When I walk past the stacks of art at Target or IKEA, it always seem like a shame to buy mass produced art. Of course, not everyone is confident enough in their artistic ability to DIY their wall art. Enter Jaime and her DIY art to demonstrate that anyone can be an artist.
Jaime over at I'm a Mom not a Professional admits that's she's no Van Gogh. So when she needed new art for her bathroom but didn't want to spend the money on purchased art, Jaime found a way to make her own ... and cheaply, too!
Using a couple of blank canvases, some contact paper, a little clip art, and two paint colors, Jaime created this quite lovely cherry blossom art. First, Jaime gave the canvases a coat of burnt umber paint. Then, Jaime selected the clip art she wanted, enlarged it to the size she needed and then printed it directly onto the contact paper. She cut the designs out of the contact paper and applied them directly to the canvases (after the coat of burnt umber had dried, of course). Next, Jaime applied two coats of white paint over the entire canvas, using a stippling technique to create texture. Before the paint dried, Jaime carefully peeled away the contact paper. And behold – DIY art for under $8!
Check out the full post over at Jaime's blog: I'm a Mom Not a Professional: Cherry Blossoms.
Images: I'm a Mom not a Professional
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Terrific! Thank you for sharing.
"[I]t always seem like a shame to buy art."
Why? Do you hate artists?
It's never a shame to buy art. It's often a shame to buy decor that pretends to be art--for example, what what you see at Target and IKEA.
Thank you, krl2876. I came here to say the same thing.
This post is about a nice decoration project. There's nothing wrong with it, or with the mass produced stuff at Target etc. People enjoy having that in their homes, but it is not art.
I still do not believe this constitutes art. The idea that "anyone can be an artist" by painting over and removing contact paper that has been printed and cut out is rather offensive to artists. I still do not think this should be considered art, but is just a way to create wall decor. I understand that this is a fun idea for those who want decor the "quick and dirty" way, but let us not toss the word "art" around so loosely.
and artist world wide are at this moment rolling their eyes as once again their hard life's work is compared to mass produced crap and diy. nothing wrong with either, but please do not cheapen their work by comparing it to a 5 minute project or a roll in the printing hay.
but as a 5min project, its pretty easy, looks good and is a good place holder for a future print from etsy (they're not that expensive, and are actually someone's life's work)
Mass produced or original, it would be a shame if no one bought art. Artists and musicians need to eat too.
I do disagree with some of the other commentors that graphics used in decor or clip art aren't art, there are graphic designers behind those images and a creative process that occurs to bring us those images. I have friends who are painters as well as those who work in graphic design or who are illustrators. I don't consider the latter two to be any less of an artist.
I think she did a great job on her DIY art. What constitutes as a craft, art, and a project? Now that I can afford to buy original pieces and know a bit more about what I like, I am happy to support artists. However, there are times when it isn't feasible for me (past and present) and I never felt that just because I crafted a piece together discounted the artistic merit. Does that make me an artist? No, but are there crafts that I would consider art? Sure.
I will continue to support artists and encourage other to do the same. However, I also encourage people to be creative and go out there and make stuff.
i love how people rather make snarky, higher-than-mighty comments on half these forums instead of saying something as simple as 'nice job!' or even if you don't care for the end result, a simple 'not my style, but kudos on the effort!'
apparently, having a superiority complex is an artform as well =P
as to the Jaime, nice job. =)
As an artist, I find it "offensive" to say that her project was anything but art. There are no rules in art!
For me, my art is about being unique and expressive, but that doesn't mean that anyone who doesn't follow this is wrong or less of an artist. I think each of us has a creative side to us, so we're all artists, whether it be with DIY, poetry, music, cooking, gardening, painting, etc.
On a separate note, I also have the mindset many times of "why buy this when I can make it myself." Kudos to you & your initiative. Jaime. Your project was something you created, and that's likely to be more enjoyable than a purchase of the same thing.
surrealities, a conley - i agree!
my father-in-law who passed away recently, was a fabulous painter. both his parents were also wonderful painters. he always said, if you can draw a line, you can do anything.
if i had him for my art teacher, instead of the one i did have, i wouldn't have retired my paintbrush at age 18.
I'd feel bad about putting REAL art in my bathroom, because I think heat&moist would damage it. I like this idea very much :)
Good heavens, why is everyone pompously going on about what constitutes art when the cherry blossom creater is so very modest ("I'm a mom, not a...") This is not the place for such a debate! This is a DIY post!
I think it's FABULOUS! Art is totally subjective- so those "artists" who have the "this is an insult" attitude- YOU ARE THE ARTISTS WHO GIVE ARTISTS A BAD NAME AND MAKE ARTISTS SEEM LIKE PRETENTIOUS SNOBS!!! I feel that the apple pie I made from scratch is art. I feel that my kids finger paintings on my fridge are art. I feel that the grafitti tags on the local transit station are art. So, snotty artists, lets say you use your cross to build a bridge, and get over yourself.
I love this idea. I love having art/decor (are we seriously having this tired debate again) in the bathroom and this is a practical option. I wouldn't want to damage the pieces I have with the heat, steam and moisture in the bathroom. If there was ever a place to incorporate pieces from the Howard Johnson school of art it's the bathroom.
This was a fun, great project.
