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Ballard Designs Knockoff Paintings

My two favorite catalogs to get in the mail are Pottery Barn and Ballard Designs.  I love to study the spaces they create and I turn down the corners of the pages that are my favorite in order to bookmark them.  The page below was the lucky recipient of  a ‘corner turndown’ in a recent Ballard Designs catalog. 🙂

 

Cote De La Mer

via Ballard Designs

 

This room was masterfully composed by designer William Peace.  I love the relaxed feel of the space and the mix of grays, blues, beiges, and golds.  And of course the amazing set of abstract paintings!  Aren’t they gorgeous!?  Caroline Gold painted these oversized paintings for Ballard Designs.  Together they cost $900 and measure 46 x 36 inches per painting!

I was inspired to use these paintings in my recent powder bathroom makeover but did not have the money or space to purchase Ballard’s version (if you do, by all means please buy them I’m all about supporting artists)!

If you neither have the money or space here is how I created my knockoff version.

 

Paintings

 

 Supplies

 My version only cost me $5 per painting but I had all of the paint already left over from paint samples for my powder bathroom as well as many of the other supplies from other projects.  If you had to buy all the supplies the project would come to more like $14 a painting.

(2) 16 x 20 canvas- $8 for a 2-pack at Hobby Lobby

2 Pieces of Gold Tissue Paper- $1 at Dollar Tree

Modge Podge- Can’t remember the cost I’ve had mine for awhile

Medium Size Paint Brush or 2- $1 at Dollar Tree

Paints- Sherwin Williams Riverway, Behr Rocky Mountain, Benjamin Moore Palladian Blue, Sherwin Williams Kilim Beige (you can buy all of these colors at Home Depot in the sample size for $3 a sample)- $12

White and Brown acrylic paints-$2

 

‘Step By Step (oooh baby)’

1. Take out your 2 canvases and Modge Podge two pieces of gold tissue paper onto the canvases as shown below.

blank canvas

modge podge paste gold tissue paper

Tip- I brushed the modge podge onto the canvas and then laid the tissue paper on top of it and smoothed it out.  Don’t worry if you can’t get it totally smooth, the wrinkles end up looking cool when the paint is on top.  It gives the painting more dimension and makes it look professional.

depth to painting

3.  Start with the canvas on the left that has no gold tissue paper in the midsection (in otherwords the one wearing the gold bikini):-)  I had the original next to me on my ipad the whole time to refer to often.  Start at the bottom by brushing on some white paint.  I used white left over wall paint but I’m sure a white $1 acrylic paint would work too.  Use short, choppy brush strokes to mimic the original painting.

refer to original

4.  Continue painting the rest of the canvas in the colors shown below.  Wipe your brush on a  paper towel before changing colors.  After you get your first coat of paint on and it dries go back and tweak the painting where needed.  Refer to the original and don’t hesitate to layer colors by brushing on wisps of colors where you need to (for example the white in the very middle of the painting has wisps/light brush strokes of Behr Rocky Mountain on top of it).

colors for 1st

5.  When the painting is done use the back of a small paint brush to paint the brown line across the painting right above the palladian blue color.

use end of paint brush draw brown line

6.  Put this painting aside to dry and get the other canvas that should look like this.

2nd tissue paper

7.  Use the same methods as above for painting the colors shown below (don’t forget the brown line).

colors for 2nd

8.  If you notice below the paintings have an outer edge that is beige in color.

Cote De La Mer

via Ballard Designs

I chose to use some faux grasscloth wallpaper I had on hand from a different project to put up on the wall behind where the paintings would hang to ‘frame it’.

grass cloth

Paintings

Assuming you don’t have wallpaper lying around in the perfect beige color you need (yeah I know lucky break):-)  you could tape off a rectangle on your wall and paint it SW Kilim Beige or you could paint SW Kilim Beige directly onto your canvas’s edge.  If you took the latter route you would need to do this step first being sure to tape for a clean edge between the beige and white space.

So what do you think?  Going to give it a try?  Let me know if you have any questions!!!

DIY Knockoff Paintings

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Comments

  1. Jennifer H says

    Thursday, May 1, 2014 at 9:34 am

    It turned out beautifully! I’d love to try this myself.

    Reply
    • Tamara says

      Thursday, May 1, 2014 at 9:50 am

      Thanks Jennifer! You can totally do this! I really enjoyed the process of doing this one. The colors are so pretty and soothing that it creates a nice calming work atmosphere as you create it!:-).

