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Knife Art

CRAFTS

Don’t be scared.  Nobody was harmed in the making of this art.

I am no trained artist…just simply a fan of things that look attractive to me…but I’m truly a believer that any piece of inspired creation can be deemed “ART”.  It doesn’t matter if it was done by a professional or a stay-at-home-pregnant-mom-with-legos-in-her-bra-and-syrup-in-her-hair, on purpose or accidentally (Mona?  Totally a spill splatter.) and does not need anyone but your stamp of approval.  Some will disagree.  But to those museum curators, I say….show me a cloud and I will show you a woman eating bacon.

No literally.  I will eat some bacon while I explain the cloud shape.

Disclaimer aside…let’s talk art for a second…and not just any art….palette knife art.  Palette knives look like frosting spatulas…and we all know what that looks like, can I get an amen to cream cheese frosting?!  It’s a tool that artists can use to mixing or applying paint.  Their flexible metal blade makes it totally easy to shmear paint together to make more abstract, contemporary paintings.

Check out some of these awesome and inspiring palette knife art pieces on etsy….

That rooster makes me say Cockadoodledoo…the middle one is so moody and so beautiful – I think I have ten spots in my house ready for it right this instant….and the last one is gorgeous with that texture and movement.  Love them all.  A lot.

And they inspired me to do a little something for our foyer.  That little nook near the stairway was looking sad and bare.

Nothing a little boost of artwork can’t fix, right?

The only problem is that I don’t actually own a palette knife.  small snaffoo.  I do, like any DIYer, own a drywall mud knife (or six of them)…and my small one is really old and more flexible than a lot of others.  So I broke out my canvas, the drywall mud knife and seven different types of craft paint…all in a similar color scheme of blues and greens.

It helps to squirt a little of each color on your board so you can start with it close together….you are gonna shmear them all together anyway…

Also – it makes the art so much better to have different ends of the spectrum colorwise. I used the dark navy blue for depth and the pastel green to add light.  Just keep it in mind when picking your paints that contrast is a good thing.

Then you are just gonna scrape and dip and scrape and dip and repeat it a bazillion times.  It’s not about getting lots of paint – it’s about just getting different paint on your knife.  Don’t be scared to mix it up and layer paint on paint.

Then you just drag the knife down on the canvas.  I decided to do an easy square pattern.  It’s nice because the width of the knife always stays the same…and you can eyeball how far down to drag your knife to make it relatively even.  You can even layer more after the fact – dragging different colors over your first drag.

Then just repeat…over and over.  I was sure to dip in a variety of colors….if I felt like the line was getting too green or too light, I just dipped in a different color for a couple drags.

It only took me about 15 minutes to do the entire thing.  Easiest painting ever.  Seriously – a child could do this one.

And hanging it up added a big splash of color in the foyer.

I found the turquoise metal chunky B at Hobby Lobby.  And while I was there, I spotted the giant blue glass vase in the clearance section.  God bless the 70% sales.  The bottles are really old and hail from Pier 1 (they were also clearance and once in a while I still see them floating around at Goodwill).  And speaking of Goodwill, the little dog monks is one of my favorite cheeky finds.

So that’s my new look for the stairway landing….it’s a strange nook with curved walls and a triangle shape but hopefully now it looks a little more finished.  And for a fifteen minute investment and no cost (since I already had the canvas just sitting in my craft closet – and used the drywall knife and craft paint instead of expensive oil paint and a real palette knife)…it definitely is a step up.

Have you been crafting lately?  Anyone craft up an art project lately?  Or maybe you are just dreaming about getting paint under your fingernails?  On a slightly off note, I just watched my first episode of Craft Wars….love it…except honestly the judges seem a little odd to me…like they are totally obsessed with everything being way glittery and over-the-top colorful.  What’s wrong with a little luxe in the craft world people?!  Not that I don’t snort my fair share of glitter…but seriously, I’d love to see a really chic craft.  Make it happen Tori 🙂

Update : Looking for more info on something you see in our house?  We have a Shop the Bower House page with paint colors and links to accessories, furniture and decor!

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  2. First of all, I love your art! Nice work. I want to try it (and somehow achieve that rooster…)
    But now I have a few questions:
    Did that perfectly-fitting table come with your house? It’s an amazing fit.
    And- what is the glass-door leading to? Is it a closet? If it were my house, I’d be tempted to made it a superman phone booth. 😉
    Do, those are my random thoughts. I always enjoy your blog… That’s for sharing your life with peeps like me…

  3. It looks lovely, really love the colours. I have always got a lot of crafting ideas, my pinterest board is testament to that! However, I have a small problem which prevents me from fulfilling any of my ideas. I am just so rubbish at art and craft. I have imagination and ideas, but my synapses from my brain just do not get to my hands to be able to create such beauty. Sigh!

