How to Paint Frames with a Distress Look

DIY

Here is an easy and inexpensive way to frame and create art for your home.

I’ve been obsessed with coloring books since I was a kid! My sister has a great collection and is really into the benefits of coloring books for adults and how they help us feel more creative. We both suffer from some anxiety problems and coloring really help us leave the stress behind and feel in peace.

One of my new favorite coloring books for adults is this one named “Tattoo Designs Creative Coloring for Grown-Ups”. I got it in California a few months ago. It has great illustrations and I love the bold thick black lines in the designs.

If you have a favorite coloring book, don’t hide your favorite creations inside. That’s how I felt about these illustrations that I really like, so I decided to color them using ink gel pens like these ones here and markers. Then I framed them with some pretty pastel frames and use them to decorate my bedroom.

This idea is definitely an easy and inexpensive way to create art for your home.

They look great in a bedroom, living room or you can use the same idea to decorate your kids bedroom with some cool illustrations like we did here.

How to Paint Frames with a Distress Look

  1. I found my frames in a second hand store and I knew they were perfect for this project. The first step is to clean and sand the frames to remove any dirt an the old paint and finish.

  2. Then paint them using pastel color acrylic paint.

  3. When the paint is dry, use sandpaper again to scrape gently the top paint of the frames and give them that distressed look.

    Another idea that we love instead of sanding the paint, is to add a few brushes of a lighter or darker tone on top of the first layer of paint to give it a vintage look.

Check out the video below to see the process of this project (It’s in spanish but it’ll give you an idea of materials and steps and how they should look).

Lali Valverde

Lali Valverde is a fashion designer who loves to share her creative adventures. She also enjoys upcycling, sewing Halloween costumes for her dogs, embroidery and illustrating quirky quotes for her Instagram. She lives in Mexico with her husband, three adorable dogs and two awesome cats.

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