House dash Home: DIY Watercolor Art Print

Remember that gallery wall we created in our hallway?

We filled up all of the frames with happy memories in our life. Mostly pictures of adventures, family, and our relationship. And while these snapshots of moments are precious and lovely, we felt that the wall needed to be broken up with a few art pieces. Y'know...to keep things interesting.

I wanted something personal and meaningful to us, so I aimed to create this art piece myself. Though I am certainly no artist (my 'art' portfolio circa 2001 would prove that to be accurate), I needed it to be simple and quick. Because I have a very long to-do list.

Out to prove to my parents that my first year of college wasn't a TOTAL waste, I used a method I learned in Painting 101 to create a quick print. See, mom, I did learn something!

Justin and I have a quote that is very dear to our hearts; one read during our wedding ceremony before we exchanged our vows.

"I have for the

first time found

what I can truly love -

I have found you."

The quote is from a Charlotte Bronte novel (Jane Eyre) and is true down to the deepness of our soul. After Justin and I met each other in 2011, I learned a lot about love. Our relationship taught me that love in not many things. It's not jealous, it's not hateful or sporadic; true love is honest and warm, it's always there and it wraps you in the warmest blanket even in rough times. I was so blessed to find that guy I married, he really is the greatest human being I know. He's the best, guys. And if you're honored to know him, you would probably agree that I'm the luckiest little lady to have him by my side.

Anyway, enough of that lovey-dovey stuff. Let's make some art!

This art print is as easy as it gets, folks. It took me about 20 minutes from start to finish, including dry time.

First, I gathered up the items I needed.

Matte Board (from gallery wall frame)
Poster Board (not glossy poster board)
Printout of Quote
Artist Masking Fluid
Fine Paintbrush
Wide Paintbrush
Watercolor
Cup for Watercolor

1) I created a Microsoft Word doc of the quote I wanted to copy. I used Arsenale White for the font. Then I printed the quote out to the size needed for my frame. (Quality of the print doesn't matter since I'm just using this as a guide).

2) I cut the poster board to size and laid the matte over the poster board and centered it in the matte board frame. Then I taped the quote to the board so it didn't move around.

3) I used a pen to trace the letters onto the posterboard. Applying slight pressure to make sure an indent was left on the board.

4) After I confirmed a clear enough image on my board from tracing, I removed the printout and recycled it.

5) Using my fine tipped paintbrush, I painted the letters with artist's masking fluid. This will ultimately prevent the paint from absorbing into the paper wherever there is fluid. If you make a mistake, no worries, just wait until the fluid dries then rub it off and start again. *Artist masking fluid comes in tinted and untinted formulas. I used the tinted formula - this makes it easier to see where you've applied the fluid.

7) While the masking fluid was drying, I mixed up black watercolor in a cup and grabbed my wide paintbrush.

8) I painted watercolor over the letters.

9) After everything dried, I rubbed the masking fluid off. This was very easy - it came off in little balls just like rubber cement! Then I placed the image back in the frame. 20 minutes! That's my kind of project ;)

I love that softness and variation of watercolor. And I think it's the perfect fit on our gallery wall. Don't you think this would make a great and easy gift? It makes a beautiful statement hanging on the wall!