  4. I love this! Totally inspires me to tackle some do-it-yourself-art for my bare walls.

  5. I love it, Katie, and I love that it was free! What great colors too, you have me brainstorming what I would do now…
    Oh, and the wood B and the huge vase is amazing, go Hobby Lobby! 🙂

  6. LOVE it!!! This looks like something I could actualy do and may attempt for our master bath…hopefully steam from the shower wouldn’t damage it over time and if it does, well at least it’s a cheap craft:) I totally agree on craft wars! And I can’t believe they only have to make two crafts for 10 grand! Seems like a gigantic payday for making a sweater wreaths DNA styrafoam tree!

    Oh, how on earth did you happen to have the perfect size and shape table for that nook? AND I want to know, what’s in the for to the left, I don’t ever remember seeing that?! 🙂 congrats on baby boy blue #2, Will’s going to be an awesome big bro!

  8. What the heck auto correct? I was trying to ask, what’s in the door to the right of the nook. Geeze, I’ve got to proofread, oh well, you get what you get at 5am:(

  9. This is seriously inspirational, Katie! I have a feeling it will be showing up a *lot* on Pinterest, and I might have to try my hand at it too! I’ve always loved palette knife art but don’t consider myself particularly artistic, but I think I could do this.

    Thank you so much, for this and for everything else. I’m praying for you and your family that the rest of your pregnancy, your delivery, and Will’s transition all go smoothly!

    xoxo

  10. Oooh this is awesome! I needed some Art for our master bath (uh once we actually start painting it!) and this might do the trick! Thanks for the idea – I’ve never heard of knife art?? Hmm has my being a SAHM taken me out of the loop that much?!?

  11. I love it! And I kind of want to try it but I’m afraid it would just turn out to be the worst thing ever. Not the most artistic girl over here!
    And thanks a lot for mentioning cream cheese frosting. I have some leftover in the fridge and now I want to eat a spoonful of it….delicious and not nutritious.

  13. You are so stinkin imaginitive! It looks great. I never would have thought a little craft paint could make such a great painting, and so easy! You amaze me!

  16. Amen for cream cheese frosting 🙂
    What a beautiful entryway! No one would ever guess that that only took you 15 minutes!

  17. I love this. It is really beautiful and SO my style of linear and simple and clean. The OCD in me thinks it looks fun too in making the sweet little squares. I would love to try this, and do something like the rose effect in the samples. My next R&R cant come fast enough now! You did a great job!

  18. What a great idea!!! I have an old canvas that would be perfect for a project like this! Thanks for the idea 🙂

    Also, what is the door to the right of the table? Is it a closet that has a french door on it?

  19. Ohhhhh, I just l-o-v-e it! The colors are stunning, and how simple! I’ve got a butt-load of mid sized canvases that I bought on clearance, and I’m thinking of following your lead here, but with a trio of three canvases. Great work and congrats on boy #2!

    ~Jen in Canada, eh 🙂

  20. How did you know I had DIY art on the brain. Do you have ESP?……I just want to give you a heads up. I am going to straight up copy this for my living room with different colors. You may see it in your next Pinterest challenge. We have been looking for art for a while and I finally decide I couldn’t spend that money right and I am going to DIY, just bought the canvas yesterday so your post is perfect timing for me.

    Thanks again for being so awesome!

  22. I LOVE this and totally agree about Craft Wars. The judges are way too over the top. Couldn’t we get some bloggers on that show to give it a little more class and a little less cheese?

  24. Love it… love the colors! And the dog monk is preciously hilarious!

    My 5 year old and I made bubbleart on Sunday. He absolutely loves bubbles so it was perfect for him. Just mix a bit of watercolor paint with a bit of bubbles and blow onto paper. VOILA. Fun stuff.

  25. “But to those museum curators, I say….show me a cloud and I will show you a woman eating bacon.”

    Favorite quote of all time 🙂

  26. That painting is beautiful. I can’t stop looking at it. It really draws you in. I really need to try this.

  28. That is just gorgeous! I love the colors…. makes me think of sea glass. I’m so pinning this! LOL

    Love the changes to the foyer.

  29. That is so cool!! Definitely looks like art I could handle. You give Mona a run for her money. (I never reallly understood why she was so great. Did she even eat bacon?)

