Getting WASHI with it.
- Siobhan Lam
- Feb 13, 2015
- 4 min read
I never really 'got' Pinterest. Sure I browsed and had some boards and had enjoyed a pin here and there but to be totally honest I didn't understand all the hoopla. Yes that's a word. Until one seemingly ordinary afternoon I found myself on it and spotted a kickass interior image - I clicked on it and POW, all of a sudden below the gorgeous image were several more similar and equally gorgeous images. Ahh. It finally clicked - Pinterest is AWESOME. Several HUNDRED pins later I came across an amazing image of what looked like a black geometrical wall decal and became utterly obsessed. It soon became apparent that the image was not of a fully formed wall decal but black washi tape that the talented home owner had turned into something beautiful and unique on their wall. And so the obsession began.
As I fell down the Pinterest black hole of washi tape loveliness it became obvious that I needed this tape in my life. STAT. And so after much difficulty, I bought some different coloured rolls and basically went to town. Here is a basic tutorial on our first DIY attempt - ENJOY!
Ps. April and the Bear stock washi tape now so no need to go traipsing across the internet to find - just go here!!
And also yes I did enlist the help of a terribly handsome bearded chap on this creative mission - not because this is a two-person operation (because it's totally not), rather because it's next to impossible to take photographs of yourself taping things to a wall when up a ladder. Not impossible - but pretty close.
GEOMETRICAL WASHI TAPE WALL ART TUTORIAL
YOU’LL NEED:
- Roll of Washi Tape
- Measuring Tape
- Pencil
- Stanley Knife
- Filler Knife (not entirely necessary, a ruler will work too)
Music to work to: Monument by Royksopp & Robyn - mainly due to the fact that it's a kick-ass song and I have it on good authority that those coolsters love an auld geometrical design.
Awesome Femme we are channelling: Sarah Beeny - yes we're channelling TV royalty today as opposed to movie-based femmes. Why you ask? Well Sarah Beeny is to houses, what Marty Whelan is to perfect morning radio - that's why. Also that voice! AMAZE.
First thing to do is decide on what kind of design you want to create - angular shapes make sense with the tape so look at your space and think about how to fill it in the most interesting way. You can of course, sketch your design first on some paper but don't spend to long on this part!
When choosing your space, think about the colour of the wall and what shade will look best. We wanted contrast, so black washi tape made the most sense. Also when looking for your canvas, try and aim for eye level and above - designs on and above this level will really draw the eye in and have huge impact. Then clean your wall, if your area is dusty or dirty this will hinder the stickiness of your washi tape and it simply won't stick.
We decided that our design would start at our skirting and work its way up and over our kitchen door opening where the line would morph into interlocking angular shapes and because it needed to travel parallel to the opening we used our measuring tape to mark some rough spots that the tape needed to hit.
Measure and mark where the washi tape needs to hit
Then START! No seriously, just start. Washi tape is fantastic in that if your lines start to meander you can very easily remove and start again so just GO FOR IT!
Get STARTED!
Yes its a spoon. Excellent aid in getting the tape into those hard-to-reach skirting board grooves...
When changing direction with the washi tape, cut and overlap in the new direction. You can then go back over with your Stanley knife and ruler and cut a nice angle into it - making it look clean and lovely! Now if you are using coloured tape you may want to go about this in another way, as the more colourful tape can be somewhat translucent.
Right turn!
Triangulation complete!
Once we had a few shapes drawn with our tape we decided to extend the design to the ceiling. SURE WHY NOT! This does make things slightly trickier - there's more room for error and you need to take a lot of steps back to ensure it still looks right - but totally worth it in the end!
Ah let's throw another triangle in!
There's no rule for when 'enough is enough', you just need to keep taking a step back and seeing if the design needs more or less etc. (this is a good time to grab a second pair of eyes for a fresh perspective).
Okay. Stop.
And there you have it! An entirely unique geometrical wall design that you can easily and happily complete in an hour or so. This design used up just one roll of washi tape (10 meters) so technically this look can be achieved for just 3.40€. BARGAIN.
So get experimenting. I would love to see your designs! For more DIY tutorials keep an eye here or better yet sign up to our mailer - HERE.
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