Dream Big altered canvas

So I’ve been home feeling crap-tacular for almost 2 weeks.  Basically living on the couch watching YouTube videos on the ipad and sleeping in the air con.  I have been too sick to go out to buy supplies but did manage a mean bit of online shopping – I blame the fever.  (That’s my story and I’m sticking to it).

I did a ruthless grab in the art room and took an already completed canvas off the art shelf.  Now, when I say finished, what I mean was I did a simple background and got too impatient to do more to it before I leapt into Teesha Moore style journal writing.  And then because the writing was so busy, I couldn’t do much over the top.  To be fair, I didn’t really know what else to do to finish it off anyway.  So it wasn’t my best-est ever work, which is why I had the courage to paint over it.  That and the fever meant the care factor was a lot lower than normal.

I used some of my brand new Titan Buff Golden Fluid Acrylic Paint from my online shopping spree and painted over most of the writing.  I left a lot of the existing blue still showing because I was going to run with that colour.  The Golden paint is quite see through, so you could still see the words but I figured they would get covered up from every thing else.

I stuck on some She Art coffee filter paper from Christy Tomlinson and scrapbook paper I had left over from here with matte medium.  I’m a bit obsessed with red stripe paper at the moment.  Not sure why.  I’m turning into a red girl.

Then I used a Rhonda Palazzari stencil (baubles and circles) and Claudine Hellmuth blue Studio Paint.  I love doing the reverse print after you’ve used the stencil the ‘proper way’.  I often prefer the print you get that way too.  I use my stencils to monoprint A LOT.

Then I used another Rhonda Palazzari stencil (arty marks) with some modeling paste and Ranger Jenni Bowlin red paint.  It’s a beautiful maroon/aged red.  Gor.ge.ous.  I also added some Tim Holtz rub ons.  Bit obsessed with numbers at the moment too.  I put a layer of matte medium over these just to make sure they stayed stuck down and didn’t get scuffed as I handled them.  I am very careful about how I use my rub ons.  Always thinking “I don’t want to waste these on the project I’m working on now.  What if I make something even nicer and I’ve used ’em all up”.   I know, I’m an idiot.  But I bet I’m not the only idiot.  I’ve become a bit more ruthless about using stuff in my stash.  And once it’s gone, it’s gone baby.   Again, the fever may have helped a little with my ruthless abandon.

I kinda got to there and had to stop.  Yes, because I felt like crap but also because I didn’t know what to do next.  I did what I always do – I fell in love with the back ground and didn’t want to ‘ruin it’ but putting something over the top.  I’m a shocker for that.  I got up the next day and had one simple idea – rub some of the paint around the edges to give it a bit of a border.  Next thing I know, I was on a roll.  I added some credit card paint swipes over the areas that still looked like they needed a little somethin’ somethin’.  Put a picture in the middle? Draw a face like my Jane workshop?  I settled on a word and went rumbling through my small but sufficient lettering stash.  Aha – after playing with some chipboard, I went with some army green fabric letters. I’ve loved those letters for a long time and I was finally gonna use them.

“I reckon I could paint over those with matte medium then sprinkle glitter on them”.  I was lucky all the letters I needed were there and stuck them down with matte medium.  While it was drying, I went looking for the pack of glitter I know I had around here somewhere….   Alas, the desk looked like a bomb had hit it (so in it’s usual state) – let’s just say I will never be featured in Where Women Create. And of course, I couldn’t find the glitter.  I rubbed some red Neocolor II crayon around the letters which were almost kinda dry-ish – I am the Queen of Impatience after all, so you know they really weren’t even close to being dry.  I blended the crayon with an Aquash brush.

Then I went through the drawers again in case I’d missed seeing the glitter and found some glitter glue from a long ago ‘planned but never started’ project.  That’ll do. That’s not my usual catch cry but… fever.   So I ran the glitter glue in a line over the letters and then gently smeared the glue, trying not to go over the edges of the letters.

As I was letting that dry, I drew around the letters with black pen, occasionally getting bogged in the still not dry matte medium I stuck the letters down with.  I added some black water colour pencil and more Aquash water brush.

A couple of other ‘finishing off pieces’ like torn tickets, white Neocolor II crayon and it was all done.  Not my usual style – this one was Christy Tomlinson inspired.  But I learned lots playing with it.  Making contrasting colours work together, layering, improvising with materials, using up your stash, how I work vs who I learn from – something that is really important to me.  I don’t want to copy anyone and I think this still has the signature elements of my own style.  Simple and not too busy.  Vintage hues of colour.  A strong, bold look.  Super happy with it as a finished project.  Go to whoa in two days.  Yay for me!

That doesn’t happen very often.  But, oh baby, it feels good when it happens.

Coral.  xo