Even if you haven’t picked up a paintbrush since school, you can create spectacular works of art for your home. With flowers as the theme, these three very different pieces are quick, easy and inexpensive. There’s a simple stenciling technique using adhesive film, a 3D flower made from fabric and cardboard, and a freehand painting on a piece of plywood. When you’re finished, you’ll be proud to hang your creations next to pieces by more established artists.

Stuck on your project

24” square pre-primed stretched canvas; artist’s acrylic paint in yellow; foam brush; self-healing cutting mat; pencil; metal ruler; cardboard packaging; Stanley knife; fabric in red, orange, yellow and red-and-white spotted cotton; fabric glue; wadding; scissors; craft glue

Apply 2 coats of yellow paint to canvas, allowing paint to dry after each coat.

Enlarge the geometric templates as instructed. Working on the cutting mat, draw 1 circle and 10 of each of the petal shapes onto cardboard packaging. Cut out each shape with a Stanley knife.

Cut the fabric 2cm larger than each shape (for turning). Cover each large petal with red fabric, the medium size with orange fabric and the small with yellow. Glue fabric edges to wrong side of each petal. Glue wadding onto 1 side of the circle, then, cutting slits in the fabric allowance to ensure it sits well, cover the circle with the red-and-white fabric, as before.

Starting with large red petals, set out, then glue petals with craft glue onto canvas, forming a circle. Glue them so the narrow end corners of each adjacent petal touch. Glue medium-size orange petals onto red petals, covering gap between large petals. Stick small yellow petals on top of orange petals to complete the layered effect. Finish by gluing flower centre in the middle. Once glue has set, hang your finished artwork.

Flower power project

24 x 36” stretched canvas; artist’s acrylic paint in warm white and black; small foam paint rollers; ConTact self-adhesive film in grey; black marker pen; scissors; skewer

Paint canvas with 2 coats of warm white, allowing paint to dry after each coat. Transfer the enlarged flower template onto the back of the ConTact film, numbering each item as shown. Cut out petals, stems and leaf shapes.

Carefully following the original numbered design, stick the shapes onto the canvas. Using your index finger, smooth the edges so paint does not seep under the shapes.

Then roll 2 coats of black paint onto the canvas and let the paint dry.

Using a skewer, carefully lift an edge of each film shape, then peel off each shape to reveal your artwork.

Woodland flowers project

900 x 600 x 3mm sheet plywood; fine sandpaper; all-purpose sealer; paintbrush; pencil; foam brush; artist’s acrylic paint, in desired colour; artist’s No 8 flat paintbrush; matt polyurethane varnish

Sand plywood smooth before applying an all-purpose sealer, using a foam brush. When surface is dry, use a pencil to lightly draw flowers onto plywood, as shown.

Go over the outline with artist’s acrylic paint. Use the No 8 paintbrush and start by painting the flower centre first, then draw the brush down the stem. Paint small rounded leaves. To round each leaf tip, flatten bristles, twist brush, then lift off. Allow paint to dry overnight.

Using a crisscross action, apply varnish to surface with a paintbrush. To finish: while varnish is still wet, smooth out brushstrokes by carefully brushing varnish in the direction of the wood grain.