Texture Tantrum: Hopping on the DIY Plaster Wall Art Trend


New year, new projects. 
I took the last week of the year and a few days after the New Year to recharge as a creative. I dove into the things I have been saving on Pinterest and screen shot-ing and let me tell you it is exactly what I needed.
Since November I feel like I have been working in hyper speed, it's truly a blessing to have orders to process and things to get done- no complaints, but my board of personal ideas was feeling pretty negelcted, had to show her some love.
 At the beginning of 2020, I noticed a trend of painting ceramic pottery and glass vases with the half paint half baking soda trend and loved it, it was while reading those blog posts and scrolling through countless pictures when I stumbled upon a simple, clean, white, large, canvas painting with tons of texture.
The way the sunlight hit each groove and crevice was so simple yet stunning, but the price tag- eh, not so much.... So I saved the picture in my 'art ideas' and went on my way to paint my pottery, which turned out pretty neat too, I might post about that later, however you can google 'baking soda paint DIY' and tons of videos and posts will pop up!
Which leads me to last week, I was doing a gnarly purge of our offices when I stumbled upon this gem I was about to donate. 
I purchased it about three years ago in the clearance section at Hobby Lobby for a whopping $4, which is why donating it didn't seem like such a bad option. However, while it was in my donate pile something hit me, and hit me hard, it was that saved photo I had of the canvas art I wanted to purchase, I saw a few gals do DIY art similar to this, Brepurposed did a whole story segment on it a few months back which I screen shot and saved, I tried to look on her page for it and couldn't find it which is why I thought I'd make a quick step by step for anyone who's been wanted to do this but hasn't grown the balls to do it, which was me until Monday of this week haha. 
I am known for over analyzing, over planning, over watching, over thin
king...you get the hint. So in full Carson fashion, I watched about 14 videos and read no less than 18 blog posts about different ways to achieve this look. From plaster, to making my own texture paste, or even a texture additive to paint (which I might try next time, sounds interesting). But I am SO happy with the end result and very glad I watched and read all that I did. Like many people have said- there is no rhyme or reason to it, just let your wrist flow. Trust me I don't consider myself an abstract artist and did just fine!
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 What you'll need: 
any framed art work you no longer want or blank canvas 
mud pan (mixing container)
painters tape
something to mix compund
white or neutral paint color (optional)
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Step 1
Clean your canvas. Wether it be truly a canvas or something like I did, a glass framed piece it's always good to clean it before painting.
Step 2
If you have a framed piece you're up cycling, it's best to tape off the border of the frame with painters tape. I didn't get a picture of this because I wasn't thinking, so just imagine blue tape all on the wood nearest the glass frame, ensuring that nothing would get on the frame and ruin it. 
Step 3
This is the optional step, if you have a glass framed piece you are going over- like my glass triangle artwork, you have the option to paint the glass area white or a natural white tone. (The frame was glued and sealed so I couldn't take the print out of the frame and put something else in there, tried that).
The color I had on hand was Blank Canvas from Behr-it was a sample bottle. 
Step 3.5
You can leave the paint as is and paint on the glass OR you can do what I did and mix some baking soda in with the paint to create a texture-y paint (about 2-3 coats until the glass is no longer visible, let paint dry completely between coats). I completely eyeballed this situation and wish I had measurements for you, but the paint/baking soda mixture will get a little bubbly at the top and become a mouse like substance I think it was about 1 tablespoon of baking soda per 1/2 cup of paint or less.. damn it idk.
Then let it dry for about 2 hours after final coat before doing the plaster.
Step 4 
If you have a canvas welcome back to the party, lol. This is where the fun starts. 
Mixing the compound is simple, if you know how to follow directions...2 parts compound powder to 1 part clean water. I mixed it in the dish similar to the one linked above. For my sized art piece, I used 1 cup of compound powder with 1/2 cup of clean water.
Mix very well.
Step 5 
Using the plastic taping knifes (I used the small and medium sizes), scrape the plaster out of the dish and onto the canvas. Scrape and swoosh the mixture to create different types of movement and flow. I will link a few videos for you to see the techniques that are used to achieve this. It easier to see than read.
Step 6
Let the artwork dry overnight and then admire your beautiful creation
for-ev-orrrrrr (Sandlot reference)
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SIDENOTE:
I am not 100% ure WHYYYY my pictures are so blurry and make the art look so blah. Trust me when I say it's so magical in person and the feel of the lines and dimension give the art so much life.
I can't wait tp do more for my office, I already have something up y sleeve for a PART II of this post, so stay tuned for that!
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Video references:
Gliding technique 
Inspiration video 
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Art and creating is such an outlet for me and watching the entire process is something I love so much. Reusing that of which I already is something I can attest to my mother. Rearranging and revamping is an art form in and of itself.
I hope this little tutorial shows you to think twice with some of the pieces that you have ready to donate or toss and also gives you a little artist motivation, you'll be surprised at how well you can do! 
If I do inspire you to create something like this please tag me in your post!!
Happy crafting.
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xo
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2 comments


  • Katie Again

    Sorry for the redundancy. Not sure how I managed to post that comment twice! 😬


  • Katie M.

    I’m an over-planner, too. Perfectionism or procrastination? My husband would say the latter.. ;-)
    I did want to make a suggestion that might be useful for those who have “high-traffic” homes. This is specific to joint compound. It should be sealed with something, whether a chalky paint or matte sealer, joint compound is soft and can easily get chipped off or marred. You could even mix a little water and Elmer’s Glue All or Mod Podge. Anything really that will help harden the JC mud to protect it. I hope this helps. Thank you so much for sharing your process. It turned out beautifully!


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