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You are here: Home / Crafts / It’s so Easy to Paint Your Own Giant Wall Art

It’s so Easy to Paint Your Own Giant Wall Art

30th March 2016 by Claire Armstrong 104 Comments

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How to paint a giant pet portrait

How to paint giant wall art: As well as crafting, I love to paint. Not having a formal art background has never stopped me from painting and creating.

My craft buddy Wendy and I have a thing about painting our dogs, admittedly she is a bit better at it than I am, but that doesn’t stop me. By showing how Wendy painted a giant posterized portrait of her dog Lottie, I’ll show you how easy it is to create your own giant wall art.

It is a bit like the painting by numbers you may have done as a child.
 
To create your own artwork is easier than you think, all it takes is a bit of practice and confidence. My house is full of stuff I’ve painted. Not because I necessarily think it’s brilliant, but because I’ve created it and it’s personal to me and my family.

A great tutorial to show you how easy it is to paint your own giant wall art.  It's like painting by numbers.  you could do a portrait of your pet or a loved one.

After visiting art galleries and exhibitions I often come away feeling inspired. I tap into that inspiration by painting my dog Toby in the style of the artist’s exhibition I have just been to.
 
In fact, my husband’s favourite painting (chalks actually), is “the woof” instead of the scream. I painted Toby in the style of Munch after visiting the museum in Oslo, just for a bit of fun.

At Christmas I even painted a giant Christmas tree for my wall.

the woof

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A Simple Way to Paint Your Own Giant Wall Art of Your Pet

What You Need

  • Giant canvas – You can either buy this from an art shop, or do what Wendy and I do which is buy our canvases in the sales or junk shops. We just then paint over the existing artwork with white emulsion paint, to create a cheap white blank canvas.
  • Some form of projector, art projector, or overhead projector. You can buy overhead projectors cheap on eBay or you may be able to borrow one from a school or work.
  • Paints, we tend to paint in acrylics or gouache.
_DSC0195 sm

Easy Way To Paint A Giant Pet Portrait

1.. First, take a picture of your pet, either with a camera or even better on your phone using one of the many photo filtering apps. There are some fantastic free apps that will turn any picture into geometric art. Polygen is one that I use.

2. Next, once you are happy with your picture print it out onto an A4 transparency. So that you can project the image onto your canvas.

_DSC1122 sm

3. Project the image of your pet onto the giant canvas. Then simply trace around the image with a light pencil.

_DSC0002 sm

4. As I mentioned in the beginning painting this giant pet portrait is a bit like painting by numbers. Using your original posterized pet portrait work out your colour chart for the wall art. Giving each colour a number and then writing the number in the right place on the canvas.

Top tip: Try and keep the number of different colours that you use to under 20. There should be this option on the posterizing app you use.

How to paint your own giant wall art
_DSC1121 sm

5. Next, start painting. Just start wherever you fancy and continue until finished. You may want to complete your painting over a couple of sessions.

Simply follow your paint by numbers guide. You will see your giant pet portrait come alive before your eyes.

How to paint your own giant wall art
How to paint your own giant wall art
How to paint your own giant wall art
How to paint your own giant wall art _ pillarboxblue.com

Personally, I love Wendy’s portrait of Lottie and think it looks fabulous in her house. Everyone who visits admires her artwork especially when they realize it’s Lottie in the painting. I can’t wait to create my own paint by numbers giant wall art of Toby.

How to paint your own giant wall art

If you like this then you may like the tutorial I did on how to create a Map Art Pet Collage portrait.

Lottie and Toby are often around us when we craft and we have even made them some fantastic upcycled denim dog toys to keep them occupied while we paint.

Giant Pet Portrait tutorial

Filed Under: Crafts Tagged With: colour by numbers, dog portrait, giant artwork, giant canvas, giant wall art, how to paint giant canvas, pet portrait, posterize art, wall art

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Duncan,stewart

    30th April 2018 at 12:27 pm

    Can’t,wait,to get,started,nama,stay,duncan!!!

    Reply
    • Claire Armstrong

      30th April 2018 at 1:41 pm

      Thank you!

      Reply
  2. Callie

    19th April 2018 at 4:12 pm

    Can you tell me specifically what app you used to make this picture? I love it and I tried the one you mentioned in the post but it doesn’t have nearly the detail that yours has. Thanks!

