Mini canvases are so much fun to create. I love creating on a small scale. Changing up the size challenges me in such a good way. Today's mixed media piece includes gesso, an old almanac, fabric, paint, watercolor crayons, and lots of Sizzix dies. What i love about this little piece & tutorial is using left over bits from this Picture This tutorial.
To start this piece, i used a page from an old almanac. It happens to be state elevations which i used purposely for this piece. I love my state and find it utterly beautiful. I tore the pieces and placed them in opposite corners of the 4" canvas panel. One of the pieces is more of a triangle and the other one is a rectangle. Since they were going in opposite corners you want the shapes different to give it some visual interest.
Apply a thin coat of gesso on top the canvas panel creating some texture but letting the paper peek through.
Remember the washer mask i create to use on my Picture This layout? I love getting to use it over & over again. I placed it on my canvas panel and swiped some gesso across it. This gives the canvas some great texture.
When i created the mask with the Washer Border die cut, i had left over pieces of the mask. All these beautiful clear circles and diamond shapes. I knew they would be perfect for a mixed media piece. I added a few of them to my canvas while the gesso was wet and let it dry.
While the canvas was drying i used a leaves die cut to cut my fabric. I love this die. It has a variety of leaf sizes, perfect for any project. These leaves will become my flower petals. I added matte medium to each petal with a paint brush to stiffen the leaves a bit. I was then able to manipulate them to give them a bit of movement.
After they dried, i used a running stitch around the outside edge of the petal in black DMC floss. I brought all those colorful leaves together by using black thread to ground them.
A little button would be perfect for the center of the flower so i used Eileen Hull's new labels & buttons die. (I cannot wait to use those labels on another piece. I am a label addict). I glued my almanac paper onto cardstock to give it some weight and make it a bit sturdier.
To make the button stand out a bit more, i used a black marker around the edge and around the holes. Glossy accents over the top really make this button a standout piece.
Time to add some paint and watercolor crayons until i get a nice soft background that accents my bold flower. Can you see those awesome little leftovers in the background? I knew those mask leftovers would really pop once i added some paint.
Stamped letters in black are perfect for the background. This Basic Background stamp by Dyan Reaveley makes me so giddy. Love the combination of small & large fonts. Yes i purposely stamped it upside down for a little playfulness.
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