  31. Love the art!! You are so creative! I started watching craft wars last night but ended up DVRing it. It looks like a fun show and I would die to have all those supplies at my fingertips.

  32. Nice and nice score on the giant vase–i bought that at full price at hobbylobby!

  35. Love it! And I work at a museum in exhibitions and dabble in curation (and at home am a momma with cheese in her hair, juice spilled constanly on my lap, and show up with work unknowingly with some sort of peanut butter/ yogurt/ fruit combination smeared on m clothes ) so if that validates you up to artist there you go!

  37. This is a great idea! I love all the colors you chose. Also, the nook as a whole looks beautiful! I am not a museum curator, but I say it is art for sure.

  38. I love how it turned out! I also like that if you wanted to change it up and add a new accent color that you could just smear some of the new color over areas of the canvas.

    You are queen of making cheap look expensive!

  39. Love it! The whole thing is very cheerful.

    I took an oil painting class eons ago and I know there are add ins that can help thicken the paint for pallet painting so that it gets that chunky effect like some of your examples.

  41. OK, if you google “ehow thick paint techniques” you can get tons of ideas. Some include sawdust, sand, corn starch, liquin, stand oil, Zec gel…

    I’m inspired now! I love that blue swirly example. Thanks!

  42. I love the entry nook. I especially love how you turned that curved table backwards. I have a similar table, but mine sits flush against the wall, but it’s great to think that I could work into a curve someday. It’s those little touches that make you so cool!

  43. Are you SURE you didn’t buy this somewhere? It’s gorgeous! And you make it look so easy. I love the colors and how the whole nook turned out. Sarah

  47. Oooooo I just love this! I have a canvas that I bought to cover an old fire alarm panel and I’ve been trying to decide what to do with it…I think this might be it! Thanks for the inspiration 🙂

  49. Katie, this is SO beautiful and simple. You have inspired me to do this for my own home! Can you give us a wide shot of the foyer with the new art and decor (like the first shot you had that showed the bare nook)? Thanks so much for being awesome!!

  52. I love the painting!!! And the other new additions to the foyer! Can you show us a foyer “after” shot from the same angle as the first picture?

  53. So cute and creative, love that blue scheme! I am headed to Hob Lob NOW for that vase, beauty!

  55. Wow that little nook looks sooo much better, I love it! I always think about DIY’ing some art for our house but I always chicken out…one of these days I need to just take the plunge! Yours always turn out sooooo good!! P.S. I uber love that vase as well, so jealous!

  56. Love it!!! I was wondering if there was an easy way to do that kind of art. Thanks so much for showing us how easy it can be! Thinking of all the ways I can use this.

  57. I’ll try to remember to take the photo later this afternoon….once Will goes down for the nap 🙂
    xo – kb

  58. Love it! That area looks so great and inviting now! The art gives me hope. My husband is the painter in our family, but I could actually do this. Thanks for the boost.

  59. haha…that table was actually one of the first things I ever blogged about…and in our old house, it was in our living room flanked by the green chairs. When we moved in and were unpacking, we were just trying to make things fit inside the foyer so that table got squeezed into the roundabout…and has stayed there ever since 🙂
    xo – kb

  60. haha…nope – just good luck 🙂
    and the door leads to the basement…we do have a closet right next to it though 🙂 I’ll have to tell Jer about your superman booth idea…that’s pretty awesome.
    xo – kb

  61. I always wondered how that kind of art is made! I am less of a trained artist than you. Your jellyfish art is gorgeous. Anyway, this is perfect! I love it.

  63. We all paint in my house, but the son has an etsy shop: ( affordable art!)

    http://www.etsy.com/shop/mfrancoart

    Art is subjective, and as such, it is totally up to the viewer to take away whatever they need from the art.

    Love your pallet knife on steroids art. Looks very fresh and cool.

  64. I love this sooooo much! Everything together looks perfect but the actual art looks awesome. My mind is spinning with all the things I could do! Thank you for sharing!

  65. Katie I love what you have done! It looks sooooo good!
    What would you suggest if you have a very small area in the front of your house? Do you think it is wierd to put artwork as soon as you open your door on a wall? Thanks for your help!

  66. I love your little entry nook! The painting looks awesome in the space! I’ve been working on a little art project for our guest bedroom and I swear it’s turned into the longest project ever. Am I the only one that turns a simple project into a three month long affair?!

