My downstairs bath was in need of some paintings and artwork.
When I first moved into this house, one of the first things I did was renovate the downstairs bath. My dad helped me install a new sink + cabinet and tile the floors. Eventually, I upgraded the all toilets to better quality ones. But even with all those updates the downstairs bath has always seemed to be missing something…perhaps a painting or two.
I fell in love with “florals in vintage bathtub” art and decided I wanted to paint my own. My mom actually gifted me a thrifted oak frame painting and I decided to give it a little facelift.
I want to put a disclaimer out there – always research thrifted paintings to see if they are worth $$$. Sometimes, people don’t realize what they’ve donated or the value of a particular piece of art. This is why I do a lot of research when I find original paintings. In the case of this acrylic art, I quickly came to the conclusions that it was another hobbyists art. And since it wasn’t my style of painting, I decided to use it as a free canvas.
Starting Anew
I started by applying a chalkboard black basecoat to the entire canvas. Once it was dry, I used a pencil to draw my design in. I did this lightly and carefully so I could erase any changes or errors I made. Once I was happy with my sketch, I began to paint. I wanted to keep the florals neutral and the greenery soft, so I muted a lot of my colors with white.
The Frame
I should have taken a before picture of the frame. It was plain oak, nothing special to look at. I decided to liven it up by painting it white and gold with 3/4 of the frame being white. To pull this off, I used white spray paint and painted most of the frame. Once that was dry, I used painter’s tape to tape off the sections of the frame I wanted to remain white. Using metallic gold spray paint, I painted the remaining part of the frame.
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For my first attempt at bathtub florals, I’d have to say this is pretty cute. Not perfect by any means, but great for this bathroom. It makes the room feel more inviting and slightly more luxurious.
Have you ever made your own art to be displayed in your home?
