DIY Home Decor | Free-Hand Brush Stroke Art

Always.

| WHAT YOU NEED |

Stretched Canvas / Paint brush / Paint / Pencil

| HOW I MADE IT |

Deciding on what I wanted in my head was easy.  Translating it in to something I could make was a little harder.  I started by simplifying - the shape and the font.  Having something brush-stroke in style also meant that I didn't need to worry about perfect lines either, which helps!

I practiced a few fonts before deciding on the style I wanted and then traced this on to the canvas lightly with pencil.

I also practiced the outline style of the eiffel tower that I wanted to paint to at least give myself an idea of the stroke styles I needed.  But really, this is free hand, so there's only one way to go [for it].

With gold paint and a brush around 4cm wide, I used my practice for reference and made two long strokes from the middle top towards each bottom corner.  Using the side of the brush at the top for a thinner line and then pushing the brush down to create a thicker line towards the bottom.

I also made sure the brush was fairly dry, so that if it all went horribly wrong, I had an option to add more to either the thickness or density of colour.

Next, I added a curve at the bottom, horizontal strokes at each third point and some additional strokes to fill in the shape:

Once happy with the background, I used a thin brush, loaded with grey paint to trace over the text.
This was a lot less 'free' and I did find it a little harder - but for my first attempt, I am fairly happy with the result.  I gave myself the best chance by taking my time, using a light hand and adding more paint as I went between each letter.

Once finished and dried, I removed my pencil lines with a rubber.

...and just to prove that you can change your mind or make alterations later on, I wasn't completely happy with the Eiffel Tower shape - so I took some damp paper towel to the canvas to rub away the top and thinned this out:

The paint was much easier to remove than you may think and it means you don't need to worry about making irreparable mistakes!

Once completely happy with the overall look, I added a little more depth and interest, highlighting some areas with more paint:

I love the gold paint finish as it looks slightly different as the light changes:

It's a simple piece of DIY art that can add a little colour, break colour up, or even tie in some of your favourite pieces:

Would you be tempted by a brush stroke DIY of your own? Or do you have any tips for me if I attempt another?