Junglelicious Inspired Wall Art Tutorial
I’m always inspired by the calm that Bohemian-style interiors create. I like that they look great and are hugely motivated by comfort and relaxed living. With this in mind, I’ve created a terracotta wall – art tutorial for you that is easy and therapeutic to draw. It was created with spoonfuls of #junglowstyle in mind and all the boho-joy it brings.
Materials:
- Terracotta pot plant base
- Led pencil
- Watercolour pencils
- Paintbrush and water
- Ruler
- 3M velcro wall sticker
- Prickly Pear cactus or an image of one (optional)
Steps:
1. Sketch your prickly pear outline with a led pencil.
TIP: Prickly Pear plants are easy to draw. Their shape is very much like drawing the outline of a bunny face with ears however it would definitely assist your inner artist to have a real prickly pear to sketch (I did) or at least an image of one.
2. Shade your Prickly Pear in various shades of green, olive- green and yellow. Using a slightly wet paintbrush blend your watercolours in a subtle way.
TIPS: I used green, brown and yellow tones to colour block my prickly pear cactus; it’s best to use a few tones because plants are never just one solid colour. Natural light also affects the way we perceive the colour tones of a plant therefore it’s a good idea to factor that in too. You will only need a pinch of water to blend your shading! Be creative, be brave and remember this is simple crafty fun so there are absolutely no hard and fast rules!
3. Draw on your prickly details.
TIPS: Draw on your prickle indentations in a soft diagonal design across each pear. In your mind’s eye, visualise where the natural light would shine upon the edges of your prickly pear cactus because this is where you can accentuate longer prickles sticking out (see the yellow prickles illustrated above). If you happen to make a mistake, the beauty of watercolour pencils is that you can easily correct it with an eraser. You can also rub a pencil – eraser along the edges of your illustration because this will help define your line – edges more, giving your drawing a more rounded and professional look.
4. Draw on your planter basket detail. Then colour in each of your border sections, mine were drawn 1.5cm apart.
TIPS: I used small square shapes to draw on my basket detail in brown and dusty pink tones. I also wanted to give the border of my artwork an African basket-weave feel so that it actually spoke to the cane and wicker-themed gallery that I’d started to workshop for this particular outdoor vignette. Lastly, you can ever so slightly wet your paintbrush to make the colour tones of your border stronger and then clearly define your edges with an eraser.
Lastly, hang your wall art with 3M industrial tape. From experience, I’ve found that the 3M industrial strength tape gives a stronger hold than the 3M velcro stickers.
Happy crafting! I’d love to see how you interpret this tutorial in your favourite #jungalowstyle. Are you feeling the prickly pear idea or could I challenge you to draw a colourful moon cactus?
