31.8.13

DIY Abstract Art




I love art. In a very, non-pretentious, I-actually-don't-understand-the-true-meaning-of-a-colour-blob type of way. I like art history, but not for more than about 10 minutes, and while I've seen Dali's and Picasso's in real life, I don't necessarily lust for similar pieces in my own home. It's there to be pretty, and I don't like spending a lot of money on it. That's why this project fits me like a glove.  

Pretty, nonsensical and colourful, you can't go wrong with this DIY! Grab a canvas, a few pieces of tissue paper, some brushes and some colours, and get started. I chose to use a deep blue, grey, gold with light red accents, and created a surprisingly sophisticated array of coloured blobs. Very pretty coloured blobs, which just happen to fit right into my bedroom!


MATERIALS

  • A canvas. Mine measured 65 x 90 cm.
  • Acrylic paint.
  • A collection of brushes (I used four)
  • Gold spray
  • Acrylic fixture spray. 

1. Start of with covering the surface you wish to work on in either newspaper or plastic wrap to make sure you don't accidentally colour outside of the lines, if you know what I mean. I painted my canvas while it was lying on the floor, which my back thankfully reminded me after about 30 min was a bad idea. I recommend you use an easel or tilt it on a table against a wall, to avoid the same problem.




2. Start off with the larger areas, using light colours. Remember, you can always make it darker but making it lighter isn't as easy. I used a light grey in several areas, and decided to pat my painbrush against the canvas to create a rough, interesting surface. Use your imagination!

3. Then I continued, mixing a dark blue (my intention was actually navy - don't judge!) and added that. Once again I didn't like how it looked, so I added some pure black and white to it to add more depth.

4. Next I added light red, then a bit of mint green in interesting patterns across on the left side and in the top right. It's all about creating an interesting and surprising effect!

5. Carrying on to a golden ochre colour, adding patches here and there. I used the patting method several times to create the more interesting texture, then carried on to making small black dots here and there. 

6. Finally I took the painting outside and used gold spray pain, making several golden circles and also lightly creating flickers of gold. The gold lightly reflects the light!





7. When it's mostly dry, spray it with a fixing spray for acrylic paint - this will make sure your creation won't rub off on anything!! 

Me, the impatient soul that I am, let it dry for about 7-8 hours but a good 24 h would probably be much 
more prudent!