Easy abstract art for beginners (video tutorial)
Hey friends, remember when I told you I’d write more about the abstract art I had in my fall tour? Well, today is the day. I actually made a little movie about how to make your own easy abstract art for beginners. It’s become my most-watched video tutorial on YouTube.
In 2014 I wrote a tutorial about how to make the below turquoise DIY abstract art and people just seem to love that tutorial but I still get questions about it which is the reason I wanted to make a little video to show you what to do in a slightly different version.
Easy Abstract Art for Beginners
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This easy abstract painting is done over a couple of days and that’s not because it is hard to do but because I added different layers over time. Don’t overthink the composition and don’t be afraid of messing up. If you don’t like the finished abstract artwork then you can always paint over it with white and start over. The more layers and textures the better it will look. I promise.
Materials I used for this piece of art
- a canvas
- white and black acrylic paint or whatever colors you would like (my big container is from Michaels but I also use other brands)
- artist spatula (or palette knife)
(my secret weapon)
- different sized brushes
Video painting tutorial
I wanted to show you in a video that I paint over several days. As I mentioned above let the layers dry in between coats to get a nice texture which is what I love in a painting.
Use short brushstrokes to paint the entire abstract piece.
I hope the video loads fine for you and if it doesn’t then you can head over to my YouTube Channel to watch it instead.
Photos of the finished easy abstract art in our living room
And here is a photo of the painting I have in our living room painted with the technique in the video:
As I mentioned, for me it’s all about layering to get texture. Starting with the first layer of white and then with the other layers whether you do several colors or only black and white.
Here is a close-up of some of the textures:
I leaned the artwork behind the brass pot I found at Goodwill and for now, I like it like that but I am not sure if it will stay right there.
Other DIY artwork and wall art ideas
- what to do with old trophies (and how to repurpose them into a collage to hang on your wall)
- DIY brush stroke art
- geometric wood wall art
- long macrame wall hanging with embroidery floss
- faux taxidermy on wood slices
- DIY wall mural art on canvas
I don’t know if you guys are video people or if you’d rather have photo tutorials. I have to be honest, I’m a photo tutorial kinda gal but I know there are a lot of folks out there who like to watch the process. Please do tell me what you prefer.
Below you can find some of my other artwork tutorials and ideas.
That’s it for today und Tschüß,
(Youleeya)
you are SO talented! i should try it- would probably feel really good!
You should try for sure. We should do it together 😉
Beautiful! I love the video – it’s so helpful! I have zero skills when it comes to painting, so it was great to get to see your techniques!
I don’t believe you! You probably just don’t know that you have the skills too 😉
lovely! I’m the photo tutorial type myself, but Dave always looks for video tutorials when he needs one, so….I guess everyone’s different 🙂
The only thing I watch tutorials for are technical things. In that case pic tutorials don’t cut it.
That video was so fun to watch Julia! I wish I could go to a class with you in real life. You are so talented and make it seem do-able. Love how that piece came out and all your artwork!
Thank you! I wish we could go to class together too.
Last time when I tried to paint was in school. Oh, when I did my kitchen I hold a brush on my hands, but it doesn’t count right? You are an inspiration!
Haha thanks Miranda
Mad skills friend… but I do think I could try this!
Haha, you definitely can