I agree with A Conley. This is art - and it's not offensive to artists to call it that. Art is what speaks to you - it is subjective. I think this is a lovely project, and it may be derivative art, but each person who does this project is going to get a different result. Each will be customized to its creator's preferences. And if it is valued, it will be art. Not only that, this project is a great way to get those people who don't believe in their artistic abilities into creating something beautiful.
The reason I dropped out of art school was because of snobby "not-art" attitudes.
I think some readers are missing a few key words here: "mass produced art."
If you buy some picture from Target that was mass printed in a factory somewhere and glued to a frame, you're not exactly supporting an artist.
And yes, I'm an artist!
Far better for people to try their own hands at making something - usually it gives them a better appreciation for how much works goes into creating something, and I find the people that *make* things, even silly crafty things, are far, far more likely to come buy handmade original art than people who buy everything from big brand stores.
As a tip for someone who wants to do this for themselves - you don't even need a printer! You can take a tip from grade school art projects - just take the contact paper outside on a clear, sunny day, and trace shadows from a handy low tree. The tree has to be close to the ground or you won't get strong enough shadows to trace. :)
I guess what Andy Warhol was doing probably isn't considered art, huh Kaeto. Who died and made you the boss of art?
Fun project for a weekend to help liven up your space.
Art on the fly. BAM!
ART. ART. ART. I just wanted to say it again in case anyone forgot what we were talking (ART) about.
Wow, weirdest comment thread ever.
The original article says "When I walk past the stacks of art at Target or IKEA, it always seem like a shame to buy mass produced art."
Commenter #2 says ""[I]t always seem like a shame to buy art." Why? Do you hate artists?"
And everything devolves from there into what is "real" art and derides the OP for a DIY project.
Hey "real artists" or lovers of "real art" how bout you actually read the post before you make obnoxious comments.
"Kaete" tried to make this point, and I don't know what happened after that.
It took 15 comments before someone noticed that the 2nd commenter quoted the OP wrong.
/facepalm
I think its great that people get fired up about 'what art is'. Gives it an importance, strikes a nerve. Thats a good thing.
Nice, inexpensive, doable art. I think the coolest part of this project is the fact that you can print on contact paper and save the tracing step!
Nicely done, it looks very crisp and clean.
Great stuff, may steal this idea!
And as someone who aspires to be a full-time artist, let me say that art is ANYTHING the creator makes and says "this is art."
Good art is harder to find, but I feel that anyone who gets snooty is no longer worth my time; every "real" artist started out with a project that a) went well or b) was fun. Period.
Girl & Lamp, Andy Warhol has been dead for 24 years.
But yes, I do get your point - commercial artists should be highly valued for their work and great contributions to society. Unfortunately said artists are rarely well paid for work that shows up in big box stores such as Walmart or Ikea.
These days, an unfortunate amount of the very cheap discount art you'll find in stores is sadly either skirting copyright, or outright stealing content unless it's owned by a company like Disney.
Because of this, it's very understandable for the average consumer, who can't know if the art they're buying in Walmart is stolen or not, to be put off from buying cheap mass-produced art and instead seek out art they can trace back to the artist, or make their own beautiful things instead.
I like this DIY -- it's very pretty and well done.
On the scale of "Is this truly art or not?" I'd put it at "mostly not, but a little bit." It's highly derivative -- since the original artist was the unsung person who produced the clip art. But the way in which she used it to create a pretty display required good aesthetic judgment.
I do think, though, that "everyone is an artist" democratizes the idea of artistry a bit too much. A skilled artist, whether professional or amateur, spends many hours honing that ability. It doesn't just come out fully formed. We can all create art, but there's a difference between a 5-year-old kid's finger painting and a masterwork ... and all that lies between.
As someone who lives with an artist - darlings, it's never the question of 'Is it art?' Because it inevitably always is. The question is 'Is it GOOD art?'
Nice project.
I am an artist and the majority of my friends are artists too, and they are constantly amazed when I do "crafty" things around the house to decorate. If you have the drive and energy to make something creative, you are ahead of 99% of the population and can call it whatever you want.
Great! Now it's evolving into what makes a "Skilled artist" and "Is it GOOD art?". Please it's just DIY!
If you've ever visited an Art Gallery - public or private - do you ever get that feeling like you're not meant to be there? As if this was an invitation only arena and you were gate-crashing? That's what I hate about "art" people.
If I can go to the MOMA and see a dot on a canvas and it is considered "art" why can't this be art? Should she have commisioned an artist and paid $5000 for him to do this? No b/c it's just a (pretty darned good) DIY project.
I used to teach art. I used to be an assistant curator at a respected midwestern art museum. I'm not The World's Greatest Expert on art, but I do know something.
I like this project a lot. It makes an attractive fun decorative item for the home which the creator can feel proud of.
It isn't "fine art". (But who cares???)
I think a problem today is LOSING the ability to discriminate (in a positive way) between quality and lack thereof. Younger generations want everything to be equal and egalitarian, but some things are simply qualitatively better than others. There are people here who will passionately defend the designer's right to not have a chair knockoff made because it infringes on the designer's work. Yet "anything" can be called "art".
Just because you don't care for or respect some modern art ("dot on a canvas") doesn't mean that the piece is inferior or that it means anything at all can be justified as art because of your perceptions of it. I can agree that there are some pieces (especially "conceptual art") that are dubious as art, but good art is usually recognized by most everyone. It is a separate thing from DIY projects.