I have a confession…I haven’t gotten into Doctor Who yet. I’ve been hearing good things about it for a while. It’s on my list of things to watch when I have a chance.
My cousin loves Doctor Who, so I decided to make her a canvas painting of the TARDIS for Christmas.
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Materials
- Canvas – I used a 12×12 canvas
because it’s what I had on hand, but a rectangular canvas like a 11×14
would be a great size for a TARDIS.
- Paint – Blue (this blue paint has a bit of a metallic sheen to it), light blue, dark blue, white, black.
Note – you don’t have to buy all these colors if you want to mix some of them yourself. - Varnish
- Brushes in a couple sizes
Begin by prepping your area. I used some cardboard to paint on so I can quickly put it up and out of the way since I’m usually painting with my boys underfoot.
Paint the canvas a solid blue. Let it dry.
Paint a solid, thick black section near the top of your canvas.
While that is drying, using a thin brush, paint a dark blue line down the middle.
Using the same brush and color, outline 2 rectangles on either side of the middle line. If you are using a canvas that is more proportionally accurate to the TARDIS, you can add three on each side. I used a piece of paper to help some of my lines stay straight.
Using your different blues, give your rectangles some shading. You can dab one side of your brush in your dark blue and one in your lighter blue…
…then paint this on and blend.
Using your light blue paint, make six solid blue windows just below the black line you painted earlier.
At this point, I went back over the canvas, lightly brushing on some of the dark blue paint to give the TARDIS some fun texture. I also added a handle to one side.
If your black paint is dry by this point, take your very thin brush and carefully paint “POLICE PUBLIC CALL BOX” across the black strip. Painting out words is usually the toughest for me (and you can see mine aren’t perfect by any means!). Just take it slow and be generous with the white paint on your brush since you are painting on top of black. Allow to dry.
Check over your painting and add any last details you want to. Once your painting is completely dry, do a clear coat of varnish over it. Make sure it goes on smooth – be sure to brush out any bubbles. Allow to dry. For extra protection, you can add another coat.
And there you have it! A fun piece of art to add some geek to your room or as a gift to a fellow Doctor Who fan.
