I am so excited to share this super easy project with you today. The inspiration for this came from my sister-in-law (NourZibdeh.com) who asked me to add modern style Islamic calligraphy paintings to my shop. As much as I would love to be able to paint art like a painting artist, I don’t feel I am at that level of sophistication yet! Pus, I prefer to work with mixed media to create my Islamic art pieces (take a look at my recent creations here and here). So I told Nour that there is a super easy way for her to get the modern Islamic calligraphy painting of her choice and that she can even do it herself! You can too! Here is how….
Look around your home for a canvas or wood canvas painting hung on the wall or stashed in storage. I chose a wood canvas painting that I purchased from Home Goods years ago, for my Islamic calligraphy painting hack.
You will also need an Islamic calligraphy decal or stencil. I used a decal because I knew that a solid color calligraphy would pop against the colorful background. Since I had a brown decal available I figured it would do the job. Besides, by using a decal I didn’t have to worry about painting and cleaning up. Which is a huge plus if you are not a crafter.
The Islamic calligraphy quote I chose is from Surat An-Nur “alttayyibatu lilttayyibeena waaltayyiboona lilttayyibat” which means Good women are for good men and good men are for good women. Unfortunately, “good” does not truly explain the meaning of the word Tayyib because in Arabic, Tayyib covers a deeper meaning (What is Tayyib?). This quote refers to married couples in that when “good” men look for a woman to marry, they usually look for a “good” woman, and vice versa. Its a beautiful quote that reinforces “goodness” in marriage especially when time gets tough (if you know what I mean!) 😉
Then you simply follow the application instructions ….
1. Decide on the placement of the Islamic calligraphy decal
2. Make sure it is leveled then tape it in place by placing a long piece of masking tape at the centerline.
3. Peel the transfer tape away from the backing paper working your way towards the centerline. The vinyl decal will be attached to the transfer paper at this point.
4. Once at the center, use scissors to cut the backing paper.
5. Once the backing paper is removed, gently smooth the transfer paper onto the surface.
6. Remove the tape from the centerline
7. Repeat steps 3-5 with the other side
8. Start at one corner then slowly peel away the transfer paper working your way in a diagonal line. As you are peeling it away, if the vinyl does not attach to the surface, cover it again with the transfer paper, rub it gently and then peel again.
All this should take you about 5 min. to complete where you will end up with a modern style Islamic calligraphy wall art for your home according to your own specifications.
Here is the before and after again…
The wonderful thing about this project is the customization options; you get to choose the painting style (flowers, landscape, abstract), the Islamic calligraphy quote you prefer, the size of the quote, and its placement on the painting. Don’t you just love this!
Note: If you are interested in an Islamic calligraphy decal, please contact me through my Etsy Shop. While I don’t offer decals for sale on a regular basis, I can always create one just for you. 😉
Love it Lama! I might get out of my comfort zone and start getting artsy!