{"id":12705,"date":"2019-10-31T17:08:38","date_gmt":"2019-11-01T00:08:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/?p=12705"},"modified":"2024-03-15T12:19:34","modified_gmt":"2024-03-15T19:19:34","slug":"diy-art-for-home-staging","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/diy-art-for-home-staging\/","title":{"rendered":"DIY Art for Home Staging: 5 Practical Ideas to Save Money (That Don\u2019t Involve Macaroni or Glue)"},"content":{"rendered":"

In desperate need of some art to hang in an existing empty spot on your wall? Or are you frantic over how empty your house looks now that you\u2019ve depersonalized the place<\/a>?<\/p>\n

Whatever the reason for your stark walls and bare tabletops, staging with artwork may be exactly what you need to help your house sell.<\/p>\n

\u201cRooms can look a little barren once you\u2019ve taken down all the wedding photos and family-specific artwork,\u201d says experienced Charlotte, North Carolina agent Nancy Braun<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen we stage a home, we like to hang artwork to bring beauty back to bare walls and to add a pop of color. We\u2019ll sometimes use sculptures, too, which add texture and dimension.\u201d<\/p>\n

The proof that staging works is in the numbers.<\/p>\n

In our recent survey of 900 of our top agents, a whopping 67% say that staged homes sell for more money<\/a>\u2014and they sell for anywhere from 1% to 20% more.<\/p>\n

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Of course, if you\u2019re already facing the expenses of selling a home, you\u2019re probably not eager to drop a bunch of dollars on artwork to stage a house you\u2019re selling.<\/p>\n

You can make your own art on a budget\u2014if you\u2019ve got a good eye and a dash of artistic talent.<\/p>\n

Unless you\u2019re already a working artist, creating art when you\u2019re in the middle of selling your house might sound a little nuts at first. But it doesn\u2019t have to be too complicated, expensive, time-consuming, or messy.<\/p>\n

The real question is: How do you keep DIY artwork from looking like a 5-year-old\u2019s finger painting?<\/p>\n

Here\u2019s a few non-cheesy art project ideas to help you out.<\/p>\n

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Source: (Andrian Valeanu\/ Unsplash)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

1. Channel your inner Bob Ross<\/h2>\n

Do you automatically envision amateurs slapping paint awkwardly on canvases while watching an old Bob Ross rerun when someone says \u201cDIY art?\u201d<\/p>\n

Well, embrace that stereotype and you\u2019ll find just the step-by-step process you need to create attractive, homemade artwork.<\/p>\n

PBS painting instructor Bob Ross<\/a> has become a pop culture for good reason\u2014the man is a master at teaching easy techniques so that almost anybody can produce a great-looking painting with plenty of \u201chappy trees!\u201d<\/p>\n

The official Bob Ross website<\/a> is chock full of all the info you\u2019ll need to create your own copy of your favorite painting.<\/p>\n

Buy a DVD of your favorite episodes of his \u201cThe Joy of Painting\u201d television show, or pick up a book filled with detailed written instructions on his creative painting techniques. You might luck out and find a Bob Ross-style painting class in your area.<\/p>\n

Each episode of the show will tell you exactly which colors you need and the right size of canvas to buy. However, it\u2019s less expensive to purchase a Bob Ross oil paint kit<\/a> that contains all the necessary colors used in the included instructional video\u2014plus some of Ross\u2019 favorite, unconventional brushes and palette knives.<\/p>\n

There\u2019s only one problem with painting along with Bob Ross: his medium of choice is oil paint\u2014which is notoriously difficult to work with, it\u2019s a pain to clean up with toxic paint thinner<\/a>, and it takes forever to dry.<\/p>\n

Plus, oil paints to use on canvass<\/a> and the required supplies tend to be price-y<\/a>.<\/p>\n

For a less expensive, easier to work with option, consider acrylic paints<\/a> instead.<\/p>\n

On the downside, acrylics are notorious for drying quickly<\/a>, which may make it difficult to duplicate Ross\u2019 wet-on-wet technique<\/a>.<\/p>\n

However, acrylics are also water-soluble<\/a>, which means you can add water to keep them malleable longer. There are also acrylic paint retarders<\/a> available to help slow their hyper-fast drying time.<\/p>\n

You may not be able to exactly copy Ross\u2019 painting techniques if you use acrylic instead of oil, but most can be easily adapted to work with acrylics.<\/p>\n

2. Enlist the guidance of an expert artist at an art class<\/h2>\n

Speaking of teaching, Bob Ross hasn\u2019t cornered the educational art market. Casual art classes are popping up across the country, and many of them already instruct with easy-to-use acrylics.<\/p>\n

Plus, many let you get your artistic buzz on with a glass of wine while you paint<\/a>, too.<\/p>\n

Companies hosting wine and painting parties number in the dozens, depending on where you live. Here\u2019s just a handful of the best that may be available in your area:<\/p>\n