    Reply
    • Claire Armstrong

      19th April 2018 at 7:57 pm

      It was my friend’s son who did it in photoshop using one of their filters. There are a few other apps like Poly Gen you could try.

      Reply
  3. Helen

    6th June 2017 at 8:46 am

    Love it so much, I have a boxer and collie, could you tell me how it was photoshopped, ie in what art style cos it’s fantastic xx

    Reply
    • Claire Armstrong

      6th June 2017 at 10:15 am

      Thank you, Helen. My friend did the photoshopping but now you can get apps that will do the geometric filter for you such as Polygen.

      Reply
  4. Renee

    25th October 2016 at 3:01 pm

    This is sooo amazing! I would do a giant bunny. I just got a projector although it is not an overhead art one, it is one you hook up to a dvd/computer. I bet I could do it with a picture from my computer easily though. Thanks for the inspiration!

    Reply
    • Claire Armstrong

      25th October 2016 at 5:52 pm

      Thank you. I’m sure the computer projector will probably work even better.

      Reply
  5. Katy

    17th August 2016 at 3:36 pm

    Thank you for your tutorial – I have always wanted to do this! I have the giant thrift canvas ready to go, and the perfect pic of my pup, however I’m struggling with getting the image just right. I am using Photoshop CC but when I posterize the pic it doesn’t have jagged/sharp edges like yours, it has several more rounded edges. I can reduce the levels but it doesn’t seem to get the same affect as yours. I’ve tried several different photos. Can you offer any tips to help me adjust my pics to get a simple look like yours, please?

    Reply
    • Claire Armstrong

      18th August 2016 at 7:19 am

      Hi Katy, glad to see you are giving it ago. My friend Wendy did the initial picture on Photoshop, I know she used filters to posterize the picture, and I think she used the pen tool to sharpen some of the edges. Unfortunately she’s on holiday at the moment and I can’t quizz her more about it but will when she gets back. Sorry I can’t be more helpful for now. What kind of dog is your pup ?

      Reply
  6. Judy Coldwell

    12th August 2016 at 2:49 pm

    Thank you so much for this. I’ve been ‘umming and dithering about doing something huge for my living room and this has given me the push I needed.
    Judy
    P,s, I love Lottie

    Reply
    • Claire Armstrong

      12th August 2016 at 3:28 pm

      Thank you ! and good luck with it. Do you have a pet you’re going to paint ?

      Reply
  7. Lora

    28th July 2016 at 4:42 pm

    This is a really cool idea! I wouldn’t have thought about the phone/filter to projector idea!

    Reply
    • Claire Armstrong

      28th July 2016 at 6:22 pm

      Thank you ! It works really well, I’m planning on doing another picture using this method.

      Reply
  8. Crystal

    10th June 2016 at 1:41 pm

    Thanks for including my tutorial on diy paint by numbers! I love how your pup art turned out!!

    Reply
    • Claire Armstrong

      10th June 2016 at 1:54 pm

      Your welcome I thought it would be really useful.

      Reply
  9. Beth in AZ

    7th May 2016 at 1:41 pm

    this is wonderful! I think I will try it with fabric! If I actually get anywhere, I will send you some pictures.

    Reply
    • Claire Armstrong

      7th May 2016 at 3:36 pm

      Thank you ! I would love to see them.

      Reply
  10. Mistie

    6th May 2016 at 3:24 am

    Wow! just Wow! Love this giant work of art. You and Wendy both are super talented! I love your different artworks of Toby, how cool is that. Thanks for breaking down how to do this, it looks simple enough and I would so love to give this a try. Somehow I see my skill level of painting ending in a major fail, but this tutorial would sure make for a great try.

    Reply
    • Claire Armstrong

      6th May 2016 at 6:13 am

      Thank you ! You should give it ago it is easier than you think, like painting by numbers.

      Reply
  11. Janine

    5th May 2016 at 3:55 am

    lOVE THIS PROJECT AND LOVE YOUR POST! WOW, I MAY JUST HAVE TO TRY THIS SOMEDAY!

    Reply
    • Claire Armstrong

      5th May 2016 at 6:10 am

      Thank you, and definately give it ago. I bet if you do you’ll be really pleased with the results.

