Be Your Own Van Gogh

So there is this painting that you love. But you don't feel like spending a fortune on it. Especially if it is a $2.4 million Van Gogh original. What do you do? Throw on an old t-shirt and paint your own! Anyone can do it, and it's easier than you would expect. Here's a paint-by-numbers trick I learned back in elementary school that you can still use today. All you need is a canvas, a ruler, a pencil, some acrylic paint, a pack of brushes, something to mix paint on (you can use a plate in a pinch), and a cup of water.

Step 1.

Print off a copy of the painting or picture. Mark off the page into 1 inch squares.

Step 2.

Mark off your canvas into squares with a pencil. For example: if your printed image is 12" by 6" and divided into 1" squares and your canvas is 24" by 12," divide the canvas into 2" squares. Then lightly sketch out the design onto the canvas using the squares as a guide.

Step 3:

Begin painting. Start at the top, so you don't accidentally smear the paint with your hand. Start with the background colors and work forward. In this painting, I started at the top with the sky.

Step 4.

Continue painting your way down the canvas, making sure to hide all your pencil lines. Do not be afraid to layer on color. Van Gogh sure wasn't.

Step 5.

Start with the foreground. Use a smaller brush for detail.

Step 6.

Sing your name and hang it on the wall!

Crafty Trails!