      Reply
    • chrissie says

      Saturday, February 7, 2015 at 4:54 am

      What a wonderful idea!! Also thank you so much for sharing this with the world. Would love to see your other genius ideas for paintings. Definately going to try this, although I’ve never painted in my life!!

      Reply
      • Tamara says

        Saturday, February 7, 2015 at 8:25 am

        Hi, Chrissie, thanks for stopping by! Here another paintings post I did that you may enjoy, http://providenthomedesign.com/2014/03/08/wisteria-wall-art-knockoff/.:-)

        Reply
  2. Amber says

    Thursday, May 1, 2014 at 11:53 am

    This is a super idea! And they look SO good! Thanks for sharing!

    Reply
    • Tamara says

      Thursday, May 1, 2014 at 4:23 pm

      Thank you, Amber!:-)

      Reply
  3. Laura says

    Saturday, May 3, 2014 at 11:45 am

    These are absolutely beautiful! I would love to make these for my bathroom. I can’t wait to try it out!

    Reply
    • Tamara says

      Saturday, May 3, 2014 at 8:27 pm

      Thanks, Laura! I’m excited for you to try them!

      Reply
  4. LorieV says

    Wednesday, May 7, 2014 at 2:03 am

    Since I saw your original bathroom “before and after” post I have been brainstorming on how you did this. It’s been fun waiting for your post and I can’t wait to give it a try. Btw I laughed when I read your funny description of the “tissue paper bikini”, my laugh woke up my hubby a little and he asked what was so funny. All I said was “tissue paper bikini” and he said that sounded like a good idea :). Thanks for the tutorial and the laugh although I think my hubby might be a little disappointed when he sees what I really was laughing about.

    Reply
    • Tamara says

      Wednesday, May 7, 2014 at 2:14 am

      Hilarious!!! Thank YOU for the laugh, Lorie! I’ll be smiling about that one for awhile!:-)

      Reply
  5. Val says

    Friday, May 9, 2014 at 2:11 am

    Hi Tamara, saw you on Work It Wednesday. Your paintings turned out so beautiful! A couple of these would be perfect for our bedroom. We have a huge blank wall to stare at, but I’m going to change that with your tutorial. Thanks for sharing your talent!

    Reply
    • Tamara says

      Friday, May 9, 2014 at 9:31 am

      Awesome, Val! So glad to hear these paintings have inspired you!!:-)

      Reply
  6. hvalardi says

    Saturday, May 10, 2014 at 7:18 am

    I’m so glad I found your blog- absolutely delightful!
    Ballard Design is one of my all time favorites-
    I’m so encouraged to get painting again after
    reading this post!

    Thanks! Heidi

    Reply
    • Tamara says

      Saturday, May 10, 2014 at 9:29 am

      Heidi, that makes me SO happy to hear! I find painting super relaxing and at times therapeutic. And then to be able to use what you’ve created in beautifying your home is extra rewarding! Thanks so much for your comment!

      Reply
  7. Sharon B. says

    Saturday, May 10, 2014 at 12:35 pm

    Love these, very artistic!

    Reply
    • Tamara says

      Saturday, May 10, 2014 at 2:04 pm

      Thank you, Sharon!

      Reply
  8. Amy says

    Sunday, May 18, 2014 at 8:45 pm

    You are so talented! I love how your paintings turned out. I am pinning this for later reference. Thanks for sharing this neat technique.

    Reply
    • Tamara says

      Sunday, May 18, 2014 at 9:04 pm

      You’re very welcome, Amy! Thanks so much for stopping by!:-)

      Reply
  9. Ayisha says

    Tuesday, May 20, 2014 at 3:19 pm

    Wow. I try really hard to be creative but this is just genius. I’m going to give it a try but try to do my own colors. I’ll let you know how it turns out.

    Reply
    • Tamara says

      Tuesday, May 20, 2014 at 3:40 pm

      Ayisha, please do, I would LOVE to see your variation of it!:-)

      Reply
  10. Lisa @ Shine Your Light says

    Saturday, May 31, 2014 at 8:50 am

    Tamara, your paintings came out so beautifully! I love the gold peeking through. I’ve tried some beach landscapes but they look like a 2 year old did them. I will have to follow your tutorial and see if I can make some masterpieces! Thanks for sharing at Best of the Nest!

