Martha Stewart Paint: Butterfly Specimen Wall Art DIY

Learn how to make butterfly specimen art using paint and stencils for a beautiful DIY Spring wall display.

Make this gorgeous home decor using the new Martha Stewart line at Plaid Crafts.

Martha Stewart's creamy paints are perfect for blending, adding texture and making a high quality art piece in an afternoon.

MARTHA STEWART PAINT AND CRAFTING TOOLS AVAILABLE FROM PLAID

Martha Stewart has a series of paint sets, beautiful wood surfaces and stencil kits.

They just released last week on Plaid online and I'm super excited I was able to get a set so quickly with great delivery time.

Right now at Plaid Online, you can get FREE SHIPPING if you spend over $60! Plaid is the only place to buy these supplies right now!

Use the code: DOODLECRAFT15 for 15% off your order!

CHECK OUT THESE AWESOME PRODUCTS:

• Bottles of 12 Paint Sets
• Wood Surfaces
• Stencil Kits
• Large Bottles of Paint

SPRING HOME DECOR DIY:

This brightly colored painted sign is perfect for butterfly collectors, without the need of real butterfly specimens, and a great addition to any Spring home decor.

Insect displays make unique gifts and this handmade one is equally great for a gift or just to set on the mantle with a bunting and a greeting word painted in coordinating colors.

Let's get started with this insect specimens artwork.

SUPPLIES NEEDED FOR BUTTERFLY SPECIMEN ART:

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• Martha Stewart Solar Brights Paint Set
• Martha Stewart Flora and Fauna Stencil Kit
• Martha Stewart 12x18" Hard Panels 2 pack Wood Surfaces
• Hello Wood Surface
• Cornstarch
• Mod Podge (Matte Finish)
• Palette Knife
• Mixing Cups
• Stirring Sticks
• Painters Tape
• Baby Wipes, Paper Towel, Napkins (something disposable)

STEP 1: TAPE EDGES

To give the specimen wall art the look of a black frame, tape off all the edges with 1 inch painters tape.

I did think about painting the edges afterwards, but loved seeing the smooth, natural wood peeking through...but paint it at the end, by taping off the inside of the lines, if you like that look.

STEP 2: PAINT

Next, I did a thin layer of paint in the lightest blue in the Solar Brights set, Kiddie Pool.

The paint is creamy and easy to paint, free from chunks and works great.

POUROUS WOOD!

The coverage is actually really great, but the wood surface I am painting on is very real, natural and pourous...so the first coat of paint went on like a wash or a stain, leaving the wood grain showing.

Which I love!

If you aren't a fan of the natural wood showing through the paint, leave the tape on and paint it a second coat after the first dries.

The first coat will act as a sealer and barrier against the wood, so the second coat will give that full coverage look.

Allow the paint to dry a few minutes, but not completely, then peel off the tape.

By peeling the tape off while it's still a little wet, it prevents pulling off the paint in big patches when removing.

See, crisp painted tape lines!

STEP 3: TEXTURE PASTE

I've had the BEST success using stencils with texture paste. 

It seems like even with the best adhesive stencils, paint creeps under the edge and makes a bit of a mess.

I have no issues using texture paste, so I highly recommend it!

TEXTURE PASTE RECIPE:

• 4 Parts Cornstarch
• 3 Parts Matte Mod Podge
• 2 Parts Paint

I like matte finish Mod Podge because it doesn't add additional shine to the finish.

Any Mod Podge will work though.

I began by mixing about 4 tablespoons of cornstarch with 3 tablespoons of Mod Podge in one large cup with a palette knife.

It's not an "exact" measurement, so mix it up until it is smooth and creamy like warm honey.

The cornstarch is the wonder material here, it's so smooth and does not give the mixture a grainy feel.

If it feels too thick and difficult to stir, go ahead an add a bit more Mod Podge, but a little goes a long way in the cornstarch.

Now use a palette knife to scoop the texture paste mixture into 10-12 small cups, one for each paint color you are planning on using for the butterfly specimen art.

And now add the Martha Stewart paint into each cup, about a teaspoon or two of the paint, is enough to color the mixture in a bold way.

