diy watercolor art

Hey friends! We’re back today to talk about our giant “y’all” art from our playroom reveal that we shared a few weeks ago with all of you!

Remember Emerson’s watercolor party last year?

Ever since I created that for the party, I knew I wanted a version of it in our home as a permanent fixture. I’m kind of a colors dork, and I fell in love with the feel of her little girl soiree. A quirky little idea was born. (It’s what we say all the time around here, after all – But if you’re totally not into the whole southern thang, you could always most certainly do your own version.)

Here’s what we did:

I basically grabbed a piece of plywood, and we cut it to the size we knew we wanted the art to be, with room around the edges for framing. (I’ll cover a little more on that below). I then placed four large pieces of watercolor paper on top.

Two things about watercolor paper: (Well, actually 3. I lied.)

• Cold press. It holds the paint in the grooves of the paper better. There is more texture to it, so if you’re a beginner, or if you’re working with a large piece like this, you’ll be glad you grabbed it. It’s the difference (when you’re standing there on the art aisle a bit perplexed) between texture + ultra smooth.

• Said cold press paper will buckle a little. All watercolor paper does. Don’t let this freak you out. Unless you presoak and staple it down to a board, it will do this. But it will lie down enough to look gorgeous behind the frame. Personally? I like for my paper to buckle. It says to the world oh-so-defiantly, “yeah, suckas! I did this!”  And if people think your paper isn’t lying properly in your frame, maybe you shouldn’t invite them back to your house. Just saying.

• It can be expensive. I originally wanted one large piece for this creation, but then I remembered we have to feed our children… (feel free to google the going rate of rolls of watercolor). So, four large sizes that I could score at your local craft store it was. (Keep your eyes peeled for coupons!) This kept our piece affordable, and I layered them in a way where it was subtle, but it still works with the overall design of the piece. Kind of a fun, eclectic, original look for your walls.

Total side note about hot glue: Just be careful not to get any glue beyond the edges of the paper. I would totally dab down the important parts, and when you’re FINISHED with your piece, go back and get the edges a bit more, so that when your piece is hanging on the wall, you can’t see between the cracks to the white beneath. If you have too much glue on the outsides, it will repel the watercolor. So wait for those final touches right before placing it in a frame. You’ll be oh so glad you did.

Once the paper is secured, go back and lightly draw your word and design. I basically drew a pretty version of the word y’all in cursive with light pencil. Then, I went back, and drew around the outer edges in a way that gave it depth to work with in my painting. You can always erase any visible pencil marks in the end, and even it out as you go with your eraser/pencil awesome sauce combo. No fear. Just remember the lighter the better.

Also? If drawing terrifies you, or you aren’t that secure in your skills (It took me, like, 3  hours to finish the shading on your upper lip. It’s probably the best drawing I’ve ever done.) you can always use a projector, or cut an image from paper and trace.

Now it’s time for the fun part! Repeat after me: I will not be intimidated by the paint.

If you venture into your local craft store, you will also find aisle after aisle of paint. In tubes. By different companies. At about thirty bucks a pop. Kidding not kidding. I was once a ‘starving’ art major.

While those are awesome, and you could find me oogling over the latest shade of umber like the hopeless nerd that I am, or petting the brushes when no one is looking, trust me. It’s an investment to buy those little tubes, so walk right past them and pick up a little tray with the colors, as pictured in the photo above. {I scored mine at Michaels.} It has the perfect amount for something like this. I’ve used the good stuff, and these suffice, too.

If you own no brushes, I also recommend picking up a few. They don’t have to be top grade, and you could even grab some crafting brushes or use whatever you have around your home. I used a small, run-of-the-mill brush for color placement, and a larger one for spreading the paint.

The idea is to create, and have fun, without worrying about the ‘rules’. I think that’s what holds a lot of people back from experimenting with art. You don’t have to get fancy to be awesome. True story.

So, I started with the paint, and worked from the edges, out.

I kept all my colors in the same groups, mostly warm tones… with the more intense toward the edges. I basically covered the entire area in my first coat, and then went back to darken areas. This gave it the “bleeding” effect you see in the final photos.

If you’ve never used watercolor before and it will make you feel better, grab a spare sheet and practice first. Just so you can get used to how it works. It’s more forgiving than it looks, and if you don’t like a section, water it down, let it dry, and then come back to it. Embrace the happy accidents.

You can blend it as you go, or for more interest, you can wet the paper, and let it bleed, or simply add water and let it puddle. You can even add salt, and look at the fun designs it leaves behind. I love a combo of all of these for an interesting work of art! A great project with the kiddos, too.

I finished round one of this, and walked away. Then I came back the second day, and added depth with more layers around the letters, so that it emphasized the negative space.

It’s just bursting with Lisa-frank goodness.

I think I just ruined it for myself.

Maybe not. Where’s my trapper keeper + caboodle?

When all is finished and well in the land of unicorns and labs, go back and erase any visible pencil marks you see (once dry.) Also? I recommend looking at your painting from different angles, to make sure those layers are covered, and there is no white paper peeking out from underneath. They’ll blend better hanging on that wall with a thin layer of paint behind them to cover it up, and make it look a bit more intentional.

For the frame:

Remember this tutorial?  Because if this is a song, it’s a remix.

Except this time it was really large, so I super glued the plastic down, to keep it from buckling, on top of the MDF. And then used everything I could find to help it dry in place. It became a game with me and the kids as they looked around for heavy things while I glued and then yelled frantically that my finger was stuck. But the process is the same.

For this frame, we used:

• 1 x 4 – select yellow pine + MDF (painted in Chantilly Lace) + plexiglass + quarter round trim (spray painted for a touch of gold) + the plywood + (already attached) art

Measurements: (but the beauty of this project is that you can do whatever size you need) Overall: 50″ x 61″ With a 7 inch MDF border. The center dimensions are 49″ x 37″

We used two picture hanging kits and tada! Pretty, one of a kind piece. Sans lip hair and or hot pink unicorns.

As always, let us know if you have any questions.

Happy creating, and have an inspired day, y’all!