Young House Love

Home Decorating & DIY Tutorials

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How To Make A Geometric Painting On A Canvas

What is it about painting that makes me feel all frenchified and beret-worthy? Anyway, I finally got around to painting one of the giant (and deeply discounted) 40 x 30″ canvases that we scored for $23 from Michael’s thanks to 50% off with an additional 25% off on top of that (more details about how that happened at the end of this post). Ever since discovering this inspirational poster design from here (thanks to my good friend Pinterest) I knew I wanted to adapt it a bit. You know, go wide instead of vertical and have some fun with a few $2 paint samples from Lowe’s (total spent on paint: $9 for three pots which I then mixed with white craft paint that I had on hand to create a ton of different tints of the same few hues).

First I used a yardstick to space out equal vertical lines (I just used the width of the yardstick itself to keep things even) which I drew with a pencil:

Painting Stripes

Then I used the corner of a little card that we got in the mail (from an oil-change place) to create those angled peaks to mimic the prism-like shapes from my inspiration.

Painting Angles

Painting Angles2

Then I just filled each shape in with a variety of shades of blue and green (all derived from the three test pots of paint from Lowe’s and some white craft paint to make some of the shapes lighter). As for the specific paint colors, I used testers of Tropical Waters, Embellished Blue, and Thermal Spring by Behr. Here was what I was left with at first:

Painting Dark

It was fun and kind of high-energy, but the contrast was a little too much for me. So my foray into painting reminded me why I love painting so much: you can always paint right over it. So I mixed up a much lighter shade of greeny-gray and went over all of the darker green parts for a much more subtle tone-on-tone effect. I ended up here:

Painting Finished1

Painting Detail3

I love the imperfect lines and painterly brush strokes and the varied shades of the same few tones. The only thing I don’t like is the location. It just doesn’t feel right in our bedroom since the walls are a similar shade (and we thought the tone on tone look of the art might layer in nicely but it’s feeling a bit too monotone-ish and blah for us). So we’re thinking we might hang it in the dining room once we have a nice big buffet or console to go under it near the front entryway. Or it might end up somewhere else entirely. Just not on a soft blue-green wall. I guess I just like tone on tone art that’s not also on a wall of that tone. Go figure.

Painting Finished1

I went into this project expecting it to take an evening or two and it actually took a while longer (maybe four or five two-hour sessions) but in the end I almost didn’t want it to end. It’s just fun to paint again. Maybe I’ll tackle something else soon. I hope so. Have you guys painted any canvases recently? It totally took me back to my high school and college days (I took every art class my high school offered and then went off to art school in NYC for college- where I somehow ended up with a BFA in Advertising Design). Although using the paint pots from Lowe’s definitely made me smile since I’m used to paying five million dollars for oil paint (ok, that’s an exaggeration, but it wasn’t always cheap for a broke college kid).

And speaking of art school, that’s where a drawing professor of mine dubbed me “the narrator of life.” Apparently I’d just sketch and jabber on about everything as it happened (ex: “oops, I dropped my charcoal” or “now for the foreground” or “yikes, it’s noon already”). I sound really annoying right? Thankfully most of it was under my breath. My teacher had to lean in and ask what I was saying, which prompted me to realize that I was actually saying things out loud (I was in the zone, I knew not what I did). That “narrator of life” nickname embarrassed me at the time, but now I find it hilarious that my actual profession is essentially to narrate my life. Who would’ve thought. Maybe I should hunt down that professor (on Facebook?) and tell him where I ended up. Just don’t tell him I used house paint instead of oil paint. Scandalous.

Comments

    • YoungHouseLove says

      I just went totally rogue and random. I generally tried to pay attention to balance though, so one side didn’t end up much darker or brighter than the other.

      xo,
      s

  4. Cassie says

    Three minutes until Friday and I’m reviewing your blog with one question on my mind: will there still be weekly Clara photos now that she’s one!?

    P.S. I’m in love with your interpretation of the Pinterest art, Sherry. AMAZING job!!!

    Reply

  6. Annalea says

    Very cool, Sherry! Great job. :o)

    I really like those colors against your bedroom wall . . . but they’re crying out (loud, even) for a chunky frame to set them off. (Painted in the same shade of white as you used on the canvas?) You can even build one with dimensional lumber (a la Ana White), or stock moulding. Go crazy . . . but make it at least 4″ wide (if not more).

