DIY Easy Art for Beginners from a Thrifted Frame

Color me COMPLETELY surprised that I actually painted something that sort of resembles art. But here we are.

When I found this shabby chic picture frame in the thrift store for $2 (less than that garage sale sticker price), it reminded me so much of the Studio McGee art at Target I’ve seen everywhere. Well, you know… without the actual art in it at least.

So I rummaged through my kids’ paint they use for arts and crafts, flipped the paper frame insert over, and started mixing colors and splashing them on the paper to see what would happen. Heavyweight paper would have worked better, but I just used what I already had.

Supplies Used:

• Thrifted frame
• Antique Gold Rub n Buff
• This acrylic paint set
• Disposable bowl and spoons (for mixing colors)
• Paint brushes in assorted sizes

How to Paint a Simple Landscape as a Beginner

Trust me when I say I draw stick people. My 8 year-old is a better artist than I am. But it turns out this was a pretty simple way to dupe art for next to nothing. You can see the quick process in the video:

Before starting the “super fancy painting”, I rubbed down the picture frame with some antique gold Rub n Buff. (I use that stuff on everything.)

Ta da!

Okay, it’s obviously amateurish, but it’s pretty darn decent if you consider it abstract.

From far away, it almost passes as the real deal, right? Maybe I’m totally blind to how bad it is. I don’t know. Don’t look too closely at those wonky trees. Haha!

If it’s really that awful, pick a free art printable to replace it with, ‘kay? 😉

But it was a fun little craft, and really, that’s what DIY should be all about anyway. Just have fun.