Easy Original Artworks

Ok these days I can feel myself growing up, and as such i look at the houses my friends have bought or are renting, with their IKEA furniture and mass produced (but pretty) artwork and thought to myself, "isn't that swell, maybe when I have a house then I should get some".

Being not only a g33k but also poor and stingey as hell, I figured I could make something to hang on my walls that would look good, be original, and cost me a little a possible.


Brief:

• Requires very little artistic skill
• Looks good enough to be store bought
• Stylish and contemporary
• Cheap as chips
• Easily replicated incase I want to make more to match

Step 1: Preparation

Materials Needed:

• Iron
• Ironing Board (or other heat resistant flat surface)
• Canvasses (I used box canvasses)
• Palette & Brushes
• Paint (I recommend water-based acrylic)
• Inkjet 'T-shirt' transfer paper
• Inkjet Printer

Find an image you want to turn into a piece of art. I like using Fonts as they are really simple and I am going for a sillohette look.

Step 2: Printing and Cutting

• Print image you don't need to worry too much about the quality settings of the printer as we will be painting over it
• Cut out image

*TIP* I later found that you get better results if you cut around the image a little more carefully than I have in the picture.

Step 3: Position and Iron

• Turn transfer over
• Iron transfer onto canvas - follow instructions for your type of paper

*TIP* use some cardboard from a box and an old book to support the underside of the canvas to stop it from stretching

Step 4: Painting

• Paint around lines of the transfer and fill in background
• Let it Dry
• Check for missed bits and paint over them

Step 5: Paint Inside

Carefully paint the inside of the shape a contrasting colour.

Step 6: Repeat

Repeat with more to complete the pretentious multi-canvas effect that is so popular in all trendy loft apartments