    Now, I’m inspired to go paint over some uber-dated early-80’s pieces I’ve inherited or found at thrift stores. That’s how I find my canvases. ;o)

    Reply

  7. brianne says

    I love this! After seeing this post this morning, and remembering that I pinned that same image in pinterest, I was totally inspired to try this out! I did one quite similar to yours but used yellows, oranges and browns and LOVE how it turned out. Thanks for the inspiration this morning… and you were right.. IT TOOK A LONG TIME! I spent almost all day painting.. and needed to finish today because I mixed all my colours perfectly and didn’t want the paint to dry out (and have to re-mix… would always end up badly)
    xo

    Reply

  9. lesli devito says

    ..If it helps I ONLY use house paint, thats how I got back into painting, leftover Benjamin Moore Samples! Painting is the one and only thing I do at this particular juncture in my life that takes me completely away. I can be standing in the middle of my living room painting, TV blaring, kids playing and fighting, chaos everywhere and I am in my own world, in a bubble in my painting. How can that NOT be addictive!

    Reply

  10. Liz A. says

    Mais Oiu!!! It ees so chiiik what you diid wit zee colores and zee can vas. You do need a beret!!

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      Nope, just left the canvas alone after the paint dried. It seems just as durable as a painted wall in a house (although I don’t think leaning on a stretched canvas is ever a good idea since it can loosen over time). Hope it helps!

      xo,
      s

    • YoungHouseLove says

      Nope, she still thinks she’s the queen. Haha. And we still have our banners and pom poms and balloons around. I think this weekend they might come down though. Haha.

      xo,
      s

  16. Nycole says

    AMAZING!
    I’m a big fan of creating my own are instead of buying and as a hobby photographer my house is filled with great photos from wonderful trips.
    I’ve always wanted to do something on canvas, and this shows me that I can!

    Reply

  17. Camille says

    Your painting is beautiful and inspirational, as are the vast majority of your projects.

    My 11-year-old daughter has been narrating her life since she was about three. And not sotto voce, either. Now she does it when she’s in some make-believe world, and I’ve always thought that I’ll miss it when it’s gone altogether. But your post gives me hope – maybe she’ll still be narrating her life when she’s your age.

    Thanks for opening your home to me.

    Reply

  18. Samantha Smith says

    The painting looks fantastic! And I love that someone else voices their thoughts without knowing it. My group of friends have titled me “Thinks Out Loud Super Girl”. I even a shirt!

    Reply

  19. Donald says

    Looks great! What if you took it just a step further and painted the edges of the canvas a gold, you’d only see it when you walked by it but it would be an unexpected touch of shine.

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      I’m definitely open to painting the edges- as soon as we figure out where it’ll hang for good (since that might change the color I’ll go for). I might even frame it out with wood as others have suggested!

      xo,
      s

  20. Meghan says

    LOVE IT!

    Also should confess that as a child when people asked me what I wanted to be I said an artist, because I thought you got to wear a beret and stand in front of an easel looking oh-so-cool. Totally a reason to pick a career, right?

    Reply

  22. Jennifer says

    Absolutley love this!!!!! You have inspired me to try, it looks very easy. As others on here I use to be art student but got of it when the duties of life came calling. You make me want to give this a try for my bedroom,,hhmmmmmmmm.
    I also have to take a look at this Pintrest you keep talking about. Have a great weekend.

    Reply

  23. Patti says

    Ooh great idea, instead of shopping all over creation for a painting with the right colors, make it! Love it. Also, I looked at pinterest and it would be fun, but it looked to me like you have to be invited to join?

    Reply

  24. Selina@CreativeJuicesDecor says

    Sherry, another great place to find HUGE pieces of canvas for fairly cheap is the thrift store. I just bought one (of course it was a hidious 60’s faded painting) but I just covered it in a cream guesso (or just white paint) and now I have an awesome 3’x5′ canvas and frame (for 20 bucks) I also have seen ones that are thick without frames (with those beautiful (not!) 80’s pastel flowers on them) I had to control myself and not buy it becuase I hadn’t even figured out what to do with the FIRST huge canvas i bought! BUT my friend, when I do figure out what I am going to do with it I’ll send it your way to check it out! GREAT job on your piece – I LOVE painting too….a little hard to “get in the zone” with little ones running around but it’s all good!

    Reply

  25. ann says

    As others have said, I love it in the bedroom and think it goes great with the walls. What a great idea!

