Easy line art in a botanical print you can customize, do yourself, and make for free (or really cheap)? Yes, please!
Plus, minimal drawing skills are required!
I was eyeing a botanical line drawing print that I thought would work well in my newly refreshed bathroom, but I didn’t care for the $75 price tag so I made one myself.
You can, too! It’s easy and you can create so many different designs to fit your own style.
Here’s what you’ll need
- Something to draw on (paper, poster board, cardstock, canvas, cardboard, wood, a sticky note)
- Marker – felt tip or paint marker
- Frame
You can make this work with things you already have on hand.
I used an old frame, poster board, and a paint marker.
Step 1 – Inspiration!
Find an image you want to create (or dream up an image in your head and wing it).
Do an image search for “botanical line art” as a starting place if you don’t have a specific idea in mind.
If you do have a specific look in mind, add that to your search. I started with the general search and then narrowed my search to include specific botanicals, such as “lavender line drawing.”
Step 2 – Prepare your Materials
Determine what you’re going to draw your art on. I cut a piece of poster board to the size of a frame I had lying around.
Thrift store frames would be perfect for this project. It would also look cute on a canvas or board.
Step 3 – Draw!
Decide if you’re going to freehand or trace your image.
Freehand
For my first piece, I found an image and used it as inspiration for a freehand drawing.
I started with stems coming from the bottom center of the paper. Then I added leaves. I drew everything very lightly with a pencil so I could erase and start again if I didn’t like something.
Once I had an image I was happy with, I went over my pencil drawing with a paint marker.
I liked the look of it in general, but after placing it in the room, I decided it wasn’t quite the look I wanted. It was a little too bold and the original print I was eyeing was more fine and delicate.
Since I had a large sheet of poster board, all I had to do was cut another one and try again!
Trace
If you don’t want to freehand your piece, no worries. For my second attempt, I printed out the image I liked in the size I wanted.
On the back of my printed sheet, I colored with a pencil where the image displayed on the other side. I turned my pencil on its side and shaded over the lines through the paper. It helps to hold the paper up to a light to make sure you’ve covered all of the lines.
Then, I placed my image on my poster board where I wanted it, pencil coloring side touching the front of the poster board. I traced the image with a pencil, following the printed lines. I risked it, but it’s smarter to use a couple small pieces of tape to hold the paper in place while you’re tracing.
Use some pressure as you trace. You don’t have to go too crazy (no white knuckles or anything), just enough for the pencil marks to transfer onto your art piece. Do a little test section and carefully lift the corner to make sure you can see the transferred line.
After you trace all of the lines, remove the paper. You now have a pencil version of your drawing!
Step 4 – Finishing
Once you have a penciled version of your artwork you like, you’re ready to commit to it.
Go over all of your pencil lines with a marker. For a finer line, I used a fine point felt tip marker. Then, gently remove any remaining pencil marks with an eraser. Make sure the marker is completely dry before you erase so you don’t get any smudges.
Play around with different background colors, paint markers, or shading behind your drawing to make it your own!
I popped my drawing into a frame I had lying around and leaned it on a shelf to display.
Don’t forget to pin this easy botanical art project to try later! If you do, show me your finished masterpiece!
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