  68. That is awesome! I love the color scheme and it all works together well. You sure are a great crafty girl!

  69. I LOVE IT!!!! And I TOTALLY agree about Craft Wars! My husband and I were watching it last night and we were discussing how it’s not our style of crafting, that we wanted to see things that were more modern and chic. I want to see something that I might actually want to make or might inspire me with a new idea for something. I did, however learn that spray paint will melt Styrofoam. Good to know! 🙂

  70. This is beautiful, Katie!! I love it and the little nook of blues/greens you created. I might give this a try sometime!

  73. This is one of my favorite DIY’s that you’ve posted. I love the colors and I think the art is actually something I could do myself! (I’m an awful DIY’er) – great post!

  75. Love your art. I have the perfect place for one just like it ( in my colors of course ) Anyway, I know what you mean about craft wars, the judges don’t have my taste obviously, because what I see in those projects is a huge waste of craft materials. There has been nothing made that anyone would want for their home. I quit watching after 3 shows, because it just made me covet that wall of craft supplies and the wood room!

  76. Thanks for sharing your project and it’s inspiration! I love what you came up with, and also the circle chunky paint piece. I agree with the previous comment – I can totally picture it in a bathroom as well! And I think if the paint can be used for outdoor projects, it might hold up in the bathroom okay, no??

    Unless I come across something absolutely amazing, I don’t think I’ll buy store art again – these ideas are beautiful and easy! I suppose it’s about finding the right size canvas at that point 😉

    Here’s a project I did recently – saw a horse head in Pottery Barn catalog and it inspired me to do a couple simple silhouettes using the image:

    http://www.jeanettemeetsmark.com/post/27722403955/diy-art-horse-silhouette

    Thanks again!

    Oh, and enjoy your time with your son before number two comes…I have two boys (4 &2) and they are the loves of my life, and they are a handful! 🙂

  77. Beautifully done! Who wouldn’t buy that? When you get tired of it, sell it! This would look awesome anywhere in the home but it sure would class up that awkward oblong blank wall above the potty that some of us have!

  78. I am so excited to try this. I have been wanting to do some kind of canvas art myself that is simple, yet looks really difficult and artsy! What a great way to capture some colors into a new space. Thanks for the inspiration… woo hoo for knife art!

  79. that space looks awesome!!! love the colors, love the way you cranked that out in such a short time, and love the how-to explanation you put together. 🙂

  80. Hey I like it! I just took an Art Aesthetics class for my masters program so I could enlighten you with what makes are good or bad but I’ll refrain. DIY art is so much fun isn’t it?!

  81. That looks so cute. Love the color ~ cute table to fit right in the nook too!! 🙂

  82. Love your ideas and your blog! I was just snooping around reading your old posts and just realized that your wedding anniversary is going to be the same as mine! So cool!

  86. I’ve just finished a post on DIY/free art and I’ve been looking for inspiration for a canvas I can add to the loungeroom, me thinks this is it! It looks pretty schmicko so fingers crossed

  94. Love it, Katie! So great! The art is amazing, of course, but I’ve had my eye on those chunky letters from Hob Lob since they came out and you know what?!?! They don’t have an “F”!!!! Really? They skip right over our last name! Boo! They foyer looks so cute and fresh! Great job!

  95. Oh and craft wars has been a huge disappointment! They are not given enough time to create anything well and are judged so strictly!

  97. Hi Katie,

    Just wanted to say I’m really enjoying your blog these days. Good mix of family & DIY! Keep the posts coming. 🙂

  105. I’m a professional photo stylist and interior designer…I just wanted to point out that that nook is for a plant, like a large tree. To have two tables in your foyer is very odd and redundant. The table in the middle is classic and for flowers and your keys and wallet or what not. A second table is just for useless clutter. Also your styling is very odd, why would you need a basket full of blankets in a foyer?

  106. Haha…I’m no stylist and I definitely can’t keep a large plant alive! Ha! And the basket full of blankets right there is actually useful to me…whenever I’m running out the door to a photoshoot I grab a couple so I have a place for folks to sit!
    To each his own I guess!
    xo kb

  107. Nice post and tutorial! Fun to see you use my friend Karen’s rooster as an example of palette knife painting and very nice of you to link back to her Etsy page. Your painting turned out great.

  109. This is fantastic! I am moving in 2 weeks and this art project is first on my list!

  112. I love this! Question – did you dip and scrape one color at a time? Or did you get a couple colors on the knife and scrape them all at the same time?

  113. A couple of colors at a time. Sometimes you can just do white and the color you like. It’s really so simple that you can’t screw it up.
    xo – kb

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