How to Paint Over a Piece of Art

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Have you ever wanted a new or more exciting piece of artwork in your home but don’t want to go out and buy something? Maybe you already have a piece that is the perfect size and is already framed?!

Makeover, re-do, whatever you want to call it – this piece in my living room is a work of art that has been re-done! Behind me find a 36 inch square canvas with a gold floater frame.

This Abstract floral piece that I completed in 2019 totally inspired my April ’22 Abstract Flowers Collection! You can check them out here.

But the funny thing about the piece in my home is that I painted over a piece of stock art to create an original piece of work! And it was so much fun that I want to show you how you can paint over a piece of artwork too!

How it happened: 

We moved into our home in 2019 and I had a lot of blank walls to fill. Your home can totally be a visionary canvas if you allow it to be! I had this rather large (like I said, 36 x 36) piece of stock art that did not fit my design vision for our new space. So I thought, it is already framed… why don’t I just paint over it and create something new?!

So I started this project…

As you see above on the left, I have a geometric piece of stock art. It has a gold floating frame – which I love! and it is a perfect 36 inch square to fill a blank wall in my living room!

Supplies:

1. Wide foam brush
2. Gesso
3. Modeling Paste(may not need, see directions below)
4. Acrylic Paint – this is a great starter set!
5. Painters Knives(these are the ones I use) or an old credit card or hotel room key works too!
6. Frog Tape or Painters Tape
7. Paint Brushes
8. An old Piece of art you want to paint over(for various reasons!)

The Process:

First, dust off canvas and frame and tape over any parts of the canvas or frame that you want to keep from getting paint/primer on. I used frog tape!

Put first layer of gesso on canvas using a wide foam brush. Try to make brush strokes go in same direction. Now wait for canvas to dry. I know…. patience is key.

Now do gesso layer 2 and allow dry time. Do a third layer if you think your canvas needs it! (This would be necessary if your artwork and it’s texture is still showing through. However, this may be what you are going for!)

The gold lattice design on this particular piece of artwork is slightly raised, so I used modeling paste to create a more even surface, all the while increasing texture. Here I used an old credit card to do back and forth whisps of modeling paste across the entire canvas(see photo below). Painters knives would work well here too! (If using modeling paste, work in layers. Using too much at one time will make the canvas heavy and may cause cracking)

I love experimenting with modeling paste and seeing what it can do for a piece’s texture. I encourage you to try it too!

Now it’s time to paint!

I used acrylic paint for this piece. I was going for an abstract floral arrangement! I worked in layers and I started by painting with my hands to paint the general outline. Then I moved to using painters knives and increasingly added in layers of colors. See the transition below!

This piece now hangs on the blank wall that I was trying to fill in our living room! I’d love to hear from you if you’ve ever painted over an existing piece in your home OR if you end up trying my method! If you aren’t a try-it-yourselfer, you can always shop art here.