Make Something Monday: Paint by Number

It's that time again. Make Something Monday. Remember when I had a bunch of things lined up to share in this "regular" blog installment? Then remember when I dropped off the face of the earth and never posted any of them? Well, I'm back. At least today.

Quite a while ago I saw this blog post about turning a thrift store picture into a paint-by-number masterpiece. Paint by number is that kitschy, vintagey, fun kind of art that adds a little surprise to an otherwise more sophisticated collection. (Ok, let's be honest, I don't have a sophisticated art collection, but I do have a collection, and I thought something quirky would be fun. You know, as if I needed more quirky in my house because the bird print chair and zebra lampshade isn't enough.)

I've mentioned before that I frequent a thrift store called Tuesday House and I knew the frame section would be the perfect place to look for a floral print that might be good for a paint-by-number transformation. Sure enough, I scored this little beauty for $0.50. I thought that was a good amount to pay for something that may or may not turn out.

A sweet little picture, right? It's a print or transfer on a board and I kind of liked it as it was. It's important to like what you start with, at least a little bit. I had to mix a lot of the colors myself, and I was definitely winging it, but I think it turned out pretty well. I didn't do anything to the background for a couple reasons: 1. I wasn't really sure how to tackle it--the whole thing or just parts? 2. Painting around all the flowers, leaves, etc. was way too much work. 3. I thought the shadow might look too overpowering and dark if I made it a solid color.

Ta-da! Sketchy drawing transformed into paint-by-number!

The original picture had a smooth and shiny finish but most of my craft paint is not glossy, so my last step was to do a quick coating of Modge Podge over the whole thing to create an even glossy finish. I used a wider brush that would leave brush strokes too. I thought that would give it some character and subtle texture. You can't see any of that in the photo, but you can see it up close. 

Overall, this was an easy project that I could do here and there. It gave me a good creative outlet without  being a major undertaking. Here's another shot of the final product, just for fun. 

Now I just need to find a place to hang this lovely work of art.