I just used 10 colors, this seemed like plenty for this project.

There's probably as much paint in these little cups as there is the texture paste mixture.

Again, it's not science, just mix them up until the paint is mixed in the paste and smooth.

I love this set of Martha Stewart paints, they are my favorite colors!

Plus, it's Multi-Surface, which means you can use it on so many different projects, it's the one size fits all paint!

STEP 4: STENCILS

Now get the Flora and Fauna stencil kit out.

The stencils are laser cut and mounted on plastic, with a sticky adhesive backing.

There's a set of 3 butterflies, and you can keep them all together if desired, but I am cutting them apart for this project.

Place a stencil down on the painted wood surface, the adhesive holds it in place but does not damage the painted wood.

Then use a palette knife to add some of the texture paint to the top of the stencil.

Repeat adding paint across the top section of the butterfly stencil.

Then add the next color across the middle of the butterfly stencil...try not to add too much paint, once it's on the stencil it mixes in with the other colors and is therefore, not reusable.

Finally add the third or last color.

Some of the butterflies I did with only 2 colors, some with 3...it's totally up to you.

Pick colors that blend well together, like colors that touch on the color wheel are great options.

Colors that are opposites can turn into more muddy colors, so just use caution.

Now use the side of the palette knife to gently scrape up the excess paint, so the paint is level with the stencil.

Wipe the excess paint on a paper towel or disposable cloth.

Then repeat, lifting up the excess paint.

Then lift up the stencil, wipe it off with a paper towel or baby wipe and wash it off in the sink.

Gently pat dry and the adhesive backing will sticky back up, ready to use again.

If by chance you got any of the texture paint off the edges of the stencil, just clean those up with a baby wipe and move on to the next butterfly specimen stencil.

Repeat adding butterflies, dragonflies and bees to the specimen art.

Mix the colors and have fun blending and stenciling.

Use the stencil and then clean it off immediately, then it's ready to use again and again.

Once you are done with a stencil, replace it on the plastic backing sheet for using another day.

The dragonfly takes up more real estate on the board than the butterflies, so adding a bee in there helps give a little change up in sizes.

Once you are done, set the board aside, laying on a level surface to dry completely.

The texture is smooth and raised off the surface of the board like embossing.

I love how the colors blend together just a little bit where they meet.

It's such a fun way to do specimen artwork--no real insects needed!

No real butterflies were harmed in the making of this new art for my mantle!

I love how the texture, colors and paint looks on this smooth wood surface, it's perfection.

Martha Stewart has made it so easy to be successful with this project because the stencils give a flawless print every time!

A little practice needed, but anyone can get the hang of it really quick.

DIY HELLO SIGN:

Let's finish off this Spring Mantle with a little Hello sign using my 2 favorite Martha Stewart paints in the Solar Brights pack, Party Streamer and Aqua.

Plus the 2 foam pouncers from the stencil kit.

Use a paper plate, piece of wax paper, junk mail, palette or something similar to daub the paint in.

The pouncers make painting this little hello sign take less than a minute with no need for delicate brushwork.

Just dab the foam pouncer across the top of the word until sufficiently pink...or Party Streamer.

Repeat the process, using the second pouncer, with the aqua paint, filling in the bottom half of the word hello.

Then clean out both foam pouncers and let them dry for another day.

The foam pouncer paint application gives a little texture to the finished product, but I think it's perfect paired with the textured specimen wall art.

This little hello gives a big emphasis on a fun, new, Spring home decor mantle, entry table or wall art.

BUTTERFLY COLLECTOR ART:

I love how bright and vibrant this art piece turned out!

It's easy to make your own, and the Martha Stewart line from Plaid does all the guess work for you!

Just get the surface, a paint pack and a stencil set and have a blast!

That's it!

Use the new Martha Stewart line at Plaid Crafts to make this awesome butterfly specimen wall art, perfect for a Spring mantle or home decor.

Adding textured paste to the paint gives the butterflies a dimensional relief that is much more than just a print.

I love how bright and cheerful this butterfly display turned out and totally think you should try this technique during National Craft Month!

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