DIY Fish Scale Wall Decor
Updated on June 23, 2021
When it comes to new projects, the anticipation can be just as much fun as actually completing it. And because it’s so much fun to think about the options you have and get creative ideas about what you want your next endeavor to be, it’s really hard when you don’t have a lot of time for your hobby and have to put off getting started to deal with the daily dilemmas in life.
However, even under the busiest conditions or with the fullest schedule, you might find you’re actually in need of working on some art. If that’s the case, maybe taking on a simpler project with just a few materials required could satisfy your urge, as well as help you de-stress. That’s where something quick and easy to accomplish like fish scale wall décor might be just the right thing. Take a look below for the step by step information so you can get started sooner than later.
Materials You’ll need for Fish Scale Wall Decor:
- canvas
- gold acrylic paint
- paint brush
- 4 shades of blue paper
- Scissors
- Pencil
- glue stick
- ruler
Tutorial step by step to craft a beautiful fish scale wall decor:
Step 1: Paint the edges
First, get your canvas, paintbrush, and gold acrylic paint. That’s right, the hardest part is out of the way first, so you can move forward quickly! Turn the canvas on its edge, and use the gold acrylic paint to coat the edge. Use long, even brush strokes for best coverage and smoothness.
Continue all the way around the canvas, painting all the edges, until you have a nice, smooth coverage of gold around all the edges.
Step 2: Cutting time
Congratulations, there will be no more painting, and you can, for now, set your canvas aside. Now, it’s time to start making your scales. Start by grabbing your 4 sheets of various shades of blue paper so you have them close at hand. Choose your first sheet, and use something like a quarter, which is just about the perfect size, to trace as many circles as you can fit on it.
When you have the paper filled with circles, cut them all out of the paper.
Repeat this step for the next colored sheet. Your circles – or scales – should be the same size as those you cut from the first page, so there is no worry about using the quarter again versus hunting for another circle stencil.
Continue this with the last 2 sheets of paper. When you’ve finished, you should have 4 piles of different colors of scales to work with, all a shade of blue.
Step 3: Preparing the first scales
Choose the color of circles you want to be on the outside edge of the piece of art. A lot of people go for the lightest color, but it’s your art and your choice.
On this set, use your ruler and your pencil to draw a neat, straight line directly across the center. The ruler I a great tool to keep yourself from marking the wrong line.
With your scissors, cut across that line, creating 2 (mostly) identical half-circles from each prior round scale.
Step 4: Mounting the scales
Obviously, the point here is to create an entire piece of wall art that uses a small set of supplies to create a themed picture for display. So, the way to get started is with these half circles. The process is simple.
Using the glue stick, begin to paste the half-circles along the top edge of the canvas, adhering the flat edge of the half circle to line them up against the edge of the canvas.
Start in the center so that everything aligns, and when you get to the edge, you can trim any excess and still have the pattern symmetrical.
As mentioned earlier, you’ll want to trim any excess from the edges of the two scales on the ends, keeping the artwork even and aesthetically pleasant.
Step 5: Adding the next row
Using your next choice of blues, get your pile of circles. Begin lining them up across the canvas, overlapping the half circle scales heavily so that they cover the spaces between the first set of scales.
Your result will once again have excess at each end of the row.
Trim this excess so the scales end lining up with the edges of the canvas.
Repeat this with the next color of scales you have. Again, make sure there is enough overlap to assure all the white on the canvas is covered.
Work through this step over and over, line after line, rotating the same 4 colors in the same order.
Your last row of circles will likely hang off the end of the canvas. As you have with each row on the sides, you’ll want to trim this on the bottom to keep everything even on the canvas, with clean lines.
Step 6: Final touches
Remember the circles you cut in half? Find the remaining halves. Line them up with the straight edge along the bottom of the canvas, starting with the one in the center so that you have the same shape of partial half circles at each end.
Be sure to properly trim the ends so there is nothing hanging off, just as you’ve done throughout the process of filling your canvas with your fish scales.
Your finished product should look like fish scales in the way that they overlap. With the blue tones, it may also resemble the ocean in an abstract sort of way. Either way, it’s a beautiful piece.
You don’t have to dive into a complex project every time you get the itch to make something. In fact, in those times you feel like you don’t have time for anything other than responsibilities, a small, easy project can be a great way to satisfy that need, and it can easily help you relax during a stressful time. If you’re feeling a bit frazzled and upset that you don’t have time for your hobby, try something simple like fish scale wall décor to help you calm down and find even minimal time for self care and enjoyment.