'Friends' Mixed Media Canvas

This mixed media canvas was created for a friend’s birthday – have you ever created something crafty for a non-crafty friend? I hope she likes it! Anyway, some of the core products you will need for this project are as follows;

A canvas
Music sheets / book pages - I used gelli prints I had made on deli paper. This is to create texture on the base of the canvas so can be any pages you prefer
Stamps of your choice for background stamping
White tissue paper – or I used deli paper / coloured tissue paper to stamp images on
Helmar Decoupage and Craft Paste
Helmar Crystal Kote Gloss Varnish
Texture Paste
Stencil of your choice
Gelatos
Big Brush Stamper Pens (or markers to colour in your stamped images)
White Gesso
Palette knife
Viva Gold – optional, you could use paint for this
Paints of your choice – here I have used Dylusions paint
2 paint brushes – one for the decoupage paste and one for the gesso
Helmar Quick dry adhesive
Helmar Gemstone glue
Embellishments of your choice – I have used pearls and a wooden veneer piece from Flutterby Designs

I must say that this project evolved as I worked on it – in the photo above I had chosen some stamps that I thought I may use… I ended up using one set out of these - Claudine Hellmuth Studio creative layers "Domestic" clear stamp collection and two Kaisercraft clear stamps - script and lattice for my background stamping.

Let’s get in to it – first step is to brush the decoupage paste straight on to the canvas, put down the gelli prints and then put another layer of decoupage paste over the top. This doesn’t have to be perfect – I like the small lumps and bumps the paper creates one wet with the paste (as you can in the close ups picture later on), this all adds to the rustic feel of the canvas. Leave to dry.

Next step is to add a layer of white gesso with a brush – you could use palette knife or fingers if you want to get messy! Leave to dry.

Stamp your images onto white tissues paper / deli paper. In this case I decided to use what I had and also included some coloured tissues paper. I added additional ripped pieces of tissue paper to the canvas to add more texture. As you can see later on, a lot of this was painted over but helped build the background layers.

Apply the stamped images to the canvas using the Helmar decoupage paste. Leave it to dry.

Apply paint with your fingers (I found this was easier and fun) to the canvas around the images. Here I have used Dylusions paints in various colours. I love the vibrancy of these paints, but you could use any acrylic paint. It’s a good idea to dry in between each colour to prevent them from mixing.

Here are some photos as the each colour is added – you can see it coming together now

Colour your stamped images in with big brush pens or other markers.

Apply texture paste through a stencil on two corners of canvas. When dry, blend in the gelato colours with your fingers. Gelatos are a stick of soft colour (almost like the consistency of lipstick) that can be blended with your fingers, a baby wipe etc. I used a couple of colours on this project and also added some metallic purple to the canvas itself. Dry with heat tool to set the gelatos.

Stamp the background stamps of your choice randomly over the canvas, using black ink.

Next, apply Viva Gold (you can use ink, paint or leave it raw) to the wooden veneer piece (love this piece from Flutterby Designs) and around the edges of the canvas. Dry with a heat tool.

Adhere the wooden veneer piece using the Helmar Quick Dry adhesive.

Next is to seal the canvas with Helmar Crystal Kote Gloss Varnish. This is also available in a Matte Finish but I like the shine the Gloss has. Quick drying time - 10mins touch dry which is fabulous! I made sure to spray this outside so I didn’t get it everywhere!

For the finishing touches….glue on the pearls for the bird cage and dress using the Helmar Gemstone glue and then sit back and admire your fantastic work!