Scavenger Chic

DIY Art, Make Your Own Pottery Barn Copycat Painting

• By Joan
• March 29, 2023
• 11 Comments

DIY Art, Make Your Own Pottery Barn Copycat Painting

Back in January I was showing you my basement half bath makeover.  I started with the closet shelves, moved on to an upcycled towel rack and finished with the thrifted finds on my new (reclaimed wood) shelves above the toilet.

When I finished my makeover I was still on the hunt for artwork for the large blank wall across from the toilet and sink.

I fell in love ♥ with this artwork from Pottery Barn. The “Blue Horizon Framed Canvas“, 36×36” size sells for $699.  So close but that is about $690 above what I want to spend.  

If I wanted to make a Pottery Barn copycat I would need a canvas.  

The very first place you should always shop for a canvas is a thrift store.  They are filled with mass produced images printed on canvas in a variety of sizes with questionable designs that you would have no problem painting over.  Of course, on the day that I’m shopping, I can’t find any that are the right size for the right price.  I think the closest I found was a $15 canvas. Not terrible, but I can do better.

I knew that I wasn’t going to buy at Michaels but I still wanted to check their price.  The above picture shows a 24″ x36″ canvas for $47.99.  😯 

I’m going back home, empty handed, but doing what I should have done all along.  Make my own canvas.

From my scrap wood pile I found enough wood for my frame.  While they are all slightly varying widths, they average about 1″x2″.

From my fabric pile, I still had enough of a drop cloth to make a perfect canvas.  If your canvas is wrinkled like mine was, make sure you iron before using.

Cut your 1×2’s to any length you choose.  That’s the benefit of making your own canvas, you choose the size.  My finished frame is about 36″x28″.

More scrap wood is used for the corners.  Staple or nail  the scrap wood triangles to the 1×2 sides.

Cut your canvas a few inches wider and longer than your frame leaving yourself enough of the fabric to go around the 1×2’s. You should have enough fabric to staple on the back.

As if you were covering a chair seat, start stapling the canvas in the middle of each side of the frame.  Alternate sides and pull tight as you go, working your way into the corners.

A true artist would prime their canvas with Gesso. I’m not a true artist, just an artist wannabe, and I don’t expect my artwork to last for a hundred years, so I’m priming my canvas with white chalk paint I already had on hand.

It looks like my Pottery Barn copycat has some sort of texture on the canvas.  I can do that,  I have spackle!

Where the canvas is tan in the picture above, is where I smeared some spackle with a putty knife.  The spackle will turn white when dry.  Try not to leave deep mounds of the spackle, you’re just looking to have a slight texture.

My color palette for my $699 painting.  All paints I currently had on hand, though I did add some dark brown acrylic in the final iteration.

I used mostly white and grays for the sky.  If you want cloudier, add more gray.  Try to work fast before the paint dries as it’s easier to blend the colors.

My first final painting.  It’s ready for hanging.

I liked the sky, it was just the land I was having a problem with.

This is a close up of some of the spackle texture in the sky.

Was I finished? No I was not.  

I must say, having your artwork right across from a place where you get a chance to judge it, a lot (the toidy) makes you rethink all your life choices.

Paint paint, tweak tweak.

All finished again!  Back to the bathroom wall it goes.

Still no. There is more delineation between water and land but the color is lacking.

Maybe I should actually look at the Pottery Barn painting I’m trying to emulate.  That was the trick, I needed more color.

Finished again!?  

Maybe.  This version has lasted longer than the last two, but I still think I need a tweak here and there.

It is hanging in the bathroom, at least for the time being. 😀

In the bathroom mirror reflection you can just catch a glimpse of my Pottery Barn copycat.

As for the cost.  Since I had all the wood, canvas, spackle, paint brushes and paint already on hand, this project cost $0.  My kind of project!

Until next time, stay inspired.

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