Last week I had the opportunity to be a guest on RoCa and Company (Thanks Carmen!), where I showed how to do a picture re-paint. Well, here it is again, if you happened to have missed it. 😀
DIY Picture Re-paint!
You’ve heard of “paint by numbers”, well this is kind of like that, but without the numbers… Okay, it’s not really like paint by numbers, maybe more like paint by colors? Um… never mind, let me just tell you what I did. 😉
I’ve been in the slow process of re-doing my living room, and I re-covered the 47 pillows on my couch…
(No, I don’t really have 47 pillows on my couch, it just felt like it when I was in the middle of sewing them. ;))
The pillows have a lot of blue in them, and the picture I had on the wall really wasn’t working for me, so I decided to re-paint it. Here’s the before and after…
The first thing I did was lightly sand the whole picture, just enough to take off the gloss finish, to help the paint to adhere better.
The majority of the picture is of flowers, and they are all the same kind of flower. I wanted to keep the simple look, but just change the color of the flower. I did this by using 3 shades of blue acrylic paint – dark, medium, and light. I’m a visual person, so here’s a picture…
PS. Be sure to mix up as much paint as you think you will need, ’cause it’s hard to try to match it later. (Not that I know this from personal experience… *wink*wink* ;))
Then, I began painting the flowers. Using the original flowers as a guide, I painted over the petals with my darkest shade first. After that, I painted the center with a yellow color and allowed it to dry. (I forgot to take a picture of this step, so I re-created it on paper. I’m a nerd, I know. ;))
Next, using the medium color, I painted the petals about half way down over the dark color , and allowed it to dry. Finally, I used the lightest shade, and painted just the edge of the petals. Here is what the flowers looked like when I was finished…
For the leaves, I used a moss-green over the original, and I added a few more leaves throughout the picture.
I used a medium brown color to paint over the original twigs. I also dabbed some brown and green in the center of the flowers to give them some more detail.
Taking the same colors that were used for the flowers, leaves and twigs, I lightly dabbed and blotched those colors into the background of the picture, just enough to bring out the new colors that I added to the picture.
I also painted the vase yellow to match the new pillows…
and, the background mat blue…
The coppery color of the inner frame had to go, and I thought silver would be a nice compliment to the blue in the picture. (If in doubt, go with silver, I always say. :))
I taped off the black frame and lightly sanded the copper frame.
Then, I painted the inner frame with dark silver. (I just added a little black paint to the silver paint, to make dark silver.) Here is the silver paint I used…
Using my scruffy brush, I blotched on the lighter silver paint over the dark silver until it looked like it had been antiqued.
Since I waited to take off the tape until after the paint was dry, I scored the edge with a knife, to make sure that the dry paint did not peel when I took off the tape. (Um… yes, I did use a regular kitchen knife to do this… What!?)
I finished the painting by applying a clear varnish to seal everything.
Here is the final product…
A fresh new picture to grace my wall, all for the price of a little paint. Love it!
Linked to these parties.
Mandy said:
What a GREAT idea!!!! I have a picture that I need to do this too. Thank you for sharing.
ladywiththeredrocker said:
Glad you liked it, Mandy! Thanks for visiting! 🙂
Erin {Lavender and Lemon Drops} said:
You did an AMAZING job! I LOVE LOVE LOVE the new painting! It ties everything together perfectly 🙂
ladywiththeredrocker said:
Thanks Erin! You still need to come help me with the rest of my house! LOL! 🙂
Cindy @SidetrackedArtist said:
What a great idea! I never would have thought of this. Hmmm…my mind is running away with the possibilities.
ladywiththeredrocker said:
Thanks Cindy! I always like to check the thrift store for possible re-paints. I’ve not come across one yet, but I keep looking! Thanks for stopping by! 🙂
Our Jubilant Nest said:
Wow!
Katie @ Wildwood Creek said:
Your picture looks fabulous! Great idea.
ladywiththeredrocker said:
Thanks Katie! 🙂
Kathy said:
I never would have thought of painting over a picture – what a great idea! I love how it turned out.
ladywiththeredrocker said:
Thanks Kathy, I’m pretty pleased with it too! Thanks for visiting! 🙂
Kathi said:
Wow, you did an unbelieveable job on that painting. Kathi
ladywiththeredrocker said:
Thanks Kathi, you are too kind! 🙂
Maggie said:
wow Stephanie, this is a fabulous idea to give new life to a painting I have 2 large paintings I’m going to do this to this week.
