Craft Your Own Abstract Wall Art

Tresha Armstrong
by Tresha Armstrong
14 Materials
$40
2 Days
Easy

A problem many of us have with decorating comes from how we tend to lean on similar ideas. This isn't always a bad thing, as we know what we love and what looks good, but it can mean that we don't get as much variety in our décor as we could. With that in mind, I decided to work on a unique abstract wall art concept that I've been thinking about for a while.

Like with many of our projects here at Hometalk, there is a lot of flexibility in this design. Changing the color, size, and shape however you want means that you'll always be able to find a place for a project like this, no matter where you want to put it.

DIY Abstract Wall Art

Tools and Materials

  • Three large pizza pans
  • Two 8-inch embroidery hoops
  • Two 6-inch embroidery hoops
  • Metallic acrylic paint (three colors of your choosing)
  • Small circular mirror
  • Two mending plates
  • Plaster of Paris (hot glue can also work)
  • Disposable wooden mixing stick
  • Protective gloves
  • Small plastic spoons
  • Sponge brush
  • Ruler or any long straight edge
  • E6000 industrial glue
  • Gorilla hot glue + glue gun


Gather Your Materials
Gather Your Materials


Before we begin, you're going to have to do a little thinking about exactly what you want from your finished abstract art project, especially in terms of color. I already had a place for mine picked out on a white wall, so I went with light and earthy tones to complement the existing décor. You might have less space or another color scheme in mind, and that's fine too.

 If you look at my completed picture above for reference, you should get some idea of how you want your end design to work out.

I found all of my tools and materials from a local DIY store, but if you don't have one in your area, then the nearest superstore should have everything you need.

Now then, let’s get started!

Cover Pizza Pans with Plaster of Paris
Cover Pizza Pans with Plaster of Paris


To begin, I prepared my plaster of Paris by mixing it in a plastic cup. I used around half a cup of plaster of Paris and then stirred it with a mixing stick as I added water. My goal was to get the consistency of peanut butter, which might take differing amounts of water depending on your plaster of Paris mix.

Putting on my gloves, I used my hands to spread the plaster of Paris evenly around my pizza pans. The coat here just needs to be thick enough that we can press details into it, so try to keep the bottom of the pan completely covered.

If you're unsure about the finished design, you can start with only working on one pan at first, otherwise, you can do all three pans one after another. Just be aware that the next step can take a little while, and you don't want the plaster to dry before you can work on it!

Create Texture
Create Texture


With the plaster coat finished, I took off my gloves and picked one of my small plastic spoons. Using my finger on top, I pressed the spoon all around the plaster to give it hundreds of little dents. I found this pattern the most pleasing for me, personally, but you should be able to use a different shape tool to create different textures if you want.

Spoons are definitely the easiest to work with here, as they have the little recess for your finger. They also come with the advantage of offering no areas for the plaster to really stick. This could be a potential problem to keep in mind if you use another shape, or tool, such as cookie-cutter. Getting plaster stuck to your tool can be a major pain, so try to work with something which has a convex outer side for the best effect.

If you slip and get plaster on your hands, be sure to wash it off instantly, that stuff can be dangerous to your skin! Once I was completed with the texturing, I left it to dry for an hour.

Spray Paint
Spray Paint


With my plaster dry, I took my plate outside to spray paint it. Here, I gave my pans a black base coat. Be sure to cover everything evenly, and to leave it outside long enough to dry before you bring it outside. Sometimes the paint can seep into the cracks in the texture a little bit, making it dry slower than usual, and you want to avoid this. Otherwise, painting in the next step can mix the paints together.

This step is also one of the reasons why we made sure the plaster of Paris was deep enough that our texture wouldn't reveal too much of the backing pan. Too much flat area here can hurt the effect, which is really brought out by the paint in this step and the next.

Sponge Metallic Paint onto the Pan
Sponge Metallic Paint onto the Pan


Now that the paint was dry, I made my final selection on my paint colors. I went for gold, bronze, and pearl deep brown, but you can choose whatever you think suits your ideas best. Using a sponge brush, I lightly applied the paint to the entire pan, leaving a few traces of black for contrast.

Once the first pan was complete, I washed my brush and repeated the process for the other two pans. Before the next step, I waited for the paint on all of the pans to dry. You can also just use multiple brushes, which can be a lot easier. Sometimes the paint on sponge brushes can be really stubborn, or hide between gaps on older brushes, and having this come out unexpectedly can cause issues. So, be sure to wash them as thoroughly as you can!

Connect the Pans
Connect the Pans


After I double-checked the paint was dry, I flipped my pans over and placed them side by side. I used a ruler to ensure my plates were perfectly aligned, but you can use any straight edge that is long enough. Taking my E6000 industrial glue, I applied it to the ends of the mending plates and placed them in between the pans.

After this step, I waited 24 hours for the glue to cure before flipping them over. You might be tempted to get impatient with this step, but at the risk of having to wait all over again, it's best just to let the glue do its thing. In theory, it might be possible to work with weaker glue on this step, but that would require being much more careful with the end product, especially when it comes to hanging the completed project. Probably best to avoid worry if you can, and go for the industrial-strength adhesive.

Attach Decor
Attach Decor


For the next step, I had to decide on where exactly I wanted to place my mirror and my three embroidery hoops. The first part I attached was the mirror, which I only needed some E6000 industrial glue on the back of before I pressed it into place.

Once this was done, I used my gorilla hot glue gun to attach the embroidery hoops to the upper lips of the pans. After the hoops were in place and dried, I used the metallic paint and my sponge-brush to recolor the hoops to the same color or colors as the pans they touched.

This meant three of them were painted in two tones, but I love the way this ended up looking. Wait for the paint to dry, and then onto the final step!

Hang
Hang


With all of the decorating done, all that was left was for me to hang the finished project. For this, I simply attached three command strips to the back center of the pans, making sure that they all were properly aligned. After that, it’s just a matter of hanging it on the wall!

DIY Metallic Wall Art

With everything completed, I really love the way this project turned out. Abstract art is always a little tricky to work with but, in this case, the combination of color, shapes, and texture turned out even better than I hoped. I do have to wonder what other layouts and shapes might look like, but for that, I can always just make some simple changes to my next version.

I hope you enjoyed this project, and please let me know if you tried it yourself, and how your own abstract wall art turned out. If you’re looking for more in DIY projects, then Hometalk has a huge range of other easy builds just a few clicks away, so it is a great place to turn when looking for inspiration for your next DIY session. Good luck, and happy crafting!

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Frequently asked questions
Have a question about this project?
  1 question
  • Lori Lori on Feb 28, 2024

    Whenever I use the command strips, the item I hang seems to fall off after a month or so. What is the trick to making them last?

Comments
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2 of 30 comments
  • Nancy J Nancy J on Jun 01, 2023

    I love this so much!!! Totally doing something like this for above my headboard

  • Susie Susie on Feb 14, 2024

    You are so clever to have thought of this idea, and at such a thrifty price. This took some smart thinking and looks awesome. Should you later change your decor, just re-paint and hang in a different arrangement.

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