DIY modern art

01 Mar 2019

Release your inner Matisse with these easy-to-create canvas artworks, which were featured in issue 30 (Autumn/Winter 2019) of habitat by Resene magazine.

You will need:

• A ready-made canvas
• Ruler, pencil and paper
• Resene testpots in: Resene Liberty, Resene Half Dusted Blue, Resene Bubble N Squeak, Resene Triple Sea Fog, Resene Double Pravda, and Resene Alabaster
• Low-tack masking tape
• Testpot brush
• Small roller and foam sleeves

Step 1: Work out your colour scheme, allowing for six colours. We used  Resene Liberty, Resene Half Dusted Blue, Resene Bubble N Squeak, Resene Triple Sea Fog, Resene Double Pravda and Resene Alabaster. 

Step 2: With a pencil and ruler, draw the lines of the artwork onto the canvas, using the template below.

Step 3: Mask each block of colour one-by-one and use a small foam roller to paint the colour smoothly. Allow the paint to dry between each colour so you can reposition the masking tape on top of your freshly painted section.

Step 4: Draw the jug shape onto a piece  of paper and cut it out. Don’t worry if  it’s not perfect; that’s all part of the  look. Trace the outline of the jug onto the canvas.

Step 5: Paint the jug shape onto the canvas using a testpot brush, then paint the opening at the top of the jug using Resene Triple Sea Fog.

Step 6: We added fine lines to show the corner and where the walls meet the floor, but these are optional. If you want to add them too, use low-tack masking tape to paint the lines nice and straight.

artist Greer Clayton
images Bryce Carlton

To print out the below templates, right click on the template and select 'save image as'. Save the image to your computer and then print it out. 

Published: 01 Mar 2019