    Reply

  26. Sara T. says

    Cool, user-friendly project! I’ve tried wall art before but chickened out in the face of a blank canvas — but this is so step-by-step I’d feel more confident. I’m curious, if you had wanted to do overlapping shades and tints in some areas — like in the original Pinterest image — would you have painted in stages, e.g. paint all the segments, wait for them to dry, then go over some parts with another tint or shade? I’m wondering how you would achieve that cool graphic watercolor effect.

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      Yeah I think I would have tried waiting for things to dry and painting over them again. I’m just a see-what-happens kind of painter, so I hope it works! Just have fun and remember you can always paint right over it.

      xo,
      s

  28. Christin says

    I think it’s fantastic!! I have never painted before and I’m nervous to try, but you make it look so easy! Especially with the paint testers and using a yard stick. Awesome. Well done. :)

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      See the Facebook icon on the top right of our sidebar under our header? Just click that. As for joining pinterest, click over to our Facebook page and request that someone send you an instant invite! People usually do and it’s great because you don’t have to wait!

      xo,
      s

    • YoungHouseLove says

      Yup, just a cheap craft brush with a fine point. But I wasn’t too crazy about keeping things perfect, which was pretty convenient. Haha.

      xo,
      s

  31. Christine says

    I love this! I am uber tempted to do something like this for our family room.

    I work with a lady that narrates her life…I can’t wait to use that nickname on her. She is actually quiet right now, but I give her a minute or two to start up!

    Reply

  33. Brigidanne says

    I am one of those “narrator” types. Drives my co-workers within earshot crazy. They ask – “are you talking to yourself again?” which jolts me back into awareness.
    In the zone, as you said.

    Reply

  34. Jen says

    Too funny that you are posting this now. I am going to be painting some canvases with my 14 year old sister this month. Now I have some ideas of what to paint! As always, love your narrations :)

    Reply

  35. Serina Shook says

    The comments left on this post are like a faboo linky party, I am so digging seeing everyone’s paintings!!!

    I too bought 2 large canvases from Michael’s when they were 50% off, but have yet to get around to painting on them (I have the ideas in my head though) HA!

    Here’s a link to the last painting I did (back in early 2010) which I think you might actually get a kick out of since it goes along with the whole sentimental-art thing you guys have going on right now. The dress that my daughter wore on her 4th birthday is actually on the canvas itself, with balloons painted over it:

    https://picasaweb.google.com/105965728881905996141/PartyDress?authkey=Gv1sRgCLTOxcfsgKHnzgE&feat=directlink

    … and way to go on getting a painting done!!!

    Reply

  37. Katie says

    Wow! This is great! It looks so easy! I’ve been on a serious kick of digging up diy art ideas and would have added this one to the list yesterday if I’d seen it earlier. But it’s going in the favorites file… which is sadly like a life in prison sentence. I send tons of stuff there, but rarely pull it back out and actually employ it. Maybe this will inspire change!

    Reply

  38. Laura Lewis says

    So I’ve been struggling trying to find the post that says what color you used in your bedroom. I want to use that color for my guest bedroom and was curious so I could check it out in person next time I visit the paint chip aisle. :) Can you link me possssibly?!

    Reply

  40. Jenna Sue says

    Oh my gosh, I love this! Where was pinterest before I painted my canvases, seriously! I want to redo mine to look like yours now.

    Also, something unrelated I just noticed and thought might be helpful… do you guys shoot in RAW? (If you don’t, I would highly recommend it!) If you do, did you know there’s a check box in the camera calibrations tab that you can select to correct your lens distortion? It will make all your wall lines straight and also enhance the lighting. I discovered it not too long ago and it makes all the difference when shooting rooms, just thought I’d pass it along! :)

    Reply

  44. Jane @ The Borrowed Abode says

    I. Love. This. Both the super contrasty version and the more tone-on-tone one.
    I made a tiny painting for my bedroom, but toally want to attempt a mid-mod style canvas for a large wall in our living room. Guess I need to scour Pinterest for some inspiration :)

    Reply

  49. Katie says

    Summer is just a few weeks away, I can’t wait to make this a for our bare dining room wall, thanks for all the tips!

    Reply

  50. connie says

    Wow! I love the colors and your can-do attitude. Starting a painting project seems daunting, but maybe I just shouldn’t let it get to me.

    Reply

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