Thrice as Nice

Three tips for transforming thrift store art

Virginia Chamlee // PHOTOS BY AGNES LOPEZ

Thrift store art often gets a bad rap, calling to mind old portraits of clowns or dated seascapes. But with a few tubes of paint, tape and some patience, dated pieces can be given new life.

DIP-DYED

A strip of painter’s tape and a few coats of paint create the effect that a painting was dip-dyed (and the look doesn’t actually require any messy dipping, at all).

Materials

• Old painting (preferably one that will remain visually interesting once part of it is covered up—a landscape or portrait, for instance)

• Painter’s tape

• One tube or gallon of paint

• Paintbrush

Instructions

1. Apply painter’s tape in a straight line across a portion of the painting, taking into account which side won’t be covered with paint (to ensure it will still look aesthetically pleasing).

2. Apply paint to one side of the painter’s tape. Depending on what shade of paint you go for, you might have to apply a couple coats to get the opacity you want—just remember to allow each layer to fully dry before adding a new one.

3. Once the paint is an ideal shade, gently remove the painter’s tape and…voilà! New painting. For even more impact, find a painting that’s already framed, and dip-dye the entire thing.

Monochromatic Texture

In the 1980s and ‘90s, artists created highly textured, mixed-media pieces with abandon. While most were done in dated shades of pastels, they look modern when painted over, so that the texture still shows through.

Materials

• Vintage painting with plenty of texture

• A single color of paint

• Paintbrush

Instructions

1. Apply a solid shade of paint over the entire canvas (bright whites, dark grays and greens look best, so that the texture is highly visible).

2. Let dry.

Framed Page from an Art Book

Art books are easy to find at vintage and thrift store and take on new life when painted over and framed.

Materials

• Vintage art book

• X-ACTO knife

• Small paint brush

• Paint

• Frame

Instructions

1. Select a single page from the book (a portrait or a photograph of a sculpture works best) and carefully cut out of the book with an X-ACTO knife, to ensure a straight line.

2. If the page is numbered, paint over the number in a shade similar to the color of the page.

3. Using a small paintbrush, apply a single swipe of paint in a contrasting color over the eyes of the portrait or statue, or in an interesting design somewhere on the page.

4. Let dry and frame.