When painting a large surface a large brush helps. But I didn’t have a brush big enough for a 12 foot floor cloth so I grabbed a household broom. It looks like a brush so why not!
Working this big requires a huge studio, which I don’t have. But I do have a yard so I took it outdoors.
Watch How to use a broom as a giant paint brush while making a floor cloth on YouTube.
After I had the cloth all blue and purple, I left it outside to dry. It didn’t look the way I expected…Oops. Once again, that Oops was an Outstanding Opportunity Presenting Suddenly. I decided it called for some spray paints for a little more color.
Working on such large surfaces was a challenge to reach the middle without stepping on it and smearing wet/damp paint so I draped them over some cement walls outside. It was like a giant easel.
And I just went to town adding layers of colors and shapes with spray paints. I prefer these spray paints because they are water based and clean up is easier and it smells a whole whole lot less!
Should I put a hem on it? Sure. Should I seal it with polyurethane or something similar? Sure. But those all take more time and the drying time for sealing it is way longer than my patience at the moment. So, I am using it as is and someday will get around to finishing it.
I started to see a few shapes in my canvases and it just might be an upcoming Spark of Art-spiration in an upcoming newsletter. Not signed up yet? Just click here!
What are Sparks? They are downloadable papers full of color and pattern for your play. You can find out more about Sparks here.
And that painting in the far right…not done by me but by my daughter…she has way more patience than I do!
Here are the supplies I used. Some of these links are affiliate links which means I get a small percentage. It doesn’t cost you anything extra and you are helping me keep this blog and my videos ad free! Thank you- I don’t like ads any more than you do!
Of course you are. Love it. I have a huge drop cloth for my studio floor but have yet to lay it out and do this, add it to my mystery box of projects eh!!! Great colors. So cool how you live with your art. xox
FANTABULOUS!!! It looked so fun while you were brooming on the paint!! And giggled when you walked on your “art journal pages”…. cause really, they are just huge art journals!! They look great in your room with the tile floor! Love those big windows overlooking the woods too!
Thank you, Carolyn! I have a 12×9 balcony, and wanted to do a floor cloth for it, but because I live in a small apartment, I was in a tizzy trying to figure out HOW to get it painted.
What I’ll do now is put it right on the balcony and use a broom to paint it! Your idea is pure GENIUS! I will have to use a spray bottle for water, but that doesn’t bother me at all!
Thanks so much for the inspiration!
Wow – this is so cool!!! I need to do something like this for my craft room!
You crazy girl! Amazing as usual 🙂
I think we need to doodle all over it!!!
Love this so much!
Finishing.
I’ve been told that a “varnish” should be applied to a floor cloth after the paint is dry. Did you use anything like that?
i love this so much and now can’t wait for the first real warm spring day to try this project ! real color in my bedroom in the future!
Wow- that is so CLEVER! What a cool floor cloth. It looks great in your room. 🙂
What fun! Love how it looks in that room and I will never look at a broom the same again.
Love the floorcloths! Wonder if the broom leaves blue dust when you sweep!
I love the broom floor cloth..I also noticed your table top covering.is that scrap art you did on that…I can’t see it real good but love the colors. Can you show us a better pic.. Thanks for all your tutorials on YouTube and your sites. You are awesome
That is cheap plastic table covering that has gotten very very messy Barbara 🙂
So I guess I gotta go by me a broom!
I love the way it looks it that room, I need one, at least one! Is there anything else you can use other than this commercial type floor cloth? My old brain is telling me that these used to be done with oils, am I remembering correct? Have always wanted to do this………thanks GF! xx
slow recall……..it was oil cloth that they used. Don’t know of Joann still sells this or not. Anyone know?