    Reply
    • Tamara says

      Saturday, May 31, 2014 at 9:59 am

      Thanks, Lisa! I’m so happy to have found your blog recently. You have done such a beautiful job with your home!! 🙂

      Reply
  11. Pam @ Simple Details says

    Saturday, May 31, 2014 at 10:30 am

    Wow Tamara, what a gorgeous knock off! You did such a beautiful job, I know from experience abstracts look so much easier than they are, but your tutorial is great! Enjoy your pretty artwork!

    Reply
    • Tamara says

      Saturday, May 31, 2014 at 2:27 pm

      Thanks, Pam! I’m in love with your kitchen!:-)

      Reply
  12. kleinworthco says

    Wednesday, June 4, 2014 at 9:07 am

    These turned out FABULOUS!!!! I love them.

    Reply
  13. Tamara says

    Wednesday, June 4, 2014 at 10:11 am

    Thank you!! 🙂

    Reply
  14. Heather @ Beyond the Aisle says

    Wednesday, June 4, 2014 at 10:36 am

    Your paintings turned out totally gorgeous!

    Reply
    • Tamara says

      Wednesday, June 4, 2014 at 10:43 am

      Thanks, Heather!!

      Reply
  15. Ursula @ Home Made by Carmona says

    Wednesday, June 4, 2014 at 1:14 pm

    Oh my goodness, I saw that same page in Ballard and thought “I can do that”… 🙂 You did a lovely job!!!

    Reply
    • Tamara says

      Wednesday, June 4, 2014 at 1:34 pm

      Haha, thanks Ursula! Guess DIY minds think alike!:-)

      Reply
  16. Jennifer @ Dimples and Tangles says

    Wednesday, June 4, 2014 at 3:28 pm

    What a great idea, Tamara! Good knock-off projects are so inspiring! I love the ever-so-subtle grasscloth “frame”, too. Thanks for linking up with us at Best of the Nest!

    Reply
    • Tamara says

      Wednesday, June 4, 2014 at 3:36 pm

      Thanks, Jennifer! Thanks for having me!:-)

      Reply
  17. Laura @ Prairie Sewn Studios says

    Wednesday, June 4, 2014 at 11:07 pm

    This is so nifty! Found you through a blog link and can’t wait to read some of your other posts now!

    Reply
    • Tamara says

      Wednesday, June 4, 2014 at 11:42 pm

      Thanks, Laura! I hope you enjoy the rest of your visit! 😉

      Reply
  18. Rachel says

    Monday, June 9, 2014 at 1:07 pm

    Wow, these are gorgeous! Fantastic job! I would love to link to this if you didn’t mind.

    Reply
    • Tamara says

      Monday, June 9, 2014 at 1:21 pm

      Thanks, Rachel. You are welcome to link to this project! Thanks for asking!:-)

      Reply
  19. Virginia says

    Sunday, June 15, 2014 at 9:58 am

    Your paintings are beautiful. I love how you added the grasscloth to the wall behind them!

    Reply
    • Tamara says

      Sunday, June 15, 2014 at 10:26 am

      Thanks, Virginia! 🙂 I love when I am able to use left over supplies from previous projects!!

      Reply
  20. Amy W says

    Sunday, June 15, 2014 at 1:15 pm

    You did such an excellent job on these paintings! I’d love for you to share at our link party going on now!!

    http://www.delineateyourdwelling.com/2014/06/link-it-or-lump-it-party-number-42.html

    Reply
    • Tamara says

      Sunday, June 15, 2014 at 4:33 pm

      Thanks for the invite, Amy! I would be happy to!

      Reply
  21. Ginnie says

    Sunday, June 15, 2014 at 1:42 pm

    These are gorgeous! You did such a great job. I need to create some art for my apartment, and this is so inspiring:)

    Reply
    • Tamara says

      Sunday, June 15, 2014 at 4:30 pm

      Thanks, Ginnie, for stopping by! I’m happy to hear these paintings inspired you!!

      Reply
  22. the cape on the corner says

    Monday, June 16, 2014 at 3:48 pm

    that looks great. and oh man, did you just channel the new kids on the block? lol.

    Reply
    • Tamara says

      Monday, June 16, 2014 at 4:28 pm

      Sure did! 😉 They were my favorite band in the 6th grade. 🙂

      Reply
  23. ericasooter says

    Monday, June 16, 2014 at 9:23 pm

    I love a good knockoff! These are absolutely stunning – love the gold leaf detail. You really knocked this one out of the park!

