DIY: Painted and Doodled Canvas Floor Cloth Tutorial

I created this canvas floor cloth as an alternative to area rug for my studio. I had all the materials on hand: yards of canvas that I had bought for making painted journal covers, bottles of acrylic and India inks and dozens of Sharpie pens. It seemed that this could be a project where I could put all of these to good use. Since I wanted to finish this project within a week or so, I decided that I will not overthink or overplan the design and that I would fill it with whatever doodles that popped in my head at that moment. I used a couple of doodles from the official Zentangle patterns and the rest were all my own.

The design process itself was quiet simple. I painted the canvas cloth with acrylic inks first. Then, doodled the patterns using Sharpie markers. Finally, I added white highlights where I thought the design was too dark.

Overall, I enjoyed making it very much. It was like coloring a giant page. Except for one thing: the pungent odor of the markers irritated my eyes a lot. I thought of switching to Prisma brush pens but found Sharpie to be the best tool for doodling on canvas. Next time I do something I like this, I will wear a mask.

Here are step-by-step instructions 

Materials 

1. One 36" by 60" unprimed canvas cloth
2. Daler Rowney FW Acrylic Inks (I used Indian Yellow and Purple Lake)
3. Sharpie Markers (Fine or Medium Point)
4. Craft acrylic paint (white)
5. Inexpensive sponge brushes (available in any craft store)
6. Inexpensive acrylic paint brushes (available in any craft store)
7. A plastic cup
8. Water
9. Wax paper
10. Newspapers or plastic garbage liners

Instructions

1. In a well ventilated room, spread the newspapers or the garbage liners on the floor. These are to protect the floor from any color seepage from the canvas cloth.
2. Spread the canvas cloth on top of the sheets and wet it thoroughly with water using a sponge brush.
3. Decide on the colors that you want to layer the canvas with. You can choose a single color or two or more complimentary colors. Pour a few drops of the acrylic ink in a cup and add 4-6 tablespoons of water to dilute the ink. The ink is highly pigmented and a few drops diluted with water can easily cover the whole cloth.
4. Paint the canvas with the ink using the sponge brush. Add one or more coats to achieve the color intensity that you want (see below). Let the canvas dry.

5. Once the canvas is dry, start doodling with the markers. I would recommend using doodles that can be scaled up. This will help you to cover large areas fairly quickly. Use different color markers for interest.

6. 6. This step is optional. If you like, you can add highlights using inexpensive craft acrylic paints. I used white paint for this step.

 

7. Finally, hem stitch the four sides of the canvas to keep the threads from coming loose. If you choose, you may also attach a slip resistant rug pad to keep the floor cloth from moving on the floor.



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Art on Wall

I had painted this half of the living room wall in teal a couple of years ago. Recently, we got some new furniture for the living room and I wanted the wall to have a new look. I did not want to spend too much money on it but at the same time I wanted to make it personal. Since I knew how to draw and paint I decided to create a mural. It was a little daunting but a practical and commonsense approach made it manageable with a happy end result. Here is how I did it:

1. Since the wall was already painted blue, I decided to paint the mural in white. I used motifs and images that could be easily scaled up. At the same time, I avoided geometric or repeat designs to save on time. I used motifs that I am comfortable drawing such as flowers, leaves and birds. If you are starting with a white wall, you may want to paint your mural in many colors. 

Details

2. I used ordinary craft paints (FolkArt) since they are not messy (unlike house paints) and are washable with water. Which meant that if any part of the mural did not come out the way I wanted, I simply wiped it off using a damp paper towel and painted over again. 

I used wax paper as the palette for the paint. It is cheap, easily available and disposable.

3. I used charcoal pencils to loosely draw the various elements. Charcoal pencil drawings, again, can be removed with a damp paper.

4. I used inexpensive round brushes in various sizes. It is good to have 1-2 smaller sizes (0-2) for adding details. A liner brush can also come handy. You can find inexpensive set in the art aisle of any craft store.

5. Finally, what helped me most was the thought that I was creating art not on the ceiling of Sistine Chapel but just on a little corner of my living room. I only had to please myself. 

I hope you feel inspired to create your own art on wall. If you feel unsure, start small in an area that is not too visible. Experiment with designs and colors and see what works and what does not. Once you feel comfortable, go big.

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