DIY Glue Art

I was bored this afternoon, so I grabbed some paints and went to work.  I made a piece of art work using a glue gun and acrylic paints.  Don't let the term "art work" discourage you; you DO NOT have to be artistic to make a great picture!  You can also make this project for under $10. 

What you need: 

Pre stretched canvas, whatever size you want.  Sold at arts and crafts stores.  Look for sales and use coupons!  

Hot glue gun

Acrylic paint

water

small/medium paint brush

What you do:

1.  Use the hot glue gun to draw a design on your canvas.  I drew flowers.  You can draw a picture or just lines and shapes - it's up to you! 

2.  Water down your paint.  You want the paint to be almost like water colors.  One of my painting teachers from high school said to apply paint thin to thick - this "rule" came in handy with this project.  

Use a wet, thick brush to apply the paint, one color at a time.  You can always go back and add more color if you want.  

first layer of color

beginning of second layer of color

It's finished! 

I decided to hang my painting up in my living room.  I think it looks great!

My tips:

1.  Less is more!  After finishing my painting, I realized I didn't really like the swirl designs in the painting.  Depending on the light and the angle, they don't really stand out too much.  Next time, I'm just doing one, simple design/pattern.  

2.  Let the paint dry between layers!  This will make it easier to work on one layer at a time.  Since the paint is so watered down, it will only take 5-10 minutes to dry between each layer.  

3.  Have fun!  there is no right or wrong.  It's all an experiment - play with the paint, water and glue; see what you come up with!