DIY Black and White Minimalist Art

Another small–and inexpensive–change to our living room that might encourage you to get out your paintbrush. I’ve been wanting to change up the art over our mantel to make everything “flow” a little better. There’s a lot of pattern going on now with the sofa, pillows and new upholstered screen. I felt like the art needed to be simplified so I decided on something black, white and minimalist once I found this framed art at a thrift store.

It was the exact size I needed, was already professionally matted and I loved the frame. Even better, it didn’t have a price tag so they sold it to me for a whopping $12.

Here’s a better look at how all of it works together:

As far as the actual painting process goes, I started by sketching lots of different shapes on paper until I figured out where I wanted to start. I flipped over the board that the original print was adhered to and painted directly on that. I started with white, adding texture as I went. Nothing about this is–or should be–perfect. (I used a random piece of mail for my straight edge. Really professional all the way. . . )

I used a paint pen to outline my shapes before I sponged black acrylic to fill them in. My final step was to go back and outline everything again with the pen to make it look crisp. I also painted the mat with a sponge brush. It’s one of my favorite tricks!

But the most important part of this process? Propping it up on my mantel and stepping back to see what it still needed. I kept adding shapes until it felt finished. (I also got lots of unsolicited opinions from my kids along the way.)