Learn how to make upcycled floral art! This tutorial will show you how to paint whimsical flowers on a new or upcycled surface.
Anything can be a canvas. Case in point – today’s project started with a piece my MIL had and was going to throw away. So instead of putting it in a landfill, I thought I would try my hand at some loose freehand almost whimsical flowers. Come along with me as I create upcycled floral art!
**This post contains affiliate links. If you click on a link and make a purchase, I will receive a small commission from the sale – at NO cost to you! I only recommend products that I love & want to be sure you can find them all super easy!**
Supplies you’ll need to make your own upcycled floral art:
- Upcycled or New Canvas
- Miniature Screwdriver Set
- Fluff Dixie Belle Chalk Paint
- Pure Ocean Dixie Belle Chalk Paint
- Evergreen Dixie Belle Chalk Paint
- Plum Crazy Dixie Belle Chalk Paint
- Colonel Mustard Dixie Belle Chalk Paint
- Coffee Bean Dixie Belle Chalk Paint
- White Spray Paint Dixie Belle Chalk Paint
- Acrylic Paint Brush Set
- Chip Brush
To begin, I removed the decorative piece on the top. Initially I was going to leave it off, but later decided to use it. It would look fine either way.
This small set of screwdrivers is great to have on hand and worked perfectly for removing the decorative piece.
Next, I painted the entire surface with the color Fluff.
This will give us a nice blank slate for the flowers.
Next, I mixed some Pure Ocean and fluff to create a light blue color.
Then I added some of the light blue color to the top portion of the canvas.
Now it was time to start adding the design. Remember – it always looks messy when you first start! It seriously can look like a child is painting and that is okay.
You can see how I just kind of “draw” out my shape. I like to use a darker color as a base and layer it up, getting lighter as I go.
After I outlined my design loosely, and while the paint was still wet, I added in the dark green. This should blend in with the brown some to create a two tone appearance.
I also added the dark center color to the flowers. This is always a stretch for me as I have a hard time with abstract type and non precision designs. I found that it is actually quite relaxing if I let myself just paint.
Once I had the darker color painted on the flowers, I let them dry a bit because I didn’t want the next layer of paint to muddy up the whole thing.
Now it was time to add some white on top of all the dark base colors.
See how I just layered in the mix with the darker color and white to get a light green. Then I added more white to get some white mixed with the light green. I accomplished this all by using the one dark base color and adding white to create the look of several shades of the same color.
To give a bit more detail to the piece, I also went in with a few accent colors and added some small yellow leaves and tiny blue flowers.
Now, don’t get me wrong, the piece was pretty at this point, but I wanted it to be a bit more muted looking.
So, I decided to give it the look of having a softer color palette by adding a very light color wash over the whole thing. To do this, I first watered down the color Fluff. Then, I loaded a chip brush with the watered down mix, off loaded it on a paper towel and immediately brushed it on to the piece.
Once the mix was on the piece, I wiped it back with a damp cloth making sure not to push down too heavy. I did not want my art to smear.
You can see here how that extra step muted the colors a bit more.
Next, I spray painted the decorative piece and the screws.
I placed them on tape so they didn’t blow away when I sprayed them.
This is the final look!
What a fun way to get creative and make something you thought was trash into a new treasure!
Want more fun and easy DIY home decor ideas?? Find me on Facebook, Instagram and Pinterest! Also – be sure to share your finished projects with me by tagging @rusticorchardhome on Facebook and @rustic_orchard_home on Instagram!
If you liked this upcycled DIY, you may also like:
