How to make canvas art with holiday lights

There’s nothing better than finding new and creative ways to use festive lights when the holidays roll around. Although trees, bushes and front yards normally hold the place of priority, why not give holiday lights a new purpose this year? With a little paint and some well-placed color, you can make a simple string of lights a true piece of holiday artwork.
This colorful canvas project will give you the opportunity to take lighting to a new holiday level. With a blank canvas waiting to be creatively explored and twinkling lights in your hand, you’ll have a masterpiece in no time, complete with a festive sparkle! A truly glowing red Reindeer nose brings childhood magic back to your home at the flip of a switch. It’s the perfect combination of artistic and awe-inspiring when you’re aiming to amp up home decor during the holidays.
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Materials
- Blank painting canvas
- Plastic paint palette
- Gold paint
- Green paint
- Red paint
- Two paintbrushes
- Black paint
- Glass of water
- Precision knife
- Colorful string of holiday lights
- AA battery pack
- Tape
DIY Everywhere
Instructions
1. Fill the plastic paint palette with green metallic, gold metallic and red paint.
2. Begin painting the bottom left triangle of the canvas with gold paint. Fill the corner entirely with color.
3. Rinse the paintbrush in a water glass and use excess water to blend the edges of the gold paint with gentle upward strokes.
4. Rinse the brush and add a second diagonal section to the canvas in red.
5. Rinse the brush and use excess water to blend the red edges with gentle upward strokes.
6. Rinse the brush and paint a third diagonal section on the canvas gold. Use excess water after rinsing the brush to blend the edges.
7. Rinse the brush and paint a fourth diagonal section of the canvas green, moving from left to the upper righthand corner. Blend the edges with excess water.
8. Rinse the brush and complete the upper lefthand corner of the canvas with gold paint.
9. Add black paint to the plastic palette.
10. Begin painting the left antlers of a reindeer by starting in the upper-left quadrant of the canvas using a small paintbrush.
11. Paint a second set of antlers on the upper-right hand quadrant of the canvas.
12. Complete the reindeer silhouette by painting the shape of a face, ears and neck between the antlers, extending it to the bottom of the canvas.
13. Cut out a small triangle where the nose would be on the reindeer’s face using the precision knife.
14. Continue to cut out several small triangles along the reindeer silhouette or wherever else on the canvas you want to add a light.
15. Turn on the set of holiday lights via the battery pack.
16. Insert a red bulb directly into the nose cut-out from the back of the canvas.
17. Continue placing other colored bulbs directly into the cut-outs from the back of the canvas.
18. Tape the lighting battery pack to the back side of the canvas once all bulbs are placed, carefully securing it to the wooden frame.
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19. Let it dry completely before putting it on display.
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