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How To Paint A House Portrait

This week’s craft project has me skeered, I’m not going to lie. For the past month and a half I’ve had fun doing a simple and quick crafty thing each week, like making a fall wreath, stenciling a pillow, painting baskets, decorating pumpkins & gourds, making vacation keepsake globes, and taking ceramic paint for a spin on a bowl full of colorful cacti. Each of those projects took under an hour, and they were pretty easy and straightforward (paint this, wrap this around that, caulk this) – so I don’t know what got into me this week and whispered “how about painting a little portrait of your first house?”

It easily took me five times as long as any other Weekly Crafty project that I’ve tackled, but I’m nervous about it. I don’t know, it’s kinda cute and simple and John really likes it (and if you see where it started – woof! – well, it came a long way) but it’s a far cry from those amazing house portraits on Etsy. This blog has always been about sharing the good, the bad, and the ugly though, so here’s how it all went down…

House Painting Hero

First of all, it’s a 10 x 10″ canvas from JoAnn (snagged during one of their 50% off sales for $4) and I used a set of acrylic paints that I already had, but I think if you need to buy one it’s around $12 at most art/craft stores (unless it’s priced higher at a place like JoAnn since they assume you’ll use a 50% off coupon).

By far the most fun slash cringe-worthy part is watching the progression of this little painting of mine. Here’s a “slideshow” of sorts with ten shots that I snapped as it went – many of which make me groan out loud – but I was channeling Dori pretty much the entire time. “Just keep swimming painting, just keep swimming painting.”

HousePaintingPortrait

I thought a breakdown of each step might be helpful in case anyone was wondering how I “built” the portrait in about ten different layers/stages, so…

  • Step 1: I quickly spread some green paint on the bottom and some blue on the top, just for a base coat for the grass and the sky. They both felt too bright and primary for me, but I thought it was fine for the base, knowing I’d be layering paint on top of it as I went.
  • Step 2: I stared at an old picture of our house and then just tried to transfer the shape of the house onto the canvas, capturing the general perspective, and including the chimneys and stuff. I ended up hating how brown/dark it was, but again, I knew I’d be layering more paint on top of it as I went, so I tried not to freak out.
  • Step 3: I added the roof in black and some red paint on top of the original brick color I had chosen to de-brown it. I also outlined the edges with a thin line of black, just to give it a little dimension.
  • Step 4:  I used black paint to add the shutters, the chimney caps, and the lattice thing after I was sure all the red paint was dry (there was about an hour-long break just to avoid any smearing). Oh and for every single step of this portrait I used one brush, which I cleaned throughout the process. It has a nice flat tip, so I could get some good lines for things like the shutters and the lattice just by using the edge of it, so that kept things nice and simple. Although I did think about Bob Ross and his happy little fan brush. Oh Bob Ross, you were such a stud.

Brush

  • Step 5: With a few shades of green paint, I added the bushes on the sides of the house, and the trees. I just sort of mixed some colors up to get a few different tones (some darker, and some lighter) to hopefully achieve something that looked a little less flat than using all one color.
  • Step 6: Next I added all of the white details, so that meant the porch and the window ledges. This is when I realized I hadn’t even accounted for the porch in the roof-line, so I extended it and gave the roof a lighter layer of paint. I also lightened up the neon-ish grass that I started with by mixing a lot of white into a few green globs of paint.
  • Step 7: After lightening the grass, I thought it was time to lighten up the trees and bushes, so those got the same treatment. Oh and I was just mixing all of my colors on an old plate and dabbing them on paper towels.

