In My Own Style

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How To Make Tissue Paper Art for Your Walls

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How-to-make-inexpensive-art-for-your-walls-using-tissue-paper

My daughter is moving into her own apartment tomorrow and I made this modern looking canvas for her to hang in her room.  I call it a  Tissue Paper Picasso.   It is simple and inexpensive tissue paper art.  I hung it on a wall in my family room just so I could get a photo of it in it’s finished state, before it goes to its new home.

supplies needed:

I found the colorful circle tissue paper at Michael’s.  They have so many fun patterns to choose from, so your options are endless.  I started out with an old canvas I found at a yard sale.  I actually got two.  The other one is still in production – I will post next week on that one.  I am doing it a little differently.  I cleaned the canvas and added two coats of Gesso and let it dry.

Inexpensive Decorating Ideas

My canvas measured 24 x 29.  I needed 2 sheets of tissue paper to cover  the top and to wrap around the sides. I used  Matte Mod Podge, as I didn’t want too much shine.

Decorating with Mod Podge to create tissue paper art for your walls

I had to trim the tissue paper and match the circles.  I centered the largest piece on the canvas.

Affordable Decorarating Ideas for Walls

The other two pieces went to the left and right sides.  Don’t worry too much about keeping your cuts straight.  It won’t matter once you Mod Podge it to the canvas

Budget Decorating Ideas

Pour Mod Podge onto the canvas and spread it around on the entire canvas surface and sides with a paint brush.

Decorating Ideas using Mod Podge

Lay the center piece onto the canvas and then brush more Mod Podge on top of the tissue paper.  Move your brush in all directions- this will create a brush stroke look to the canvas once the Mod Podge dries.  Apply the left and right sides in  the same manner.  Wrap excess around to back and adhere with Mod Podge.  Cut excess tissue paper with scissors.

Decorating IDeas for walls

Let dry over night. If you have any large airbubbles, you can press a pin into the bubble and press the air out with your fingers.

DIY Artwork to hang

You will need ribbon and furniture nails to finish the edge of the canvas.

White Nail Heads from Lowes

Starting at one corner, place one end of ribbon and press the furniture nail into the ribbon and frame.  Don’t hammer all the way in yet, as you will have to place the opposite end of the ribbon under this end and them place the nail in permanently.  Wrap the ribbon around the frame and place a nail in every few inches.  I used 5 nails on each side.  Cover the nails with a towel or fabric so you don’t ruin the decorative nail with the hammer.

Mod Podge Art IDeas

When you reach the begining corner, remove that first nail and then place the other end of the ribbon under the existing ribbon.  Tack the nail down again.

How to make art using tissue paper

Hang on the wall.

Affordable-art-for-walls-using-tissue-paper-art-

A Tissue Paper Picasso – easy art to make to decorate your home with.

*Update: 7 Years later this piece still looks beautiful on my daughters living room wall.

Affordable-wall-art-ideas-tissue-paper-art

 

 

Affordable-art-you-can-make

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Comments

  1. Ann W Clouser says

    The main picture shows a 1/4 circle covered but the instructions do not, how do you do the 1/4 circle?

    Reply

    • Diane Henkler says

      Hi Ann –

      I am not sure I understand your question. Can you elaborate? If you are asking how the bottom of the canvas and sides only show 1/4 of the circles, that is simply how I centered the tissue paper over the canvas. When using the Mod Podge to adhere the paper I tried my best to center the tissue paper just right so the top and bottom circles as they go over the edge of the canvas were the same in size. That didn’t happen – that is why along the top the circles are full and then bottom they are only half.

      Reply

  2. polly plum says

    Thank you, Diane, for a great idea that is affordable and looks like fun!I’ll be on the lookout this week for tissue paper and wrapping paper at Dollar Tree, and for a canvas I can use at Good Will.

    Reply

  3. WallArtBox says

    Heya i’m for the first time here. I found this board
    and I find It truly useful & it helped me out much. I hope to give something back and aid others like
    you helped me.

    Reply

  4. Johanna says

    I love this!! It looks fabulous!! Thanks so much for sharing! I have some really cool tissue paper– I so want to try this!! :D

    Reply

  5. Kathy says

    My 12 year old draughter and I just made this for her room. It turned out really cute. We fund a 12X12 canvas painting at Goodwill for $1.99 and used some white primer we had on hand to give us a blank canvas.

    Reply

  8. Hadassa says

    Eu nao entendi até agora a parte das bolas,não entendi..o que foi que você fez,realinhou elas ? Obrigado !

    Reply

  10. Lisa Walter says

    This is great and I would love to try it with a beautiful Paisley tissue paper I found. Can you also do this with other paper textures such as wrapping paper? Do I need to iron the paper (under a towel) to get the fold lines out?

    I adore your site and you ideas….you are so creative and unique!

