DIY Textured Watercolor Artwork

September 4, 2020 in Decor, DIY's

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Artwork for your can be very pricey. I had been hunting for the perfect piece to hang over my sofa … but kept falling in love with pieces that were hundreds of dollars. AKA … NOT in my budget.

So rather than be defeated… I decided to create my own. I had seen many use joint compound as a material to create texture in wall art, pottery pieces, lamps and more! So I decided to create one of my own and put a spin on it with a watercolor type ombré effect.

I knew I wanted a large piece. So I found a 30” x 40” artists canvas at Hobby Lobby for $39.98 and used my 40% off coupon. You could also repurpose a sign or picture frame that you are no longer using, I even ended using some 1 x 12 pieces of wood to create side pieces for a triptych look.

Next up I gathered all my supplies.

canvas or other piece to work on
joint compound
plastic putty knife
paint in colors of your choice
Disposable bowls (for mixing paint)
3” foam brushes
drop cloth, trash bag or plastic to protect your work surface
optional: 1×2 common board to frame out your piece
optional: stain for the wood frame (this is my favorite stain)
optional: brad nailer to secure the frame to the artwork

For the main center piece, I used a 30”x 40” canvas. For the two side pieces, I used leftover 1×12 common boards that I cut to 30” length (to match the height of the canvas.

Step 1: ADD TEXTURE!

To create the texture, you will add the joint compound to the piece you are working on. (If using a sign with an existing frame, I recommend taping off the existing frame with painters tape first to protect It. ) Take the plastic putty knife and put a coat of the joint compound on… you want a thick enough later that you can manipulate it to create texture… but not too thick.

Once the layer of joint compound is on, take the putty knife and create peaks, ridges, bumps … anything you want. There is no right or wrong … it’s all in what you like!

Step 2: DRY TIME.

Once you have the joint compound on and texture created you will need to let it dry for at least 24 hours… or per the instructions on your joint compound.

Step 3: PAINT!

Once it’s dry, it’s time to paint!
The first coat I applied was white. I used some leftover wall paint in the color Super White by Benjamin Moore in a flat finish. I applied the white over the entire surface of the canvas making sure to get it the ridges and texture. Be sure to let it dry completely.

Now, you can absolutely stop and have a monotone, textured wall art piece. But I wanted mine to have some color. I decided I wanted to do a graduated watercolor effect… with an almost ombré look, using paint I already had in my garage.

Step 4: ADD COLOR
The next color I used is a paint sample from Valspar in the color MoonShot. I added a small amount in the bottom of a disposable bowl and added some water to thin it out in a 3 parts water to 1 part paint ratio. I stirred it to mix well, then dipped my foam brush in lightly (you don’t want to saturate the brush- it will run and drop everywhere). I started about 1/2 of the way down and painted the bottom with a light coat of the watered down Moon Shot Color. I did NOT let it dry. I went on to add the next color.

Adding the first color to a disposable bowl.

Adding the first color to the lower half of the art.

Next, I used the leftover watered down MoonShot and added a small amount of Sherwin Williams Tricorn Black in flat. Stirred it around and added a band of color covering the lower 2/3 of the MoonShot color. I then added a little more black to the same bowl of watered down paint mixture to darken it a little bit more and went across the more 2/3 of the original “Moonshot” section.

After the darker gray is added to the bottom and the paint has dried.

As it is drying, you can see the color settling in the cracks and crevices- creating depth and highlighting the texture.

STEP 5: Frame it out!

I let this completely dry. Then I framed it out using 1×2 common boards that I stained in my favorite stain from Old Barn Living in the color Farmhouse.