DIY Drip Painting

Alternate title: Look Ma, I'm an Artiste!  (yeah, that's right -- not artist. Artiste. It sounds so much better.)

What is art? Well in my house it's whatever I say it is, and I imagine the same goes for you. I love fine art (i.e. real paintings) and I have a couple pieces, hopefully more in the future, but that doesn't mean random things I pull together or design that I enjoy or create can't fill spaces on my wall and do so beautifully.

Case in point, my new paintings.

 
I have no idea how to draw or (artistically) paint, and scary words like shading and gesso make me cry. However, I needed something in my dining room to pull in some of the neighboring living room's colors as a starting point for the sorting out of said dining room. And since eventually I want to remove walls and make these rooms one big fabulous space, I might as well be decorating them in ways that will work together.

Enter fabulous blog post idea and genius David Bromstad technique video. 

Um, I could do that... I think.

Step 1: Get yourself a canvas. I bought a pack of two 18x24" canvases -- with my 40% off coupon it came to $9 and change.

Step 2: Gather your tools. I don't like to make decisions so I grabbed a whole bunch of craft paint and decided to pick colors in the midst of my creative fog. I was pretty sure I'd be overtaken by some artistic zone... I'm optimistic like that. You'll also need a water bottle.

Step 3: Mist the canvas down really well -- you want the paint to run.

Step 4: Mist it some more. Really, don't be afraid... wetter is better! By the time I was done I had refilled my bottle 3 times because I kept 'starting over' in frustration and my canvas came through like a champ!

Step 5: Glob on some paint along the top -- I mixed my two blues together (a bright turquoise and a dark navy) and brushed it on. Get lots on, and I smooshed it all over so there weren't subborn globs that wouldn't run.

 (I'd glob more than this on top if I were you. Just an idea!)

Step 6: Spray your water! Drip, drip, drip. See? Easy. (Unless you're me and you start over 3 times... but still, pretty easy!)

Step 7: Add some more paint if you want -- I added more of both blues, and then a couple greens. David Bromstad suggests limiting your colors otherwise they run together and become muddy and I think that's a good idea. I ultimately dripped my individual colors directly onto the wet canvas (keep misting it so it's nice and wet!) and let them drip down for a less mixed together look.

Tip: some brands of paint are super, super thick and resisted dripping. I'd spray water into the bottle and shake it up until it would behave. But I don't take no crap off of nobody that way. (Cool Runnings, anyone? Jamaica, we have a bobsled team... ohh, never mind.)

Step 8: While your painting dries, take a magic eraser to your now blue folding chairs and driveway and vow to plan better next time.

I really think I like them.  Mike says he likes them and told me they remind him of looking out a car window when there's rain all over them and you can just see glowing colors. I think that's a compliment, so I'll take it! In fact, I'll name the pair 'Rainy Windows' and consider myself an accomplished artiste.

Oh yeah, I almost forgot the bonus:

Yeee-ah. Mission accomplished.

Sharing at The Shabby Nest