    Reply

    • Diane says

      Thanks Lisa-

      You can do it with all types of paper. The thinner the paper the more you may have to deal with some wrinkling. Thicker paper doesn’t wrinkle when Mod Podge is applied. I like using brown bags. I have used many different types of giftwrap. The heavier type works better, but it all depends on the look you are trying to achieve. A few wrinkles can give a piece some character. :)
      As far as pressing the folds from the tissue paper before you apply it to the canvas- a low iron should be ok right on the paper, but the inks may transfer to the plate of your iron, so an old t-shirt or as you stated a towel would be good to use as a pressing cloth.

      Reply

  11. Dawn says

    I was wondering do you think I could modge podge zebra printed tissue paper on my laundry room ceiling?

    Reply

    • Diane says

      Hi Dawn-

      Of course – you can Mod Podge anything! The hardest part about applying it to your ceiling is it will literally be a a “pain in the neck”, but will look fabulous once you have it completed. The only other thing I would consider would be how long do you think you will want it on your ceiling? If you tire of it someday and want to paint over it – your ceiling will look textured. If you don’t want to damage the ceiling you can do what I did for a decorator showhouse. I had a small room and I wanted to cover the ceiling, but could not damage it in any way. I ended up applying fabric to foam core boards that I bought at the dollar store and then used small pins to attach them to the ceiling to cover it. I had to cut some of the boards to fit and used those at least seen part of the ceiling. When the showhouse was over , it was a cinch to take it all down, leaving the ceiling intact. I think the zebra print tissue paper would really make a statement and may make you enjoy doing your laundry more. :)

      Reply

    • Diane says

      Hi Laura-

      It is so easy. You will be able to do it in less than an hour. Let it dry and hang. I would love to make more, just waiting for a sale at Michaels to buy more canvases.

      Reply

  14. netmiff says

    I have done this with fabric, too. I used an old stretcher frame, it is basically just four pieces of flat wood in a rectangle. Then just stretch the fabric round to the back, and staple.

    Reply

  16. judy says

    I loved your tissue paper artwork….i would love to see the other one you did… did you post it???? cant seem to find…. but all the same i love it… cant wait to try!!!!

    Reply

  19. Suz says

    Hi love this thinking of making something similar for my newly decorated lounge but in shades of blue/lime/white/and black
    Thanks for the inspiration
    Suz x

    Reply

  20. Billie Monster says

    Hello! Saw you on Crazy Domestic. I LOVE this project! I love Mod Podge but can never seem to find enough projects to use it on. Recently I decided that I wanted to make some new wall art for my dining room and I was thinking of painting several little squares onto a canvas – but I don’t have any paint and didn’t want to have to go buy it all brand new…I think I’m going to try your idea instead! Looks great! :D I’m a follower now.

    Reply

  22. Lisa says

    What a cool idea to use tissue paper! It looks like it took 100x times longer because I thought you painted it!

    Reply

  23. Lenetta says

    Very cute – and I love that paper you found! I linked to this on my weekly roundup, the post is under my name. Thanks for sharing!

    Reply

  24. Jenny says

    Wow! What a great way to fill an empty wall fast! I’m so impressed, I really love this idea.

    I saw it on One Pretty Thing and just had to hop over

    ps. I’m a follower now :)

    Reply

  27. Sydney @sewineededapaycheck says

    I LOVE that. Your daughter will love apartment life. I have a whole post on my blog about my cute apartment since I had to move back home due to the economy. It sure was fun decorating the ones I lived in. Its fun for the moms too.

    Reply

  35. Jessica says

    I appreciate the tutorial and your attn to detail. I was working with modge-podge this weekend and having some questions about how to work with it. I also like the finishing touch for the edges. I’m going to use that on the item I was working on this weekend. Thanks!

    Reply

    • Diane @ InMyOwnStyle says

      Hi Kathy-
      I thought the tissue may have been hard to work with once it was coated with the Mod Podge, but I lifted it off the canvas a few times to repostion and it did not rip or tear. It took me only about 15 minutes to get the tissue paper onto the canvas. I let it dry overnight, before I added the ribbon trim.

      Reply

  44. Dawn says

    Love this idea, how simple, quick, easy and cheap! And I adore the tissue that you used, so fun and eye-catching! Thanks for the inspiration!

    Reply

  45. Ann says

    This is gorgeous! Originally I thought you had cut all those circles out of colored tissue paper and lined them up and I was really impressed by your perseverance. When I saw the printed paper I knew you were a very clever woman. I love the way this turned out!

    Reply

    • Diane @ InMyOwnStyle says

      When I was shopping at Michaels and saw the circle tissue paper I had to have it, as it was so colorful. It reminded me of modern art, even folded up in its packaging. Thinking what I could use it for besides wrapping a gift and wanting to see the paper in its whole state was how I got the idea to add it to canvas and make art out of it.

      Reply

  46. Cindy Rand says

    Oh my… I love this idea! I will have to do this when my daughter moves out.
    Thanks so much. Love it!
    ~C~

    Reply

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