Brighten Up Your Room With This Easy (& Cheap) Wall-Art DIY

This article was last updated on April 16, 2022

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Even if you aren’t trying to be a serious art collector, every apartment needs a little somethin’-somethin’ on the wall to keep it from looking more “meh” than “minimalist.” Problem is, the wall decorations and apartment accessories we crave are hardly ever in our budget (or as fun as the things that are), so it’s not exactly our fault if our walls are still bare. 

Luckily, we were able to DIY our way out of this decor dilemma and, of course, we had to share it with you. Using our favorite F. Scott Fitzgerald quote (what can we say, we have total Gatsby fever!), we created a bold canvas we love that completely de-blah-ed our last boring wall! To score a personalized piece for yourself, head to your local craft store for a few oh-so-easy must-haves, think on your favorite quote, and follow these simple steps.

You will need:
One large pre-gesso’d canvas (the bigger the better!)
Two different colors of paint
One pencil
One ruler
One large paintbrush and one small paint brush
Large alphabet stencils
Plus, a really good, short quote — pick one you love and know you’ll look forward to seeing every day!

Step 1: Use your large brush to apply the base color of paint.

Step 2: Continue painting until the entire surface of your canvas (including the sides) is completely covered. Wait for it to dry.

Step 3: Place your ruler vertically on the canvas about four inches from the left side. Draw a light line with your pencil.

Step 4: Dive right in! Place your first stencil right next to the vertical line. Using your smaller brush, fill in the letters with your second color.

Step 5: Place one word on each line and continue painting your quote. If you need to, you can always clean up around the stencil using your smaller brush and background color.

Step 6: Enjoy your new wall accessory — or give it to a friend as a rad holiday gift!

Photographed by Sara Haile

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