Step 1
Express Yourself on Canvas
Purchase a few blank canvases and acrylic paints at a craft store and create some contemporary wall art full of bright colors and abstract shapes. Unframed canvases are wildly popular, so you don't even have to spring for a frame. Use painters tape to create geometric shapes or paint squiggles and freehand shapes. You can also use stencils to create patterns on a canvas. Create a grouping of three canvases in coordinated colors and you've created an instant focal point.
Step 2
Fabricated Artwork
You may already have some fabric tucked away in a closet, but if not, fabric and fabric remnants are cheap, cheap, cheap! Choose patterns and colors that will pop on the wall and stretch the fabric over homemade wooden frames, stapling excess fabric on the back, then simply hang your frames on the wall. If you prefer framed art, stretch and staple the fabric on foam board, frame it and you're good to go. One really fun and easy idea is to buy a bunch of plastic embroidery hoops in different sizes and spray paint them in whatever colors you desire. Let dry and simply stretch your fabric inside the hoops and arrange them on the wall. The perfectly round shapes add a pop of modern color to your walls.
Step 3
3-D Cork Board and Mosaic Creations
Collect a variety of frames at garage sales and flea markets and unite them with a coat of paint. Insert corkboard in place of the glass and backing and make 3-D arrangements of postcards, jewelry, buttons, parchment and notes, dried flowers and twigs, pins and buttons, shells – anything you can imagine.
Create mosaics from old bottles, faux gems, jewelry, buttons or glass. Wear safety goggles to break the glass then arrange your treasures on a piece of plywood. Take a digital picture of your arrangement and print it out for reference; install hanging hardware on the back of the plywood. Add a layer of quickset mortar, dyed with concrete stain if you wish, and press your items into the wet mortar, using your printout as a guide.
Step 4
Install Wall Shelves or Wall Mirrors
Shop for inexpensive wall shelves at a discount store or find vintage shelves at an antique store and paint them as desired. Hang them on the wall to display your favorite collectibles or make a modern statement with simple votive cups and candles arranged at equal intervals along the shelf.
Inexpensive unframed mirrors in various shapes can be arranged in any pattern on the wall for a fun look that makes your room look funky and large.
You can learn more about creating impressive wall art or wall displays by taking some classes in art online.
