Ideas for How to Paint Your Own Artwork

One of the best ways to show your personality and sense of style in a room is through the artwork that you display on your walls. Unfortunately, though, not all of us have the budget to afford expensive paintings from our favorite artists. Not only that, but if you are like many people you may not feel that you have enough artistic talent to create artwork of your own to hang on your walls. The good news is that no matter how much or how little talent you have you can paint your own artwork to hang on your walls. Abstract art gives everyone a chance to be an artist, and once you dress your masterpiece up in a frame it will look like it was done by a pro. Here are some tips and ideas for how to paint your own artwork for your home.

The easiest way to get your painted artwork to look professional is to start by buying a pre-stretched canvas. You can find pre-stretched canvas at art supply stores or craft stores in a variety of different sizes and shapes. Choose a size and shape that is appropriate for the area where you plan to hang the artwork. Because buying a canvas doesn't take a lot of money you can always get another if you screw the first one up, so keep that in the back of your mind so you don't get to nervous starting on your first piece. Make sure that the canvas you buy is suitable for the type of paint that you plan to use on it since some are designed to be used with oil based paints and others and designed to be used with water based paint.

Next, you will need to determine what type of paint you want to use on your canvas. For most people acrylic paint works the best since it is easy to use and dries quickly. Oil paints take a long time to dry and are more difficult to master so for your first painting you should probably avoid them. You can buy acrylic paints in just about any color you can imagine at your local craft store. They are usually between just $1-2 per color, so be sure to pick up all the color you think you will need. You may want to take along paint or fabric samples from your room to make sure that the paint color you are choosing will look good in the room.

You will also need to get at least one paint brush. You may want to pick up a pack of brushes with several different sizes in it since that will give you more variety when you are painting. Since you are not going to be doing this professionally you don't need to worry too much about the quality of the brushes that you buy. You don't have to buy high-end brushes, but you may want to avoid the lowest priced paint brushes since they can tend to leave behind bristles in your painting. A good, mid-priced brush is probably going to be best for you for this project.

Once you have gathered together all of your supplies you can get started painting. If you feel you have absolutely no artistic ability you can just do abstract overlapping lines of color or splash paint on the canvas to get impressions of color for the walls. You may want to consider picking up a shape from a design in the fabric in the room. For instance, if you have flowers on your couch or curtains you can do simple outlines of the flowers that mimic the shape of the flowers from the fabric (don't worry about being to precise - you are going for more of a general impression instead of a highly detailed piece.) Add colors and shading that look good to your eyes, and feel free to mix and blend to create variations in the color.

If you prefer to be more precise and less abstract with your work you may also want to choose to do a color block or line painting. Just tape off sections of your canvas and paint them in different colors to create a colorful piece of artwork for your walls. Don't be too concerned about being perfect with any of the types of paintings, and most importantly have fun.

When you are done with your painting you may feel it doesn't look like much. However, if you purchase or make a nice frame for it and perhaps even include some matting you will be amazed and how beautiful it will look when it is hung on your wall. You can buy inexpensive frames in standard sizes and most department stores, or if you need a custom size you can go to a frame shop. Trust me, adding a frame can make any piece of art look like a million bucks so it is worth spending a little to frame your piece.

Once your artwork is framed and dry, hang it up on the wall and wait for the compliments to roll in.