      Reply
  12. Bambi@QueenBtellsall

    4th May 2016 at 1:33 pm

    I love this! Such a great tutorial. I love to paint art for my home and never considered posterizing a photo and painting it. I have to try this now. Thanks!

    Reply
    • Claire Armstrong

      4th May 2016 at 6:44 pm

      Thanks, you should definitely give it ago, the results are very satisfying.

      Reply
  13. Laura Ingalls Gunn

    3rd May 2016 at 1:29 am

    As an art history major and a dog lover I just ADORE this! I am a bit late to the TOHOT party this week due to my college semester finals but I’m so glad that I didn’t miss this. Have a wonderful week.

    Reply
    • Claire Armstrong

      3rd May 2016 at 6:10 am

      Thank you ! &a good luck in your finals.

      Reply
  14. Julie

    30th April 2016 at 9:35 am

    What a fun idea, it looks brilliant and so straightforward to do. We don’t have a furry pet so I’d have to think about what I’d do, maybe a favourite holiday location?

    Reply
    • Claire Armstrong

      30th April 2016 at 11:18 am

      Thank you ! You can paint anything large using this technique.

      Reply
  15. Emma

    29th April 2016 at 10:10 pm

    That came out awesome! I would love to have a large wall art version of my chihuahua – I’ll have to give your technique with the projector a try.

    Reply
    • Claire Armstrong

      30th April 2016 at 5:44 am

      Thank you ! I’m sure your chihuahua will look great.

      Reply
  16. Judy Goodwin

    29th April 2016 at 3:32 am

    I really liked this idea. But you also had a great tip and that was collecting old canvases and painting over them. I’m only a beginner but appreciate your help.

    Reply
    • Claire Armstrong

      29th April 2016 at 6:53 am

      Thank you, yes I’m always picking up old unwanted canvases and reprainting them.

      Reply
  17. Laura

    28th April 2016 at 11:14 pm

    This is amazing and you have inspired me.
    I love creating things for my home or making over a found item but I have never felt confident painting art work.
    You have inspired me!

    Thank you for joining us at TOHOT!

    Laura
    White Spray Paint

    Reply
    • Claire Armstrong

      29th April 2016 at 6:46 am

      Thank you ! Go for it it’s worth a try, you will be surprised about what you can do.

      Reply
  18. Stacey

    28th April 2016 at 3:26 pm

    That is pretty awesome! Pets are so important to us and I would love to have a portrait of my dog and cat. The graphic quality of this is really neat.

    Happy Thoughts of Home. 😉

    Reply
    • Claire Armstrong

      28th April 2016 at 4:32 pm

      Thank you ! I do love having my dog as my muse as well as my running partner.

      Reply
  19. jeanie

    28th April 2016 at 12:45 pm

    This is very fun! I’ve been painting animal portraits but never had the nerve to go so BIG! But maybe with the transperancy method, I could. Thanks for the tips!

    Reply
    • Claire Armstrong

      28th April 2016 at 2:27 pm

      Thank you! The projection does make it a lot easier.

      Reply
  20. Chloe

    24th April 2016 at 11:29 am

    I was just wondering how to posterize the picture. Which filter did you use on paper camera? I really love this painting and hope to recreate it of my own chihuahua terrier!

    Reply
    • Chloe

      24th April 2016 at 11:31 am

      I just saw the above comment. I will try photoshop.

      Reply
  21. Jennie

    23rd April 2016 at 7:39 am

    I really love this and now I found someone new to follow on Pinterest.
    One question though. I went ahead and downloaded paper camera but can’t figure out which style of drawing or picture you used. I can’t seem to get a good rendition of my scruffy dog like yours.

    Reply
    • Claire Armstrong

      23rd April 2016 at 7:57 am

      That picture of Lottie was done on photoshop but I have used Paper camera before to get a simplified picture to paint, that it is why I recommended it as I know not everyone has access to photoshop. There are other photo apps that posterise but I haven’t tried them. Let me know how you get on.

      Reply
  22. Linda

    20th April 2016 at 12:00 am

    Very clever and creative. We dogs lovers really appreciate something like this! Thank you for sharing at DI&DI.

    Reply
    • Claire Armstrong

      20th April 2016 at 6:12 am

      Thank you ! We love dogs too!

      Reply
  23. sherry

    15th April 2016 at 2:22 pm

    I will have to paint a picture of my boxer! Thanks!

