DIY Wide Prism Canvas Painting: How I Transformed a Discount Canvas

What is it about painting that makes me feel a bit beret-ready? I finally tackled a giant 40 x 30″ canvas we scored for $23 at Michael’s during a sale (50% off plus an extra 25% — more on that at the end). After spotting an inspirational poster design on a blog (thanks to a Pinterest pin from a friend), I decided to adapt the idea: make it horizontal instead of vertical and play with inexpensive paint samples. I bought three $2 test pots at Lowe’s and mixed them with white craft paint I already had to create a wide range of tints from just a few base colors.

To start, I used a yardstick to mark equal vertical divisions across the canvas—just using the yardstick’s width to keep spacing consistent—and penciled in the lines. Then I used the corner of a small mailer card (an oil-change reminder we’d received) to create the angled peaks that echo the prism-like shapes from the original design.

Once the pattern was mapped out, I filled each geometric section with variations of blues and greens, all derived from those three Lowe’s testers mixed with white craft paint for lighter tints. The testers I used were Behr’s Tropical Waters, Embellished Blue, and Thermal Spring. After the first pass it felt energetic and bold, but the contrast was stronger than I wanted. Here’s how it looked at that stage:

I love that painting is forgiving—you can always paint over it. I mixed a much lighter green-gray and glazed over several of the darker green areas to soften the contrast and achieve a more subtle, tone-on-tone effect. The result felt calmer and more cohesive.

I enjoy the imperfect edges, visible brushstrokes, and the subtle variations within a limited palette. The only hang-up is placement: the canvas doesn’t read right against the bedroom wall because the wall color is a similar blue-green. The tone-on-tone layering looked promising, but in practice it felt a little too monochrome in that space. We’re leaning toward hanging it in the dining room above a wide buffet or console near the front entry, or possibly somewhere else that provides a bit more contrast. I guess I prefer tone-on-tone artwork that isn’t mounted on an identical-colored wall.

I went in expecting an evening or two of work; it ended up taking longer—about four or five sessions of a couple hours each—but I almost didn’t want it to end. Painting again reminded me how much I enjoy the process. It took me right back to high school and art school days—where I took every art class available and eventually completed a BFA in Advertising Design in New York City. Using affordable house-paint samples felt like a small, satisfying rebellion compared to the pricier artist-grade paints I used to buy as a student.

A side note about art school: one of my drawing professors once nicknamed me “the narrator of life” because I muttered and narrated my own process while working—“oops, dropped my charcoal,” or “now for the foreground”—sometimes aloud without realizing it. At the time it was a little embarrassing; now I laugh because my job essentially involves narrating parts of my life. Maybe I’ll track down that professor and share where that path led—just don’t tell him I used house paint instead of oil. Scandalous, right?

This project was a reminder that you don’t need expensive supplies to create striking wall art. A few inexpensive testers, some white craft paint, a large discounted canvas, and a willingness to play and adjust can yield a piece you’ll want to live with—even if you move where it hangs a few times before it finds its perfect spot.