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  • kbenson15027

DIY Textured Art In 6 Easy Steps

Updated: Nov 21, 2022

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Since my mother and grandmother were both art teachers, I've learned to appreciate a diverse range of artwork. There is no theme when it comes to art in my home. It's merely items I'm drawn to, as well as souvenirs from travels, photos and whatever else seems to speak to me aesthetically. I guess you could call that "eclectic." Although minimalist designs aren't for everyone, I can actually appreciate the simplicity, texture and form they sometimes tend to offer a space.

When my daughter told me she wanted to try some abstract texture art, she knew I'd be game! We purchased a blank canvas from JoAnn's and already had a bucket of joint compound, paint and rubber gloves. She did some Pinterest research and proceeded to create a simple yet beautiful piece. As the next few months went by, we started to notice these texture designs everywhere! Here are a few examples:





After seeing these pictures (and their price tags), we decided to try this again only this time, we would skip purchasing the brand new canvas and find some old ones at a thrift store to make the deal even sweeter. My daughter found this bright print (pictured below) at Goodwill for $6 and I decided to use this old bicycle canvas that I was planning to put in the donation pile :





Here Are the 6 Steps To Create Your Textured Wall Art

1. Research designs to see what you'd like to create. Youtube and Pinterest are some great places to find inspiration! Then gather your supplies. The underlined items are linked.

You will need:

  • *joint compound

  • *plastic or metal putty knife

  • a tub of water

  • canvas

  • rubber gloves

  • any other items you may want to use to create lines such as a grooved trowel or spatula. I decided to mix paint into the joint compound so I also added black and white craft paint.

  • paint roller (if you are recycling an old canvas picture)

  • a light cream colored paint (I used SW CityLoft)

2. If you are using a recycled canvas, cover the top and sides with the cream colored paint using a roller. If the design shows through, you may want a layer of primer first. Let dry.


3. Using the putty knife or even a spatula, scoop the joint compound on to the canvas. Randomly mix in small drops of color if you are adding paint to the texture.


4. Start playing! Swirl it, drag your fingers through it or just make peaks and valleys. If you don't like what you came up with, use the putty knife to smooth it over and start again. It's that easy!


5. Once you are satisfied with your design, let the piece dry. Don't try to hang or lift it until all signs of moisture have disappeared. The thicker the design is, the longer it will take to dry.


Here are our results:

A. My daughter's piece

My first piece:



My second piece (the bicycle pic). This is the joint compound mixed with paint.


These were a decent start. We are motivated to make some again and try some different variations. The best part? This was SO much fun. Part mudpie, part fingerpainting! I hope we've inspired YOU to give it a try!






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