    Reply
    • Claire Armstrong

      15th April 2016 at 5:38 pm

      I think a boxer would look great they have such distinct faces.

      Reply
  24. Linda @ Itsy Bits And Pieces

    14th April 2016 at 6:32 pm

    This is such a great project and tutorial…thank you! Following on Bloglovin!

    Reply
    • Claire Armstrong

      14th April 2016 at 7:39 pm

      Thank you so much !

      Reply
  25. Jenny Kavanagh

    11th April 2016 at 1:19 am

    Of course I LOVE this. A) It has a dog B) It involves paint. Two of my very favorite things. It doesn’t get any better than this!! 🙂 Hugs, Jenny

    Reply
    • Claire Armstrong

      11th April 2016 at 5:54 am

      Thank you ! Yes I love dog paintings too.

      Reply
  26. Sherry

    10th April 2016 at 9:02 pm

    So cool! I wondered how these large paintings were done. Thanks so much for sharing with us at Merry Monday.

    Reply
  27. Sandra

    9th April 2016 at 11:22 pm

    This is a really great tutorial! I don’t know if I would ever have the nerve to tackle a project like this. My husband is the artist in the family and we have a wall just waiting for a painting. Thank you for linking up with us at Celebrate Your Story and we hope to see you again soon.

    Reply
    • Claire Armstrong

      10th April 2016 at 6:22 am

      Thank you ! It is a lot easier then you think so you should give it ago.

      Reply
  28. Wanda @ From House To Home

    9th April 2016 at 4:12 pm

    Hi Claire…I found your link on the Sweet Inspirations link party. This is totally awesome! I will have to try it for my own pets…pinning!

    Reply
    • Claire Armstrong

      9th April 2016 at 5:57 pm

      Thank you! and good luck with it.

      Reply
  29. Mary - The Boondocks Blog

    6th April 2016 at 4:25 pm

    Absolutely stunning Claire! I love the technique you used. Pinning!

    Reply
    • Claire Armstrong

      6th April 2016 at 4:40 pm

      Cheers and thank you very much.

      Reply
  30. Robin @ Redo It Yourself Inspirations

    6th April 2016 at 3:27 am

    Amazing work and fantastic tutorial! It looks stunning on your wall, Claire.
    You’re featured at this week’s Homemade and Handcrafted! Thank you so much for sharing with us!

    Reply
    • Claire Armstrong

      6th April 2016 at 5:43 am

      Thank you, look forward to seeing it.

      Reply
  31. Jenni

    6th April 2016 at 3:19 am

    Hi! I love your work, it’s amazing! I was thinking if you can give me the original photo of te Pet or the website or Link that you Get the photo, please!!!! :-)!

    Reply
    • Claire Armstrong

      6th April 2016 at 5:49 am

      Thank you ! Unfortunately I don’t have the original photo but there is a picture of the original image that was projected in the blog post.

      Reply
  32. Michelle James

    6th April 2016 at 1:25 am

    This is so cool! Very creative! Thank you for sharing at #HomeMattersParty

    Reply
    • Claire Armstrong

      6th April 2016 at 5:45 am

      Cheers and thank you.

      Reply
  33. Tuula @ Thrifty Rebel Vintage

    5th April 2016 at 6:44 pm

    Wow! That turned out amazing. So fun, and you make it look pretty easy to do… one step at a time. I might have to try to do one of my cats someday. I love all your dog paintings done in the different styles too. Thanks so much for sharing at Vintage Charm.!

    Reply
    • Claire Armstrong

      5th April 2016 at 7:57 pm

      Thank you ! I’m sure it would work well with cats as well.

      Reply
  34. cookie17

    3rd April 2016 at 12:50 am

    Look’s like my daughters dog,great Job

    Reply
    • Claire Armstrong

      3rd April 2016 at 7:41 am

      Thank you ! Does she have a Jack Russell as well then ?

      Reply
  35. creativejewishmom/sara

    2nd April 2016 at 8:50 pm

    wow, so much fun, can’t wait to see your version too! I’m actually starting taking real painting lessons, you know like with oil, but am going the palette knife instead of brush techniqe for starters so as to learn how to paint semi abstract paintings sort of quickly…..cause I’m never going to have time to actually try to paint something that looks real, or people for that matter! Thanks for sharing on craft schooling Sunday!