Maggie
http://passionatelyartistic.com
ladywiththeredrocker said:
Thanks Maggie! Have fun doing your own! 🙂
Jamie said:
Beautiful. I would have never thought of this.
Jamie
http://diyhshp.blogspot.com
ladywiththeredrocker said:
Thanks Jamie! 🙂
Elise Engh @ growcreative said:
Looks great! I never would have thought to repaint a picture like that either- cool!
ladywiththeredrocker said:
Thanks Elise! Thanks for stopping by! 😉
Jessica @ Sunny Tuesday said:
That looks fantastic! 🙂
ladywiththeredrocker said:
Thanks Jessica! You are so kind! 🙂
Lori said:
Wow, that is a great idea…I pick up a lot of paintings at yard sales…I’v gotta get busy. Thanks, Lori
Andrea said:
What a fabulous idea! Obviously the rest of us never even considered this. Thanks so much for sharing at Sunday’s Best =)
ladywiththeredrocker said:
Thanks for stopping by, Andrea! 🙂
Angela said:
What a great idea! I’ve never even heard of doing this before. I have so many ideas now. Thank you for sharing this!
ladywiththeredrocker said:
Angela, glad you liked it! Thanks for visiting! 🙂
Stephanie S. said:
Very impressive. I love it.
ladywiththeredrocker said:
Thanks, Stephanie! Thanks for visiting! 🙂
brooke said:
I really like your blog. I am your newest follower!! I am new to blogger, but am excited to share my New boutique that is coming soon with the latest trends on clothing at affordable prices. I also will be selling Mineral Makeup. I will be giving a lot of free giveaways here shortly for our grand opening! I hope you will stop by my blog and follow me back and like my facebook… And Look out for free giveaways on makeup and clothing 🙂
-B. Haven
bhavenboutique.blogspot.com
ladywiththeredrocker said:
Thanks for stopping by, Brooke! 🙂
Jenny@ Simcoe Street said:
What a gorgeous piece!! So smart!
Jenny
http://www.simcoestreet.blogspot.com
ladywiththeredrocker said:
Thanks Jenny, you are so kind! 🙂
GInspires said:
This is beautiful! You did a great job! Visiting from TRH Linky
ladywiththeredrocker said:
Thanks for stopping by Ginspires! 🙂
Kimberly @ The Brown Eyes Have It said:
That is amazing, really! I never would have thought to re-paint a picture, well, maybe that’s because I don’t paint. lol You picture looks fantastic and I love your pillows!
ladywiththeredrocker said:
Thanks Kimberly! You are so kind! 🙂
Britney said:
Wow, such talent! It looks great. I would be to much of a chicken to even attempt that! Very impressive 😉 Thanks for linking it up with us!
Britney
http://www.jandmseyecandy.blogspot.com
ladywiththeredrocker said:
Thanks Britney! 🙂
Becky said:
Perfect, love it! Thanks for sharing at Beyond The Picket Fence.
Kara said:
Absolutely Gorgeous!! Thanks for sharing at Shine on Friday!
ladywiththeredrocker said:
Thanks Kara! You are so kind!
Melanie said:
So awesome! Thanks for linking to Things I’ve Done Thursday!
Melanie
Sew Rugged @ bear rabbit bear
bearrabbitbear.blogspot.com
D @ The Shady Porch said:
You inspire me! I have a giant picture that I inherited (it’s not an heirloom or anything) and I hung up although it really doesn’t go in my LR. I thought about doing exactly what you’ve done here but was afraid…well no more! I’m going to revamp Grans picture for my decor! I would love for you to share this at my party!
Cathy @ My 1929 Charmer said:
I never would of thought of this. It’s inspiring. Revamping pictures, who would of thought. You really did a great job, and it looks amazing. Thanks for sharing at Sunday’s Best.
ladywiththeredrocker said:
Thanks Cathy! Thanks for hosting! 🙂
Petite Hermine said:
Wow, I like your new painting even better than the old one!
ladywiththeredrocker said:
Thanks, I do too! 🙂
Marie said:
Wow! Great job! Thanks for linking up with us and hope you join us again this Wednesday! Happy Thanksgiving!
Marie
mylilpinkpocket.blogspot.com
ladywiththeredrocker said:
Thanks Marie! Glad you liked it!