palette, add a few drops of water to make it workable and then paint organic stripes across the paper (I used thick printmaking paper for my foundation, in case you were wondering!).
I didn’t fuss with making straight lines, in fact I TRIED to make them a little imperfect, not worrying about the edges or the ends. Like my “Pinspiration” image, I wanted the top and bottom of each stroke to look a little frayed, with paint brush lines visible in that last sweep off the page.
24 hours of dry time later, I popped it in the frame, hung it on the wall over the towel rack and stepped back to smile at the finished painting…
It’s pieces like these that make me proud to be both an artist and an avid DIY-er – Not because I think the painting is anything profound or worth showing off, but because I got to get my hands dirty with materials that I know and love, AND because every time I walk by I remember that carefree afternoon of creating something using what I have.
Just because something was free (excepting the frame) doesn’t make it matter any less. I’m so thankful that so many of you guys can relate to that with your OWN beautiful DIY-ed creations!
