Keep your subject lighthearted and unexpected.
The word "funky" can be defined as anything from strange to eccentric, to fun, loud, and tasteless. Funky paintings have no one stylistic quality in common, and no typical subject matter. The most important part of producing a funky painting is that you keep yourself open to ideas and changes, make unexpected decisions, and keep the painting relatively lighthearted and fun. Funky paintings are not meant to be taken seriously.
Unexpected Color and Texture
A normal painting turns into an extraordinary painting with just a few different color choices. Rainbow-colored pigs, pink grass, purple bananas, and a bright green sun all have the power to turn a painting into a strange and fun world for the viewer to explore. Strange and unexpected textures made from thick applications of paint, splatters, splashes, and dribbles are all possibilities as well. You may even want to incorporate found objects like newspapers, leaves, and other lightweight items into the painting to create a work of mixed media.
Geometric Shapes
Consider a painting made entirely of geometric shapes. These shapes may be designed to represent something real, or it may be a fun, nonrepresentational piece. Geometric shapes, lacking in shadow and highlights, give paintings a flat, decorative quality that is whimsical and unserious.
Fantastical Themes
This is the part where you paint the cow jumping over the moon, or a man eating a shark, or a kitchen table and a little boy in his pajamas floating weightless through the air. Avoid making a statement with your painting--stay away from heavy, thoughtful subject matter. Let the viewer decide if your work means something, or nothing--but point in the direction of nothing. Keep it humorous and kind of weird and maybe just a little clever.
