Last year I did something I’d never done before: I painted my first canvas. I’m not an artist, but by the end I felt like one. Here’s how it happened.
I saw a painting I loved and wanted it for my living room—but the price was way out of my budget. Instead of giving up, I thought: why not paint it myself?
The problem was obvious: I had zero experience. No brushes, no paints, no clue. So I asked AI for help.
How Perplexity helped
1) Breaking it down
I uploaded the image and asked: How do I paint this? What do I need? It gave me a step‑by‑step plan from sketching to layering. It felt like having a personal art coach.
2) Paint recommendations
Next, I asked for paint suggestions. It recommended a few brands. I went with Amsterdam Acrylics (shoutout for making this possible). I didn’t even know the difference between acrylic and oil before this.
3) Color matching
I uploaded the image again and asked for a color list. The AI analyzed the painting and suggested the key colors. I tweaked a few, but it was a great starting point—like solving a little art mystery.
4) Execution
I ordered everything online. 24 hours later, the supplies arrived. I followed the steps and the painting slowly came to life.
Three hours later, this was the result.
The original painting that inspired it: https://www.westwing.pl/r-cznie-malowany-obraz-na-p-otnie-w-drewnianej-ramie-accurate-144826.html
Disclaimer
This was a personal project. I don’t own the rights to the original artwork and I’m not selling my version. Huge respect to the original artist.