Plate Of Paint

  • Step 8: I finally added the two trees in front of the house on the left side, and since I had some gray-brown paint on my brush, I just played around with it on a few other surfaces (like the roof, the trees, the bushes, etc)…
  • Step 9: … but it looked dirty and muddled to me, so I layered more light green onto the bushes and trees and realized that a lot of times the roof reflects the greenery around it, so I took some artistic license and made that an even lighter green tone. It seemed a lot more harmonious than the stark white did, so I decided that adding a little tint of color, even to the porch, would make it fit into the scene a little better.
  • Step 10: Here’s where I went dot crazy. I thought that it would be fun to use the back of the paintbrush to make some little elevated dots on the bushes in front of the house since they were white azaleas. And when I did it, I loved the look so much…. that I went a little nuts. Before I knew it, I had added them to all the other bushes and even did dark green dots on the tree behind the house. BAD! So I quickly painted those dark dots out of the tree, and left just the ones in the bushes (and a few in the grass) that I thought were sweeter.

Making Dots

Then I stared at it for a good ten minutes and finally said “I’m calling it done.” All told, it was probably five hours of painting (spread across three days) and for the most part I really enjoyed the process. There was something comforting about knowing that I could always just add another layer of paint over something if I didn’t like how it turned out. It was like a challenge with endless do-overs.

After I was sure I was finished, I just let it dry for a good 24 hours and then I realized I should seal it, so I emailed an artist friend of mine and asked what she uses on top of her acrylic paintings to make them glossy and finished looking.

Wrapped Sides With Paint

She clued me in on Liquitex High Gloss Varnish, which I think I vaguely remember using years ago in college, so I grabbed some at Michaels (yes, predictably with a 50% off coupon) for about $9 I think, and applied three thin and even coats about four hours apart. I was surprised this stuff was so much money ($18 regular price for a small size) but it’s really thin – sort of like poly – so a small bottle like this could easily last you 30+ paintings. So now that I have it I just have to try not to lose it. And to try and drum up the confidence to paint something else…

Liquitex

Here it is all hung up in a corner of the office. John has been earning mad husband points by saying it looks really nice there, but I think it would look better paired with another painting… maybe of our second house if I ever get the urge to dive back in and make one.

Painting Done Hung1

When I peer a little closer, that’s when I say “this is kinda cute” so I thought I’d toss in a little detail shot for you. I debated painting the sides of the canvas white or green or even charcoal but in the end I wrapped the image around the side by just continuing the sky/trees/bushes/grass, which I think ended up being a good call.

House Portrait Detail

So that’s the story of my crafty house portrait pursuit this week. Upon further reflection, I think I wish I had done the middle tree behind the house in the lighter green tone and the two on the outside in the slightly darker green color. That might have looked a little more like the house had kind of a halo of lightness with the darker things on the outside edges.

Have any of you guys attempted a house portrait? Was it with paint? Mixed media like fabric or decorative paper? Did you do something in photoshop with one of those filters like watercolor? Or did you shoot a portrait with your camera and get it all framed up and matted nicely?

Comments

  2. Reva says

    this is adorable! And you are also so, so brave to share your crafty painting on the internet! Whenever I get the urge to draw, I end up stuffing whatever I end up with in a drawer somewhere, I suppose b/c of my terrible perfectionist streak — and I don’t mean that in the humblebrag sort of “Oh my biggest flaws are that I’m a perfectionist and I work too hard.” :) Perfectionism is paralyzing and ridiculous. And it takes guts and a lot of heart to share something that you don’t think is perfect.

    I don’t want that to take away from the fact that I really do think this looks great on that wall and you did really well! But it’s the gutsy sharing I find really inspiring! There’s something especially vulnerable about sharing a picture you painted from heart, more so than most crafts. It’s more like reading your poetry in a crowded cafe than, say, demonstrating how to make a wreath (though that’s great too!)

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      Aw thanks Reva, you’re so sweet. And it totally explains why I was so much more scared to click publish on this post than most others. My brain was like “why are you being such a wuss?”

      xo
      s

  3. Eilene says

    I was an art major and the scariest class for me was painting. I just didn’t get it, and I didn’t know how to approach it. There ended up being a drastic difference between my first and second painting because it clicked for me that instead of it being a flat surface… it was more like sculpture. After that I took to using painting knives along with brushes. It’s different for everyone one but I encourage you to keep going with this. I think you have a great eye for it. (Maybe you can sell us prints of your work!) Just in case anyone is interested: http://www.dickblick.com/products/blick-nickel-plated-painting-knives/

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      That’s in a pile of frames we’re planning to hang in the bedroom. I could never put my little painting next to a pro ink and marker rendering, so my little slice of wall in the office works for this guy while the pro portrait will find a place in a gallery wall with other “real” art :)

      xo
      s

  6. Jenny F says

    Adorable painting!

