It’s Tuesday the 10th, and that means it’s time to share this season’s unofficial Pinterest Challenge — a fun, do-it-yourself push dreamed up by Katie to get us off the endless pinning treadmill and into actually making things. Cue the choir of glue-gun-wielding angels!
I decided to try some small acrylic paintings simply because I wanted to get back into painting. Other than a single painting I did a while back, most of the last decade has been dominated by walls, accessories, and furniture projects rather than canvas work. Will these mini Pinterest Challenge paintings get me an art opening? Not likely. Still, they were a blast to make, and I’ve found places for all of them around the house. I genuinely smile when I walk by them. The best part was spending a couple of evenings using Christmas art supplies that had been sitting in my closet for months. Painting felt like a perfect, low-pressure way to have fun and experiment.
For this challenge I took inspiration from a handful of projects I’d pinned earlier and gave each one my own spin. The original Pins that inspired me included geometric fabric patterns, a carefree child’s painting, a stamp-based DIY, a commissioned artist’s work that I used as a muse, a prior Pinterest Challenge piece that inspired someone else, and a bright watercolor card project. Those varied influences pushed me to play with color, texture, and loose strokes.
- Geometric fabric patterns that reminded me of doodles my dad used to make.
- A carefree painting by a child that celebrates spontaneity and bold color.
- A simple stamping technique made from household items that translates well to texture.
- A commissioned artist’s pieces that served as a muse for composition and palette.
- A DIY project born from a previous Pinterest Challenge that inspired further creativity.
- A bright, loose watercolor approach with imperfect strokes and charming color blends.
*Other sources of inspiration for abstract work included contemporary artists and online tutorials about making abstract art — all of which put me in the mood to pull out paints and just play. Now, onto the painting play-by-play:
My first painting session happened after Clara went to bed. I used a small Reeves acrylic set and inexpensive canvases that I picked up with a gift card. I started small and quick, dab-dabbing color across the surface without overthinking the brushwork. I was drawn to coral and red paired with green, yellow, and blue, and alternated between dabbing and lightly dragging the brush for softer blends.
Roughly twenty minutes in I had a lively, small abstract that felt like the right size for experimenting. I loved it so much I wished it were bigger, but starting small made the process much less intimidating — and I could always scan and print it larger later if I wanted.
The second canvas didn’t click for me as strongly. It served as a good reminder that color choices matter — rushing to fill a surface can lead to less satisfying results. That said, even pieces I’m less thrilled with still have their own quiet charm, especially at a tiny 4 x 6 inches.
Next I tried a chunky, 5 x 5-inch canvas and leaned fully into loose, repeat dabbing. The result felt somewhat water-lily inspired — a happy nod to Monet — with bright turquoise pops and coral streaks that made me smile. Again, color relationships made all the difference.
After everything dried overnight, I started thinking about placement. Our hallway frame wall is a rotating gallery, so I popped two thin canvas-wrapped boards into existing frames in place of a print and a postcard. Removing the glass from one frame allowed the thicker board to sit directly in the opening, while the thinner canvas worked fine behind glass.
My favorite still felt like that first, small piece. Beginner’s luck or not, it captures the exact mix of color and looseness I wanted.
The chunkier canvas found a spot on another frame wall, where it adds a playful, turquoise-accented moment.
After that I took two larger, inexpensive canvas boards and photographed each stage as the paintings evolved. They started out quite ugly — that’s normal for my process — and I tend to build layers until something clicks. At several points I thought I should stop, and those versions were often the ones I liked best. The main lesson from photographing the stages was simple: know when to stop. Take a breath and assess whether the next layer truly improves the piece or just covers what you already liked.
Ultimately, I didn’t hate the final versions. In person they have a neon greenish-yellow that feels modern and cheerful. One of the advantages of inexpensive canvases and paint is the freedom to repaint — zero commitment, maximum experimentation.
To finish a couple of the canvases, John and I DIYed chunky wood frames from scrap materials we already had. We originally planned to hang the framed paintings in the office, but they looked best in the kitchen, where the colors pop off the stenciled walls in a complementary way. We used 3M picture-hanging strips so we didn’t create unnecessary holes in the wall.
For the painting above the stove I added a thin sheet of acrylic in front of the canvas to protect it from splatters and make it wipeable — a small, practical hack that keeps the artwork safe from rogue spaghetti sauce.
It’s funny how a homemade painting and frame can end up feeling perfectly at home in a spot where I’d tried a dozen other things. For now they’re staying, though I fully expect to repaint them again someday when the mood strikes.
Here’s a quick budget breakdown for anyone curious about cost-effective DIY art:
- $11 – five canvases and a paintbrush (local art supply store)
- $16 – 24-pack Reeves acrylic paints
- $0 – two DIY chunky wood frames made from scrap materials
- $0 – two existing frames used for smaller canvases
- $3 – acrylic sheet to protect the kitchen canvas
- Total: $30 for five painted canvases (average $6 per piece).
If you count the paint supplies as a holiday gift purchased earlier, this project felt nearly free — built around items we already had plus a few inexpensive purchases. That’s a great feeling for anyone who likes low-cost, high-impact decorating.
If you tried any Pinterest Challenge projects or other small DIY art experiments recently, share them! If you have a blog post, add a link to your project. If you don’t blog, post photos to a public image gallery and share the link in the comments. It’s so inspiring to see what other people create when they stop pinning and start doing.
