Make Your Own Abstract Paintings

The art that’s ideal for home staging is the kind of art that blends into the background.

It creates a relaxed, cheerful, confident, buy-me-now kind of mood.

  

Paintings composed of just soft waves of pale colors strike just the right note.

They’re not paintings of anything specific. They are place holders, and more. 

I like to think they create the illusion of mist over a marsh on a day full of promise. Of daydreaming through squinted eyes at the sky as seen from a hammock.

The viewer can bring to the painting whatever he likes.

Of course, there’s a way to DIY these kinds of paintings.

The Steps to Making Your Dreamy Painting

The easiest way to begin is to buy a canvas board already primed and ready for your paint. They come in standard sizes, so it’s possible you can find a frame second hand that will fit. Tip: Buy the frame first, then the canvas.

But you can also buy a stretched canvas, the thick, boxy kind popular now that can go up on the wall without a frame and look perfectly fine. Even Wal-Mart sells them.

Next, you’ll need some paints. Wal-Mart is selling craft paints at two for $1. You can’t beat the price. Craft paints come in way more colors than you’ll ever need, at fair prices. They are easy to work, clean up easily, and dry fast.

    

You’ll need a pair of latex gloves. And a roll of transparent wrap.

I suggest using two to three colors, plus white, to keep the painting's palette simple. 

Squeeze a generous amount of paint onto the canvas, putting each color in a few different places. . 

Cover the canvas with sheets of transparent wrap. Use your gloved hands to move the paint
around, blending them in some places and keeping them pure in other spots.  

 

This is how the purple and grey painting looks finished, framed and hung. 
When I removed the Saran wrap, I used wads of it to smooth out the paint,
cover all the canvas, and blend some areas by dabbing.

The painting shown at the top of this post started with a canvas I primed grey. 
It was already framed snugly with a strip frame, so I taped that off before painting.
I chose two shades of green, plus yellow and white.
I switched over to a heavier pair of gloves, too, 
because the paint dabbing at the end of the process gets messy.  

 

Covered with Saran, the painting looked like this. I could see that I wanted to make the
blending more subtle, so that's when the Saran came off and the dabbing began.

I think you will be surprised how some large abstract paintings will give your rooms a much more modern look. They are powerful in their ability to transform the feel of a room. Try it.

Once you frame and hang your dreamy abstracts, no one would ever guess that they are simple, homemade art projects rather than the work of some talented artist. Unless you choose to brag about it.
 

Don’t forget to download my furniture arranging eBook. It’s just $5, and I guarantee your home will look better because you read it.