Why can't I paint these...?

Why can't this picture be painted by me?

It appears that a grade schooler could paint this picture...somewhat of an abstract with primary colors...so I was bored one day and decided to try to paint something for my laundry room wall. I do not have any formal training as to how to paint just experience from a "color" class where we mixed paints to get tints and shades, but I do have a father who has painted beautiful oils of wildlife. (Maybe some of it rubbed off on me by osmosis or something... as I have not lived with him since I was 4 or so.)

I will never be as good of painter as my dad, but I can produce pictures that I like to have up on the walls. First you must buy the canvas from a craft store and some acrylic paints in your color choices. Keep in mind that you don't have to buy every shade of pink or green that you want because you can change the store bought colors by adding black, white or cream. You may also need to buy a couple of paintbrushes- it does not matter if they are from the hardware store or the craft store, just decide on the sizes needed. The size of your canvas and what areas you are going to paint will help you decide this. A metal pie pan or a styrofoam picnic plate can be used as your paint tray. I keep a stack of paper towels or napkins around to dry out the brushes when changing colors.

I also used vinyl wall art to make a stencil for this picture(below), I painted the background colors first, layering them, drybrushing some of it and using a "blending" agent for others. I then applied the vinyl stickers represented by the plants/flower pieces. If I grow tired of these plants/flower features I can peel them off and add paint or another design to the top.

The painting below I used vinyl wall stickers of a damask design as a stencil. First, I painted the background, blending just one color(green) and drybrushing other greens to create the blended look. Let it dry. Second, I added the vinyl stickers, then painted the fuschia/mango/golds. I peeled the stickers off to reveal the background color.

The third example is definitely the most basic. Paint the background, using fuschia, melon, and golds (and all combinations in between). I then penciled the plant figures onto the canvas and preceded to paintover the pencil marks.

Easy projects that can be done in a day or two...give it a try! I look for inspiration from websites such as http://www.allposter.com/ and http://www.art.com/ . I admire the artists who painted these works and look to them just for inspiration.

The images below might be a good inspiration for a painting as they are also abstract and may not require any significant drawing skills.

Remodel update: I am currently working on roman shades for the large bay window in the great room. I will post pictures as I get them completed.

Design quote of the day: "Rooms should be timeless." by Sister Parish

Inspiration: I think I just covered that....above...