Although wall art is endlessly fun to look at and shop for, the reality is, most pieces (especially large-scale ones) are so costly you could design an entire room for just that price tag!
When decorating Cloe's dining room, I knew we could have our cake and eat it too — a beautiful, large piece of shining, sophisticated wall art, but on a college girl's budget!
Starting with the decision to use a piece of plywood instead of a canvas (saving major $!), this process is wallet-friendly and so much fun to make! (Almost as fun as it is to look at and enjoy in your decorated space.)
Prep It:
Large piece of plywood Many shades of gray paint Large drywall spreader Spatula Paintbrush Silver glitter Silver leaf pages Power drill 6 silver standoffs
Do It!:
- Start by painting your plywood piece white, or the lightest shade of gray you have. This ensures that there will be no wood peaking through in the final design!
- To make your painting, pour little puddles of different shades of gray in a vertical line on one edge of the plywood. Use your spreader to swipe/ drag the paint horizontally across the plywood. You don't need to make straight lines, have fun waving the lines around!
- Continue this process until you have covered the canvas and are happy with your design. Use the paintbrush and spatula if needed to get exactly the lines/ look you were going for!
- To add some sparkle, sprinkle silver glitter lightly across one of the paint stripes when it is still wet. The glitter will stick to the paint as it dries!
- Once the paint is dry, add even more shine by transferring pieces of silver leaf across the design.
- When you're all done, measure halfway across the plywood sheet and mark two spots — one close to the top and one close to the bottom. Mark 4 other spots across the corners of the plywood.
- Drill holes through each of these spots. Then, with the help of a friend, hold the plywood up to the wall where you want it to hang and mark through the holes onto the wall, so that they line up.
- Drill where marked on the wall, and hang the painting using your standoffs. DIY perfection!