    Reply
    • Claire Armstrong

      2nd April 2016 at 10:16 pm

      Thank you! I haven’t painted in oils yet but will do hopefully soon. Good luck with your painting course.

      Reply
  36. Debrashoppeno5

    1st April 2016 at 12:00 pm

    I love your gallery of Toby done in different techniques. And the tutorial you did is very good. I’m all for original artwork in the home.

    Reply
    • Claire Armstrong

      1st April 2016 at 12:25 pm

      Thank you very much. Yes it’s lovely having a home full of original art.

      Reply
  37. Becky @ Flipping the Flip

    31st March 2016 at 10:54 pm

    So super cute! I love the huge size. I did something very similar which you can find on my blog but sadly not as large as you have done. Absolutely adorable and well done.

    Reply
    • Claire Armstrong

      1st April 2016 at 6:26 am

      Thank you ! I’ll look out for it. You should try a huge one next time it’s kind of fun to do.

      Reply
  38. Donna Wilkes

    31st March 2016 at 9:31 pm

    I love the idea of painting a pet in the different styles of art. Creative and clever!

    Reply
    • Claire Armstrong

      1st April 2016 at 6:20 am

      Thank you ! yeah it’s good fun painting the dog in different styles. I was thinking perhaps a Van Gough next, painting him with a bandaged ear.

      Reply
  39. Rita C. at Panoply

    31st March 2016 at 6:46 pm

    Totally adorable dog (but they are active!!), and what a great way to memorialize a pet or any special occasion/person. Thank you for the tutorial. Visiting from Vintage Charm. 🙂

    Reply
    • Claire Armstrong

      31st March 2016 at 7:39 pm

      Thank you, glad you liked it.

      Reply
  40. wendy

    31st March 2016 at 3:47 pm

    Oh my gosh… I am going to do this of my pug!!!!! Brilliant idea.

    Reply
    • Claire Armstrong

      31st March 2016 at 5:27 pm

      Thank you! I bet a pug would look great painted like this.

      Reply
  41. cyrstal

    31st March 2016 at 1:30 pm

    Cute doggie! 😉

    Reply
    • Claire Armstrong

      31st March 2016 at 1:34 pm

      Thank you !

      Reply
  42. Victoria @DazzleWhileFrazzled

    31st March 2016 at 12:42 pm

    From another dog lover, what a great show of love you’ve created for your four-legged friend. Love the idea of blowing up a photo via projector for ease of painting. I certainly don’t trust my freehand skills! Visiting from Vintage Charm.

    Reply
    • Claire Armstrong

      31st March 2016 at 1:15 pm

      Thank you ! You should give it ago it’s a lot easier than you think.

      Reply
  43. Beri

    31st March 2016 at 12:12 pm

    AMAZING!!!!!!!!!

    Reply
    • Claire Armstrong

      31st March 2016 at 1:14 pm

      Cheers & thank you!

      Reply
  44. Colleen

    31st March 2016 at 3:13 am

    Thank you for the inspiration and great tutorial 🙂 This will be fun to try. Had to laugh at the cat….(s)he looks super unimpressed, lol.

    Reply
    • Claire Armstrong

      31st March 2016 at 5:45 am

      Thank you ! Yeah I don’t think the cat liked the dog getting all the attention.

      Reply
  45. Wendy

    30th March 2016 at 4:00 pm

    What an incredibly talented friend you have Claire! Wendy x

    Reply
    • Claire Armstrong

      30th March 2016 at 4:20 pm

      I know !

      Reply
  46. Kristina & Millie

    30th March 2016 at 2:12 pm

    totally cool! I was telling Kristina about doing similar for a big wall mural so glad to see how it’s done! Thanks for sharing and the tute! Over from Handmade party.

    Reply
    • Claire Armstrong

      30th March 2016 at 4:19 pm

      Thank you and you’re welcome.

      Reply
      • Mary

        25th January 2018 at 2:03 pm

        Hi, I was wondering if that was your post on Hometalk with the wallpaper back splash behind your stove top. I’m sorry but more interested in the brand of the stove. Please provide & advise if you like it. love the look of it & am in the market for a new one.

        Reply
        • Claire Armstrong

          25th January 2018 at 2:36 pm

          Hi, Mary the cooker hob is a SMEG one. Thanks

          Reply

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