DIY Painted Canvases

Hello everyone!  Today I get to share with you a project I'm really excited about.  It all started when I realized we needed something to go over the bed.  After hanging the mirror over the dressing table and my PB Teen style tiles system on the right side of the bed (here) the space above the bed was looking very naked.

A couple months ago, I had seen another blogger do a similar project (unfortunately can't find the link again) and thought the area above the bed would be the perfect spot to test out this idea.

So Melissa and I ran out to Michael's and bought all the supplies we needed.  We were lucky to have some nice acrylic paint and a few other supplies on hand already from when Melissa went to art school.  So we only had to buy the canvases and another tube of white paint.  When all was said and done, we ended up with these supplies:

And then I stalled.  I love art and crafts, always have.  And I'm generally pretty good at them.  But paint has never been my friend.  I can draw with pencils and fine-tipped markers like no body's business, but paint gives me the heeby-jeebies.  It's just so imprecise and messy.  But Melissa finally cajoled and pushed me into getting over my fears and diving into this project I had been so excited to try.  And I was back on track!

Since the canvases were going in the bedroom, we planned our colors to be white and pinks of varying intensity.  To get the different pinks we wanted to use, we mixed our white paint with both the red and pink paints to get a lovely variety of pinks.

 

After that it was time to roll up our sleeves and get painting!  I almost wimped out again, but as soon as I made that first brush stroke, it was smooth sailing.  I realized exactly how easy this was going to be, and all my fears that it was going to turn out to be a horrible mess just slipped away.

Basically our process was, pick a color you want and swipe it on the canvas, in vertical strokes.  Then pick another color and swipe it on again.  Then just repeat until the whole canvas is covered, adding color where you think its needed.  It really was the easiest thing I've done, and I'm well on my way to getting over my paint phobia.

Here is an in-progress picture of one of the canvases.

I again got a little nervous at this point, worrying it wouldn't come together.  But I stuck with it and I am so glad I did.  I think they turned out awesome!

And here's a close-up to see how it looks up close and personal.

And once we banged out three of these bad boys it was time to get them hung up.  We hung them in a horizontal line right above the bed.  And here is the finished result:

I'm pretty pleased with how they turned out.  I'm still trying to figure out if they should be a bit bigger (I hate when stuff just 'floats' on walls), but for now I'm just happy to have something in that spot.

I am just glad I didn't chicken out and saw this project through.  I am so in love with how they turned out, I feel like they look like real art!  And they were just so easy, I've been looking for another place to stick one or two of these guys.

I've also been thinking of adding a border of paint around the outside edges, since some of the paint spilled over onto the sides.  It looks messy and uneven, and it has been bothering the heck out of me.  I'm probably the only person who notices, but it might be nice to take an afternoon to knock this small upgrade out to put my mind at ease.

For now I'm just happy to have them up there, and enjoy my semi-artistic talents up on the wall.  Feels so good to have something beautiful made by me and my girl up on our wall.

So what do you think?  Looks almost professional am I right?  Anyone else out there struggling with a paint-phobia?  If you've done a similar project, or decide to try this one, I'd love to see what you come up with!  I love that no matter how many times you do this, every piece will always come out slightly different and unique.  Leave a link in the comments to show off your masterpieces!