    Can you tell me what type of topiary that is in the second to last image? I’m in love.

    Blessings,
    jenny

    Reply

  8. Megan says

    I think you did a really good job! I know how you feel though when painting, I go into it ‘almost’ confident and then after the first bit of paint comes in I began to have questions. Like John, my husband is always my cheerleader and usually wants to hang it whether I like it or not. Not only do I have my husband but my Mom is an artist and she also teaches lessons to people so she is also a huge cheerleader as well. But, I definitely think you should do a painting of your second house and third! :)

    Reply

  9. Dana@chocolateandsunshine says

    Your project is cute and it is memorable to your family. Last year, a group of girls and I had a fun GNO at a paint your own place. We all had to paint cherries and they were as varied as we were. Done a dozen different ways. Mine is hiding in my home office but working on it with a glass of wine was fun.

    Reply

  11. Diane says

    As my twenty something daughter would say “adorbs” and I say go for it and paint the second house and/or maybe this current home in each season. You really are talented so use that gift and enjoy the process and finished product. (that’s a mom talking)

    Reply

  12. Suz says

    I love all the house portraits lately, doesn’t it seem like they’re all over the place?! I wanted to make one of my current home and enlisted my three-year-olds art skills. One, because she desperately needed something to keep her busy for 3.5 seconds, and two, because I thought she might be able to add something special to relatively boring looking house. Here’s the link if you wanna take a look:
    http://klickitatst.com/a-collaborative-house-portrait/

    Yours turned out great! And, kudos to you for tackling it without putting in the hands of your little one :)

    Reply

  13. Tracy says

    That is the cutest craft house ever! Thanks to your easy steps I am going to try to make one. Love your blog! Found you in that issue of Better Homes and Garden magazine.

    Reply

  15. Donna says

    First of all, john is right. It looks good….but my favorite…and the one I would have stopped at and placed on the mantle…..is STEP 1 !!!! I love the feel and colors of step 1. :-).

    Reply

  16. Jill says

    so cute! kinda looks folk artsy fartsy! You should be proud of yourself… and now you can say “whew!” after being afraid to share it with us! obviously, we love it!

    Reply

  18. Priscilla says

    This is so darling, Sherry! I feel very inspired to break out some paints again! I’m an elementary school art teacher, but I rarely paint/make art for myself! I think it’s time to make time!

    Reply

  19. Kerstin says

    Hi!
    Look at me, commenting for the first time after falling in love with your blog many weeks ago. :)

    I love the house portrait! And, haha, before I read the paragraph about John thinking it “really nice” I was thinking, “this looks really nice there”. It is very pretty. The colors are great, and the spot where it’s hung compliments it. And I think it’s good that you painted the center tree dark, because if it had been bright, there wouldn’t have been any contrast to the roof! So I think it’s good like it is.

    And I love the spots!

    Do paint again. :) It might get me to overcome my fear of painting as well (pictures, that is. My kitchen cabinets will be painted within the next week, that will feel so good).

    All the best!
    Kerstin

    Reply

  21. Julie M says

    Thanks so much for the inspiration! I loved yours so much that I bought a canvas, paint set and brushes yesterday! I hadn’t painted anything artsy in more than 15 years. I had your “just keep swimming” in my head and it turned out great. (I’m not on Pinterest or Instagram, so no pic.)

    I plan to pull together a paint set, canvas, and brushes for a “Favorite Things” party next week so I can pass on the inspiration! My house portrait is my new favorite thing!

    And thanks so much for your blog! Yours was the first I ever stumbled across nearly three years ago and I’ve been a faithful reader ever since. It gives me the courage to do anything!

    Reply

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