Do you have old artwork laying around that doesn’t really work with your decor anymore, but you haven’t gotten rid of it? I do too! I had these two framed prints that no longer match my decor. I kept meaning to paint over them, and finally just did it! It didn’t take me very long, or cost me anything! Just follow these easy steps in how to update your old artwork.
You want to be sure that the artwork does not have glass, or the frame can easily be taken apart to get to the actual canvas itself.
1) Prepare the artwork
Remove the canvas from the frame, if possible, or just tape around any mattes and around the frame. Tape anywhere you don’t want to get paint. If you want to add some texture, smear the canvas with spackle and let dry thoroughly.
2) Paint over the old design
Paint over the old design with primer, or white acrylic craft paint. I used a chipbrush to paint over mine, but you can use a wide foam brush, or whatever you have!
3) Gather inspiration
Have an idea in mind of how you want your piece to look. Search Pinterest or Google for artwork that you like. I knew I wanted mine to be more modern and abstract, so I had a few pictures pulled up for inspiration.
4) Gather paint colors
I just used acrylic craft paint, and used the colors that I already had. There’s no need to buy expensive paints, the 99 cent paint from the craft store is all you need! Well, and a brush! I used one of my kid’s old ratty paintbrushes, but it worked just fine.
5) Begin painting
Tap to watch the video. This step can be really scary, but it’s just paint! You can always paint over it or wipe it off if it’s not going how you want it. I had a second styrofoam plate that I used for dabbing off the excess paint from my brush, and I also used it to mix colors. I wanted a water-color look, so I kept my brush very wet, and with just a little tiny bit of paint. I used two containers of water, but purposefully let them get yucky and did not rinse them out. This lends to more muted paint tones.
Tap to watch the video. To make the horizon look more subtle, I took a wadded up paper towel and dabbed off the paint. This works well for spots that you mess up on also.
6) Let dry and hang
Let dry thoroughly and hang your beautiful new creation! That’s all it takes to update your old artwork!
This technique works great for a piece of art that you find, but just doesn’t quite match your colors. Just change the colors like I did here! Or maybe you don’t want to paint it yourself, there are great sources for downloadable art!
Hmmm, I’m looking at it on my new phone on Chrome and I don’t see any videos….. just blank white spaces….
Yeah, thank you. I’m taking the videos out. They aren’t loading correctly.
Really great information here. Thanks for sharing this. I have some old ones sitting under my bed that I might drag out now.
You totally should redo them! It’s really fun!
I love that idea! I have painted frames but never thought to repaint the image.
It’s really fun! Now I want to repaint everything around!
What a great idea!! Im going to remember this!!
I hope you try it! It’s so fun!
What a great idea! Not sure I am brave enough to try it! I have taken pictures apart and reused their frames but never thought about actually painting over the picture! Thanks for shating!
You can do it! It’s just paint, and you aren’t using that piece of old art anyway! What have you got to lose!
You make it look so easy. What a great idea to freshen a space! Thanks for sharing.
It really is easy! And if you mess up, you just paint over it!
Such a great transformation! Love the colors you chose.
Thanks so much, Marie! It’s so fun to do!
That is such a great idea. I have several things like this that I could try this diy for a new piece of artwork. I was not able to see the videos but I love how it turned out.
Thanks so much, Sonya! I’m trying to work the video issue out!
Look at you go girl! Such a clever idea!🙌🥰
Aww, thanks so much, my friend! It’s so fun to do!
Well how awesome is this?! Love it! They look beautiful!
Thanks so much, Mary! It’s kind of addicting-I want to make more!
What a great idea!! Looks beautiful!
Thanks so much, Christin! They were so easy to paint!
What a good idea to repurpose outdated artwork! Im going to be going through mine now!
You totally should! It’s really fun!
This was so cool! such a great upcycling art idea!
Thanks so much! I should’ve used upcycled art in the title!
Such a creative idea to rework artwork – I never thought to do that! Very creative.
Thanks so much! I’m only creative because I’m so cheap! I don’t want to buy new if I don’t have to!
This is such a great trick, these painted images look so good!
Thanks so much, Josiah! I felt like a real artist! LOL!
Talk about creating a blank canvas to let our creativity go wild! This is such a fun and budget friendly decor idea!
It is seriously so much fun, and I felt so artistic, even though I don’t have an artsy bone in my body!