DIY outline canvas painting

Home is where the hand is, and hello from my home state of Michigan!

I took the train back to my parents’ house late last night after an amazing day at work covering the Blackhawks championship parade and rally — more on that later — and am enjoying a calm weekend with family and friends away from the hustle of the city.

Don’t get me wrong, I love Chicago so, so much, but after a non-stop month of moving, figuring out transit, unpacking, decorating, shopping, working, pizza eating, socializing, hosting weekend visitors, sangria consumption, running after L trains, sleepless nights, street festivals and endless amounts of just flat out fun, I really needed a weekend to nurse my sunburn and persistent hangover relax out in the country.

Plus, as much as I looooove falling asleep to the soothing sound of the Red Line L train right outside my window, falling asleep to the sound of rustling leaves and crickets is much, much better.

I posted a photo of this project on my Instagram a few months ago, and meant to share a tutorial on it after I was asked about it. But then life got pretty insane when I accepted a new job and moved to a different time zone, so I didn’t have time to put a post together.

Now that I’m visiting my Michigan home, I figured it was a great time to share!

You’ll need:

Canvas of any size
Squeezable paint pens

This was actually a very simple — albeit time consuming — project. I started it a few months ago when I visited my friend Caitlin for the weekend and we decided to have a craft night. She made these really cool catchalls, and I decided to make this painting.

I have it hanging in my Chicago apartment, and it’s one of the most-commented on items in my living room. People always want to know where I got it, and when I mention I made it, they’re astounded.

And like I said, it’s super easy! Just find the shape you want and print out a cutout. Tape it down to your canvas, and start using your paint pens to outline it.

Continue until the canvas is covered.

I didn’t take any “during” photos because the process is pretty straightforward, albeit repetitive. I used silver and gold since I have a combination of both colors in my apartment, and wanted a piece that would draw everything together.

I love the way it turned out, and it’s so nice to have a little piece of home in my Illinois apartment!

Anything in particular you’d outline if you did something like this? Let me know in the comments!