We want to have a big acrylic painting in our living room, however the one we looked at costs $2500-$3000 CAD. We also looked at some cheap $200 one, but they are not good at all. So, I decided to paint my own! The goal of this project is to have a unique and colorful painting in our living room without spending a lot.
Materials and Tips
– Liquitex heavy body acrylic paints, brushes, retarder and flow improver
– 40×30 Canvas (Michael’s, The Arts & Crafts Store)
– Never buy paints or accessories from Michael’s because it’s a rip off, the exact same thing selling at local art stores is way cheaper
– Micahel’s has better quality Canvas, but remember to use 40% off coupons, it’s in your flyer every other week
Start Painting
I have NEVER learned Acrylic or Oil Painting in my life, but it doesn’t seem hard to manage. It’s just like painting the drywall, anyone can do it. Finally, coat it with a gloss varnish.
Acrylic painting is so popular because it can be soft as watercolor (if you add water/flow improver) or it can be as hard as oil painting with strong texture. The drying time of Acrylic paint is so fast that you can paint another coat within 10 min. Yet, you can control the drying time by using retarder/water. Acrylic is an amazing chemical product – a combination of watercolor and oil paint. The only drawback is: good acrylic paint is expensive.
Name It – “Respect”
What do I name this painting? I call it “Respect”. What do you see from it? Well, it’s an abstract Art, so you can imagine anything you like. I could have lied to you and made up some stories saying there was a story behind each lines and colors. But I couldn’t… Sorry, I don’t really have a lot of respect for Abstract Art. So, I named this “Respect”. Allusion of the original natural subject into non-objective art is bunch of bullshit, I am a strong believer that anyone can create one without formal training. If I can do it, so can you. The total material I spent was under $200 CAD. Worth it or not? I don’t know.
Wow that’s amazing….. You should give up your day job and become an artist.
can you paint one for me as well?
Cannot see it on the PDA in the airport, dayam! Can’t wait to check this puppy out!! Have been thinking to do the same to our living room too, hehe
Sweet I thought my husband and me were the only ones who did stuff like that. We wanted some art for our anniversary, but didnt want to spend the 2K for it. So we bought some acrylics and are painting it together.