For months now I’ve had several DIY’s I’ve been wanting to bring to the blog. And now that many of us are electing to stay home in the midst of this pandemic, I can’t think of a better time to add some creative endeavors to the to-do list!
You guys know that I prefer crafts that don’t take a ton of time, money, skill or effort, but are always original and fun. This painted lampshade DIY is just that!
The inspiration for this project stemmed from the beautiful art of Wayne Pate who at one point was – you guessed it – painting on lampshades. I bookmarked them thinking that it would be a fairly reasonable thing to attempt. I decided to start small, with linen chandelier shades to get the hang of things.
Painted Lampshade DIY Materials:
- linen lampshades
- acrylic paint
- assorted paint brushes
I alternated between foam brushes and regular brushes depending on what I was painting, so I’d recommend both! The foam brushes helped with the lines and circles, but the regular brushes are better for fine details or more organic shapes.
I highly recommend starting with a palette of no more than 3-4 colors. For mine, I chose this minty green (which I toned down with a bit of gray), a putty, a dark brown and a grey-blue.
The first lampshade I made with the simple circle. Being a minimalist, I figured this would be a safe bet for an option that I would like! I little tone-on-tone styling is fairly impossible to screw up. The second shade I tried the striped look with the brown. I didn’t love it. It looked a little too blah to me. So, after that I opted to stick with the three other colors in a variety of patterns.
If you’re the planning type (which I usually am), you may want to try out a few strokes or designs on paper first to get the hang of things. I actually just winged it on these, and it was fun!! The best part about this overall look is that it’s meant to feel organic. The lines do not need to be perfect or straight. Not every circle is going to be the same – and that’s the point. Imperfect is what you’re going for!
I already had a mini lamp that these shades worked with, but if you don’t, might I suggest these little cuties from Amazon? They come in a variety of colors, are fairly affordable, and – most importantly – you don’t need to leave the house to get them. In fact, all the supplies you need for this can be shipped right to you. Just make sure the shades you order are the size you need to match your lamp!
Have fun!!
