Welcome to the Home Decor Craft + DIY Blog Hop! If you are visiting from Andrea of Pine and Prospect Home, welcome! I am so excited to be joining in with this group of talented bloggers to share some fun DIY ideas with you!
Quirky and unique art is always a fun addition to a home. I love art that relates to our family – individually or as a whole. As a painter, colors are so meaningful to me, and I wanted a piece of art that would represent that. So, I quickly fell in love with the idea of creating my own colors and naming them. Thus, this piece was born! Be sure to peek at the video at the end of this post, if you prefer to learn that way!
This is a DIY that anyone can do, and it is inexpensive, with simple supplies that are very accessible. I can’t wait to show you the steps to create your very own beautiful art! Perhaps this will pique your interest in painting, and you’ll want to create more. Either way, it’s my pleasure to show you how easy it is to create something that you can truly call yours – and something that’ll be really darn beautiful hung on your wall!
Supplies:
1. Matte acrylic paint in 5 colors. I found mine at Michaels for 79 cents each, and the names of the specific colors I used are in parentheses:
- Green (Hunter Green)
- Blue (Navy)
- Grey (Deep Grey)
- Terra-Cotta (Terra Cotta)
- Yellow (Mustard Yellow)
2. Number 6 round-tip paint brush
3. Water color or acrylic paint paper
4. Sharpened pencil with eraser
5. Cup of water
6. Paper towel for blotting your brush
7. Frame of your choosing (I used a 12/12, matted for 8×8 art)
Instructions:
{ If you are a visual learner, check out the video tutorial at the end of the post! }
1. Begin by lightly tracing your frame or mat on to the paper, so you can better gauge how much space you have to work with.
2. Next, lightly sketch the circles, spacing them evenly apart. This is where you can totally get “custom” with it – you can do as many or as little circles as you want! You can also make them as large or as small as you prefer. Either way, don’t worry about them looking perfect! You can erase the line you traced for your frame/mat now.
3. Now, it’s time to mix our colors! I have included a photo of the ratios I used to create my specific colors. You’ll notice that all of your colors turn out quite dark, and this is what you want! The reason I add grey to each of my colors is that I really prefer a muted color palate, vs. bold. The grey helps create this.
4. Once your colors are mixed, randomly fill your circles one color at a time, adding a bit of water for each new circle. The water will naturally create a lightened “version” of your color. Cool, right?! I did 4 shades of each color. You can always add more water or color as you go, but you’ll want to work fairly quickly since you are working with acrylic vs. water colors.
5. Once your paint completely dries, erase your pencil marks.
You can leave your art at this stage, OR you can complete it with the super fun step of naming your colors! Get creative and even think about your life when you name your colors. This makes your art even more meaningful and personal.
For example, I named my dark yellow ‘Cardigan,’ because I have a mustard yellow cardigan that I have had for YEARS, and I just love it so much. I named the dark green ‘Juniper,’ because we planted Juniper in our front yard last spring. And, of course I had to “nod” to my blog by naming one of my yellows ‘Lemon.”
6. Lightly sketch your color names in pencil and then trace carefully with pen. Wait 15-20 minutes for your ink to fully dry , and then erase the pencil marks.
Voila! You are finished, and ready to add the art to your favorite frame! I suggest painter’s tape if you are taping it to a mat. What a fun addition this makes to our home!
What do you think of this simple DIY? The possibilities are really endless, right? I truly look forward to seeing your custom colors and the names you give them!
Be sure to head over to see Janine at Happy Happy Nester to see the beautiful fabric rag wreath she is sharing! Here’s a preview:
You can find the tutorial for this beauty here. From there, Janine will send you to the next Home Decor + Craft DIY. Here’s a sneak peek of all of the projects:
