DIY Art Ideas

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These DIY wall art projects don’t involve going to the store but do produce pretty works of art for your home!

With everyone spending so much time at home right now, many of us are itching for a change to the four walls we stare at all day long. Some have opted to switch up their paint colors, move furniture around or switch out throw pillows to refresh their spaces.

Me? I’m getting creative and adding new artwork to my blank walls—home decor that doesn’t require me to leave my home and that I can create using items I already own.

I created every single piece you see above in under an hour and my kids even helped create some! So unleash your creative side, rummage through your junk drawer, decor closet, and craft bins and see what creative wall art ideas you can come up with. 

RELATED: Family Photo Wall Ideas.

Exploring DIY Art

DIY Art for Beginners

The great thing about art is that it’s subjective, and most DIY art projects are so simple to create. The projects below are made specifically for beginners, so don’t worry if you don’t think you have a creative bone in your body—you’ll be very surprised when you’re done!

Embrace your Inner Artist

Let’s face it, not all of us have that creative gene, but that shouldn’t stop you from getting a little artsy with some simple materials. Figure out your personal style and go wild.

These DIY art ideas allow you to customize each piece to your home based on your preferences. So, choose your favorite colors, textures, and patterns, and most importantly, have fun with them!

Budget-friendly Art

The best part about DIY art is that you can usually find everything you need within your own home, making it easy on the wallet. By using affordable materials like recycled paper, old fabrics, or digital downloads, you’re not only saving money but also creating one-of-a-kind artwork that reflects your personality.

Inspiration for Art Ideas

I’m sharing eight different DIY art ideas to get you started, but there are so many other materials and techniques to choose from—the possibilities are endless. With just a little creativity, a few simple supplies, you can create a stunning piece of artwork for your wall.

Different Materials

As you’ll see below, you can find all sorts of material to use just within your own home! Look for old fabric scraps, ribbon, lace, placemats, finger paints, magazine photos, or even wrapping paper. 

You may need to go out and purchase a paint brush, a few canvases (or reuse an old canvas you already have) and frames to finish everything off, but you can find those fairly cheap at the craft stores or thrift stores. 

Some other materials that could be used to create your own art are dried flowers, tree branch (or twigs), wooden planks or popsicle sticks, washi tape, and even a shower curtain—thinking outside the box is a great way to create beautiful art pieces for your living space. 

Techniques to Choose From

An easy beginner technique to try out, even if painting isn’t your forte, is abstract painting. You don’t have to be an artist to create simple brushstrokes that create a visually appealing piece without worrying about precise details.

And speaking of super easy, try grabbing a stencil from the craft store or even making your own (simple to do if you have a cutting machine like a Cricut).

Another fun and simple technique involves using watercolors. I share this method below in my Brushstroke Art that my kids even helped create.

One last really easy technique that you can start doing today is layering fabrics, paper, or magazine clippings to create a collage and seal it with mod podge.

I actually did this for fall one year using dollar store pumpkins and paper napkins, but you can create the same effect on a blank canvas for the wall.

How to Make DIY Art Look More Expensive

If you’re a beginner, you may be worried that your art work will turn out looking like a 3rd grade art project! But don’t worry, there are a few different tricks you can use to make your inexpensive art look more expensive:

1. Frame it: Choose a high-quality frame to make it look more polished upscale.
2. Size matters: Consider creating on a larger scale for a bigger impact.
3. Color scheme: Create something beautiful that works well with your home color scheme, as well as on it’s own. Be mindful of the colors within your art piece.
4. Detail matter: Small details and finishes will make a world of difference to the overall appearance. Make sure to blend colors smoothly, or add subtle accents to your artwork.

8 Easy DIY Wall Art Ideas

All of these DIY projects can be made right now without going to the store.

1. Frame a placemat
2. Frame scrap wallpaper or wrapping paper
3. Make DIY brushstroke art
4. Create abstract digital art
5. Print and frame free downloadable art from Pinterest/blogs
6. Make easy resist art (kids love this one!)
7. Frame a pretty picture from a magazine
8. Frame fabric such as a patterned towel or pillowcase

Frame a Placemat

This is SO easy and looks really effective. This placemat is from Hobby Lobby but any woven one similar to this will work. Use your hot glue gun to add a little to the back and stick it down to some white (or colored paper).

I just used the white paper that came with the frame. Close up the frame and you’ve got instant wall art that’s full of texture and looks quite high end!

Get creative and see what else you have in your home that you could use. It just needs to be flat enough to sit in the frame. I think some dried flowers or branches from outside would be a great alternative.

Even faux flowers could be used to create pretty art for your bare wall with lots of color and texture.

Frame Some Scrap Wallpaper or Wrapping Paper

This is some scrap wallpaper left over from my recent bathroom makeover. Isn’t it so pretty in this natural wood frame? I love it so much that I think I’m going to frame another 2 to create a trio!

You could also do this with some pretty wrapping paper! To really take this to the next level, use a small paintbrush to add a little bit of gold paint or gold leaf for a tiny bit of detail—but remember, less if more in this case.

Make Your Own Easy Brushstroke Art

Brushstroke art is a great option to hand off to the kids. You can some control of the final product by designating colors. I had my 5 year old make this one for me using different shades of blue paint for a fun coastal, ombre kinda vibe.

Don’t be afraid to vary the technique – you can do short brushstrokes like above to create a pattern, or long horizontal strokes for a more abstract look.

Make Digital Art

Digital art is another fun DIY art idea that kids can create for your home. My son and I made a bunch of these colorful brushstroke paintings in Photoshop and his actually turned out better than mine!

Little kids don’t have the “perfectionist” tendency us adults do, so they let their artistic sides really shine through!

Of course, I realize that most of you don’t have Photoshop on your computer. But any painting program can be used to do this – Paint on PC or my favorite online tool, Canva (the free version is all you need!).

Watch the video below to see how easy it is to create your own custom abstract art using Canva.com

Frame Free Download Art

These floral sketch printables are a really elegant way to refresh a space and all you need to do is download and print them out. So easy!

I offer several other free printables when you subscribe to my newsletter, but you can also just go to Pinterest and search for “free printable art” or something similar to find thousands more options to create your own wall art.

Let Your Kids Create Art For You!

I already mentioned the brushstroke and digital art that your kids can help with and this is another fun project that’s even easier for kids to do. My 3 year did this one for me and it’s so pretty! All you need is some paper, a white crayon or a candle and some watercolor paint.

It’s a basic resist technique – draw a pattern on the paper using the white crayon or candle – in this case I just created a grid pattern. Then, let your child go to town with one color of watercolor paint. There’s literally no way they can mess it up :-)

Find a Pretty Picture From a Magazine

I ripped this out of a Yankee magazine. Go through your stash of magazines and you’ll be surprised as what will make for pretty art!

​As mentioned before, you can also create an interesting collage from magazine clippings. Find photos and patterns that are similar in color to create a unique focal point to your living space. 

Frame and Mat Fabric

I made this DIY textile framed art several years ago and it is still one of my favorites. I purchased the fabric from Etsy but you could easily dye your own or even cut up a pretty printed towel or pillow case!

Read the step-by-step tutorial here: DIY Textile Art

There are so many incredibly simple and free ways to add new art to your home. Whether you want to decorate your living room, kitchen or bedroom, I’d love to know which one you’re going to try!