    Reply
    • Tamara says

      Monday, June 16, 2014 at 9:31 pm

      Thank you, Erica! So sweet of you!

      Reply
  24. The DIY Homegirl says

    Thursday, June 19, 2014 at 1:44 am

    This is such a cool idea and yours is better than the original, much more expensive version! Great job and thanks for sharing!

    Reply
    • Tamara says

      Thursday, June 19, 2014 at 8:32 am

      Thanks, Angela!!

      Reply
  25. debbie says

    Saturday, June 21, 2014 at 5:16 pm

    Yours look perfect. What a great job – I want to try this. Thanks for sharing.

    Reply
    • Tamara says

      Saturday, June 21, 2014 at 10:29 pm

      Thanks, Debbie! Go for it! The great thing about abstract paintings is it doesn’t have to be perfect to be beautiful! 🙂

      Reply
  26. Sandy says

    Thursday, July 3, 2014 at 3:59 pm

    I LOVE this! We have been renovating a 70’s era house and the wall color in the bedroom went a bit awry, not allowing me to use the artwork I had originally picked (but not purchased yet TG!) I am totally going to try it this weekend.

    Reply
    • Tamara says

      Thursday, July 3, 2014 at 4:07 pm

      Boo on paint colors going awry! So glad these paintings have inspired you, Sandy! I would love to hear how they turn out for you!

      Reply
  27. http://seekinglavenderlane.blogspot.com says

    Monday, July 14, 2014 at 10:07 pm

    Wow! That is incredible! You have just inspired me to try my own artwork! So amazed : )

    I too am a Ballard and Pottery Barn Catalog saver….with the pages folded!

    Deb
    @Seeking Lavender Lane

    Reply
    • Tamara says

      Monday, July 14, 2014 at 10:36 pm

      Happy to hear you are inspired, Deb! 🙂 It’s a great feeling to be able to hang something you’ve created up on your wall!!

      Reply
  28. MLP says

    Monday, October 6, 2014 at 10:42 am

    I do the same thing with the Ballard catalog 🙂 I am definitely going to do this for my LR

    Reply
    • Tamara says

      Monday, October 6, 2014 at 10:48 am

      I love that you do the same thing and that you were inspired here today!:-). Thanks so for for taking the time to say hi!

      Reply
  29. Lisa says

    Monday, November 3, 2014 at 9:32 am

    These look fab! I love the texture from the tissue paper

    Reply
    • Tamara says

      Monday, November 3, 2014 at 9:37 am

      Thanks, Lisa!:-)

      Reply
  30. Margaret says

    Thursday, November 6, 2014 at 10:05 am

    Where Does the Kilim Beige go?

    Reply
    • Tamara says

      Thursday, November 6, 2014 at 11:06 am

      Hi, Margaret, thanks for your question! The Kilim Beige is optional but is used to create a border around the painting like in the Ballard inspiration paintings. Step #8 in my tutorial should answer your question. Let me know if you have further questions!

      Reply
  31. Laurel says

    Monday, December 29, 2014 at 4:51 pm

    I’m no artist by a long shot, but I think even I could do this! BTW, I like yours better than the ones from Ballard Designs.

    Reply
    • Tamara says

      Monday, December 29, 2014 at 5:23 pm

      Go for it, Laurel! I’m sure it will turn out great!

      Reply
  32. Liz says

    Friday, January 16, 2015 at 12:19 pm

    So glad I came across this post! I have been trying to get myself psyched up to two larger canvasses I want to paint for my dinning room but keep chickening out. I now have my project for the weekend and new found confidence!

    Reply
    • Tamara says

      Friday, January 16, 2015 at 12:36 pm

      Yay, Liz! I’m excited for you!:-)

      Reply
  33. sue says

    Thursday, January 29, 2015 at 10:26 pm

    Very, very nice but I do have a question. I painted a copy of a print I saw at target. It’s an exact copy but is my own work (much like your project), but I’ve always felt weird about it – like I infringed on a copy right! Since you’re posting this, I guess copy right is not a worry, but I’ve always been so curious about it since I did my painting! What are the rules and are there any rules in a case like this?

