Annie Lang's Blog!

Here's a most delightfully festive DIY project to make the holidays bright!  Painted with acrylic paints on a wood cutout shape, this design has lots creative possibilities.  Simply add a little glitter paint for added sparkle.  After transferring the design, you can also drill small holes to attach little fairy lights around the wreath after painting.  The pattern can be reduced or enlarged to suit your needs.  My original wreath was 36" which I used for holiday wall art.  The line art provided below will fit a 7" wood cutout.  To download the printable pattern or enlarge specific instructions, simply right click the image and SAVE .  Enjoy!

If you have an old plastic serving tray that may be a bit scuffed up but is not cracked and is still usable, here's a fun makeover project to give it a whole new look!  For this project, my favorite well used clear plastic tray was the ideal choice for a makeover.  Here's a step-by-step tutorial on how I was able to use craft paint, fabric cut from a fat quarter and a few basic supplies to complete the project and hopefully put this tray back in service for several more years.  Feel free to modify this project to suit the size and shape of your plastic tray.  You can also  easily  match paint colors to your choice of fabrics and then paint tray edges with any design you have in mind.  I used handpainted stripes for this tray, but polka dots, tiny flowers, flourishes, vines, etc. would also look simply amazing on any finished tray.  I can't wait to see what YOU can come up with to renew your own tray to use for serving your guests in style! 

While cleaning out my craft supply closet I found both new and used stretched canvases saved from former painting sessions.  Since I try to repurpose as often as possible, giving the art a "makeover" while decluttering my storage closet seemed like a very practical solution.  I covered over 2 older canvases ( used for teaching demonstration paintings )  with fabric from my crafting stash.  I then painted a new blank stretched canvas with black craft paint and adhered them together to create a dimensional wall art home accent to hang and enjoy all season.  By simply changing the fabrics, I can also make wall art suitable to any season or room theme I choose.  I still have quite a few used canvases to use up and plenty of fabrics tucked away on my shelves for future wall art projects.  Cost for the finished sample project shown above was under $10 after hitting a 1/2 off Spoonflower sale for the fat quarters and already having the canvas on hand.  You can also purchase new stre

Here's a fun decorative project you can paint up on a rainy day and use it as an accent piece on a shelf, bookcase cubby or even outdoors in the garden.  If using outdoors, be sure to give it a good coat of clear sealer finish once the project is completed to protect it from the elements.  This house can also be modified to create a cute gingerbread house, mock birdhouse, fairy garden house or anything else your imagination can come up with!  Here's how I painted the pictured sample but you can use any color, painting technique or brushes you desire. I hope you'll give it a try because anything IS possible when you're on a creative adventure!   NOTE:  Here's the online links to my wood suppliers... Stand Alone House Shape:    https://www.craftdealz.com/deal/stand-alone-house-shape 5" Garden Gate Ornament:    https://www.cdwood.com/collections/garden-gate/products/5-garden-gate-ornament

Next to my kitchen, the busiest room in the house seems to be the laundry room .  I decided to finally freshen things up a bit in there with a whimsical sign and a few favorite decorative touches.  Here's a fun free DIY project you can try with only basic craft and painting skills needed.  To download the line art pattern, just right click and save to your computer.  You can find most of the supplies at your local hobby or home improvement store.  I found the wood scroll and wooden plaque at Cupboard Distributing.   Happy Laundry Day!

Anyone can paint up this fun DIY wood project to decorate any way you wish for any season of the year!  Here's the basic step-by-step project to get you inspired to welcome the Autumn Season.  So grab your craft supplies and get started...no pattern needed!  You can find the  10" x 20" Door with Panel Kit used for the sample project online from Cupboard Distributing (also comes in smaller sizes!)  Just click the images below to see full size how-to instructions. Please Enjoy and feel free to SHARE THIS PAGE LINK!

Spring has arrived and the Croaker frogs have come out to play!  Watch as Annie Lang draws one of her favorite clipart character images to use in her graphic art adventures using Photoshop and a digital pen.  Enjoy!

I'm keeping it silly while creating this whimsical monkey character image to use for my graphic art tropical projects... Enjoy!

Whether you make 1 or 100, Kids LOVE making their own cards!  Here's how you can use lineart .pdf pattern books to make cards they can color and share to their heart's delight!  Best of all the designs shown in these samples are all available in Annie's  Sharing Hearts and Loving Smiles pattern book...and it's on sale throughout the month of February.  Enjoy!

This painting was originally created in 2000 as a cover for a scrapbook I was working on.  It was made using acrylic paint that was thinned with water in lieu of watercolors.  I particularly like this medium because it dries fast, colors don’t bleed together, it allows for a light transparent watercolor “feel” to the work and lends itself well to my style of pen and ink detailing technique.  If you think this project may be a bit too creatively challenging for you, feel free to use the pattern along with any medium you feel most comfortable with.  The main objective here is to get creative and enjoy...so why not   Go For It !  Scroll to the bottom of this post to find the free pattern...just right click and save. NOTE: If you don't know how to transfer pattern line art onto surfaces, learn right now by watching my quick tutorial how-to video... PROJECT INSTRUCTIONS PATTERNED BACKGROUND 1.  Transfer line art pattern onto watercolor paper. 2.  Thin acrylic craft pai

If you've ever wondered how I make my sketches into digital art, just watch this video to see how I do it!    When it come to artwork, I know "There's an App for that!" out there.  Most will take your sketch and instantly render it into line art or finished color art, but let's face it...there's very little challenge in only needing to know how to click a button when it comes to creativity, developing our skills and making something to call our very own. In the upcoming months, I'll have lots more "Let's Draw" character art videos to keep you creatively inspired.  You can subscribe to my YouTube channel so you won't miss a single new video!  You can also subscribe to this BLOG which will also keep you notified of every new release. You can use any of the art you find in my themed Line Art Pattern Books to practice your digital art sketching.  If you have the .pdf edition, simply import the art into your image editing program.  If

Can't wait for the flowers to bloom?  If you've ever wanted to paint your own flower garden or simply enjoy watching them digitally bloom with a digital pen and tablet, you're in luck!  Just sit back, relax and ENJOY the fun and watch an Annie Lang flower character come to life.  This is just one of many characters from her " Spring Frolics " Line Art Pattern Workbook

Have a little fun today... Let's Draw a Kitty Cat! Super quick tutorial takes you step by step through the creative process using Photoshop and a Wacom tablet and pen to draw an adorable little cat character like the ones featured in Annie Lang's " Kitty Cats, Pups and Bunnies " linework pattern workbook!