Abstract Art Project

As I've already mentioned, I bought some cheap canvases recently because I've been wanting to create some art. Not time-consuming, planned out art, but more quick, spontaneous pieces to brighten up the house a little bit. Last week, I shared some of the art that was inspiring me in This Post. For a quick recap, here are a few of the paintings I had been drawn to (Check out the linked post for the sources of where I found them):

It seemed pretty clear I wanted to paint an abstract creation! I was really feeling the colorful, crazy, experimental vibe. So this past weekend, I laid out my supplies and got to work.

You'll have to excuse the poor lighting in these pictures, as I painted at night. And I don't have a lot of space for these kinds of projects in my house, so my work space was the living room floor with a bunch of newspapers set down because I can get messy sometimes. :)

I had a total of four canvases (2 packs of 2 each) that I got on sale at Hobby Lobby - 2 11"x14" canvases, and 2 8"x10" ones. I just used a set of basic acrylic paints that I already had. Oh, and I should mention that I was an art major in college. Except I had a graphic design concentration (with a minor in art history), so I didn't take very many painting courses! I am pretty much a beginner at paint and canvas art.

When I began the project, I actually remembered that Sherry at Young House Love had done some abstract paintings, so I immediately looked her tutorial up. (Here it is - I love how I can always seem to find inspiration from their blog for every project I take on!) I used her tips and techniques in addition to those that I had already found. Here's how my first painting started out:

I worked really small, blocking out sections of similar shades to create "clusters" of colors. I really like the white, bright look of my painting at the beginning, but I continued to add colors and layers until I ended up here:

It turned out to be quite the colorful and crazy piece! I'm not sure about this one yet, so I think I'm going to brighten it up a bit and add some more whites and light colors to it, because I'm not feeling how dark and stormy it is! So I'm calling this one unfinished for now...I think next time I will block out the entire canvas in white or gray, since I seem to be drawn to whiter, brighter paintings!

After the first one, I moved onto the second, where I tried a different technique. I just brushed on a color and scattered strokes all over the canvas. Then started on another color and did the same thing. I tried to keep the colors light and airy and added more water than I usually do, except for the parts where I wanted the bright red color to stand out.

Here's what it looked like when I started:

And here's where I ended up:

I like this one better than the first, because the colors make me happy. I like how you can see every brush stroke. I think I'm hanging this one in my office!

Here are my two larger canvases together:

For the third canvas (a smaller one), I was pretty experimental in my technique, and only used 3 colors - red, white, and blue. I added a lot of white in some places, and a lot of water to create a "washed" effect in some areas - almost like a watercolor painting. Here's where I started:

And here's the finished piece:

I really like this one! I think it might be my favorite of the three so far. In fact, I hung it on the living room wall - Sorry about the camera phone picture - I took it late at night:

It really brings a pop of color to the space. I plan on adding something else that's colorful to balance it out a little bit. Although Trent's not too fond of that idea and thinks it's colorful enough. Pssh. Color hater. :p

I haven't started on my fourth canvas yet. Not sure what I will do for the next one. Here are the three paintings I did so far together:

The first one seems too angry to me..maybe it's the black and the dark shades of green and red, I don't know. But I definitely will make it brighter I think! And share the final result. :)

This was a fun project for me. I never create artwork for fun anymore..it needs to happen more often. I have another crafty project I want to try though, and I need to buy some supplies for it. I can't wait to try it! It involves....MOD PODGE. I've never used Mod Podge before in my life. I think I found a nice easy "beginner" project though, that I'm excited about. And I just might do it this weekend. Stay tuned!

P.S.- Linked up at Tatertots and Jello link party! Check it out!