DIY Abstract Art

I love abstract art. I find it soothing and love how it blends into any room with ease. I also love how amazing it is to work with any decor. I see it in traditional and modern spaces - it always works. Rivers Spencer , one of my favorite designers to watch, works them into most of her rooms and I feel like it always MAKES the space.

In abstract, there are typically several colors peaking through. You can use those small pops to pull other colors into your room by way of a pillow or flower, for example, making it the ultimate starting place (or finishing touch) for decor.

As much as I love abstract, at the moment, most of the artists I admire are a bit out of my price range at a price tag of several thousand dollars per piece. This led me to making my own art for my home.

I typically go to a discount retail store, and look for a framed canvas. I try to find a frame I would like in the room and an appropriate size for the space it's meant for. Then, I bring it home and paint over the original art.

I like to use acrylics. I haven't experimented much with oil, but I'm sure it would work just fine.

I wanted these paintings to go in our bedroom and match the current color scheme. I picked this beautiful 'Titan Green Pale' as the base paint color. Then, using a combination of primary blue, buff white, white, grey and green, I mixed my additional colors.

To start, make sure you tape off your frames with painters tape.

Cover your original artwork with a gesso or inexpensive white acrylic. Wait for it to dry before moving on. I like using a palate knife because it does not soak up paint like a traditional paint brush would. It also gives the piece a prettier finish, in my opinion.

After I painted over the original art with white, I covered the canvas with my base color. Make sure to use your palate knife in all directions to give it a high-end look. If it is too uniform, it will not turn out well in the end. Moving in all directions gives the piece texture and interest.

Now it's time to start adding additional colors in. Mix your colors ahead of time. I mixed a light blue using buff white, primary blue, and a hint of grey to give off a french blue color.

I like to start off my pieces with white as the second base color and apply it in large strokes. From there, start layering in the other paints.

I had a few light colors from a previous project, so I added a small hint of yellow and pink as "specks" on the piece. Paint those small color pops in after your second base color. You'll partially paint over these specs to add layers and a touch of surprise.

I like to do a "rough mix" of my paint colors, meaning they're not all the way blended before I paint them onto the canvas. This gives you that color variation in your art.

For your colors, stick to this formula, in this order:

Base color (I used titan green in pale)

Second base color (in this case I used white)

2 color pops (I used pink and a yellowy-orange)

3 layer colors (I used french blue, dark french blue, and pale turquoise that I mixed myself)

I hope you enjoyed this fun tutorial! If you liked it, be sure to comment so I know you'd like to see more blog posts like this. Don't forget to follow along as we update our home!