    Reply
    • Tamara says

      Thursday, January 29, 2015 at 11:59 pm

      Hi, Sue, I know this can be a pretty controversial topic but i appreciate your question. It is my understanding that copyrights protect artists work from being reprinted (by a machine) without permission. But for someone to be inspired by their work and try to create their own is not a copyright infringement. This is my understanding, thanks for asking!

      Reply
      • Sunshine says

        Friday, February 27, 2015 at 6:44 pm

        Most copyrights are in place so someone cant make a profit of another artists work. An artist wont sue you for making a copy for your own home, especially if your not in a financial position to buy one of their originals.

        Note, for anyone who is planning to try this. If you don’t have mod podge you can use the paint to glue the tissue to the canvas, though you might want to test it to make sure it doesn’t bleed through the tissue.

        Great Job Tamara!

        Reply
  34. david says

    Thursday, January 29, 2015 at 11:09 pm

    I was enjoying reading this then got to the image showing the hand. I was fixated by how much paint was added to the image to make it look messy. I would still like to try this regardless thanks for sharing.

    Reply
    • Tamara says

      Thursday, January 29, 2015 at 11:41 pm

      Lol, David, I was trying in photoshop to make the background of the photo less distracting by changing it to all blue but it was super late and I was new to photoshop and did a really sloppy job. Would have been less distracting to leave it how it was. You live, you learn.:-)

      Reply
  35. Jamie says

    Friday, April 3, 2015 at 4:03 pm

    LOVE THIS!! I have a 46″ square canvas on the wall that I’m tired of and I want to do something like this. I appreciate you sharing your technique with the tissue paper. Brilliant!! Yours look so good.

    Reply
    • Tamara says

      Friday, April 3, 2015 at 5:51 pm

      Aww, thanks Jamie! I used the tissue paper method again for an abstract in my living room makeover. You can check it out here if you are interested, http://providenthomedesign.com/2015/03/31/living-room-makeover-reveal/. Excited for you to make your masterpiece!:-)

      Reply
  36. Karyn says

    Thursday, June 4, 2015 at 1:28 pm

    You did a fantastic job. I have gotten into DIY myself when my grandson and daughter came to live with me not only because raising children is expensive but we do projects together.

    Reply
    • Tamara says

      Thursday, June 4, 2015 at 1:38 pm

      Wonderful, Karyn! I find DIY very satisfying!:-)

      Reply
  37. Mel says

    Tuesday, June 30, 2015 at 8:34 am

    Love the knockoff painting. But, why cover all the canvas when so little of the gold actually shows?

    Reply
    • Tamara says

      Tuesday, June 30, 2015 at 9:42 am

      Great question, Mel! The tissue paper serves as a texture builder when painted on it makes the painting look more professional because it add depth to the painting.

      Reply
  38. debbie says

    Saturday, October 3, 2015 at 10:17 pm

    I am so happy to have found your blog! Ballards is one if my favorite catalogs & you have inspired me to search for more DIY projects to get that “Balards look” in my own home. Your tutorial was very detailed and I can’t wait to try! Thanks!

    Reply
    • Tamara says

      Saturday, October 3, 2015 at 10:29 pm

      So happy to have you, Debbie! I get a giddy over a new Ballard’s catalog…glad I’m not the only one!!:-)

      Reply
  39. Kerry says

    Saturday, October 10, 2015 at 12:04 am

    Thank you so much for your post. Loved this painting from Ballard Designs…estatic when my daughter sent me your post. My aunt and I tackled it today…..looks great!

    Reply
    • Tamara says

      Saturday, October 10, 2015 at 12:17 am

      Yay! Thanks for sharing, Kerry!:-)

      Reply
  40. Karrie Cornies says

    Sunday, February 14, 2016 at 8:53 pm

    Thanks for the inspiration. I did them this weekend and I am so happy with the results. I framed them and love the look! Which I could post a pic for you.

    Reply
    • Tamara says

      Sunday, February 14, 2016 at 10:11 pm

      I would love to see them, Kerrie! Wish you could post a pic too (feel free to email me a pic, providenthomedesign@gmail.com)!! So glad you are happy with them!:-)

      Reply
  41. ann gun-munro says

    Sunday, February 5, 2017 at 12:56 pm

    That is awesome! I love what you did, so creative! Thank you!

    Reply
    • Tamara says

      Sunday, February 5, 2017 at 8:02 pm

      Thank you, Ann, glad it inspired you!

      Reply

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