A Colorful Life Mixed Media Canvas

Hello friends! I hope all is well with you and thanks for stopping by to see what I've been up to! I'm going out on a limb today and giving the big summer Make It Yours with Krylon Contest at FaveCrafts.com a shot, "gulp"! :P I don't believe I've ever entered  a contest for actual monetary winnings (aka- cash money, yo!) however, this one I simply cannot resist! I LOVE my Krylon products and upon visiting a new to me and ultra talented artist's blog by the name of Lisa Liza Lou and seeing her wonderful entry for the Make It Yours with Krylon contest, I got inspired to join in too! I am so very thankful for my blogging and other social media friends who share in my passion for celebrating art and creativity! I learn so much from you and continue to grow as an artist greatly in part because of you! Thanks!!!
And here is my FaveCrafts.com Make It Yours With Krylon contest project which I had a most wonderful time making! I hope you like it too! If you are inspired to show off your creativity with Krylon products too, there's still plenty of time to enter--the deadline is September 8, 2014.

"A Colorful Life" Mixed Media Canvas Art

I've had this idea swimming around in my head ever since I saw a couple different versions of this type of mixed media canvas out in bloggyland (unfortunately I did not note who created them so cannot give proper credit, but thanks so much for the inspiration if you've made something like this before! I knew I definitely wanted to use my Krylon Gesso Spray for the canvas base because once dry, the gesso becomes a bright white primer and allows for various water based color mediums to move around and blend with ease. That's right--it works just like regular gesso, only it's a spray!! How cool is that?!! Here's how it went:

Step 1:

Choose your canvas (I did a 6x12) then begin collecting various embellishments such as buttons and flair buttons, pins, brads, charms,  metal findings (raid your hubby's garage for some interesting finds like washers, nails, screws, small gears etc), wood veneer, chipboard, 3d stickers, clips, bling, paper flowers, ribbon and trims and anything else you can think of that creates dimension, texture and interest! This is a great way to use up some of your neglected embellishments and clear out your stash ;) Aside from the trinkets, here are all the supplies I used for my project...

 

Step 2:

Place your collected embellishments on the canvas to get a general idea of placement and balance before gluing it all down. As you can see, not everything ends up getting used and some things get shuffled around--that's part of the fun! Remember, it's all about YOU and what you want on it. Don't be afraid of mismatching--it will all come together in the end! 

*Tip-take a picture of the canvas and use it for reference when you are gluing all your items into place. 

This is also when you would lay down any stencil work or textural elements. i.e.- I used my 4x4 brick wall stencil from SaCrafters and brand new Finnabair Black Sand Texture Paste from Prima (in love with this stuff)

 Step 3: 

Glue everything down. I used both Mod Podge matte finish and E6000 craft adhesive glues. The Mod Podge is great for adhering down fabric, ribbon, trim, and paper. The E6000 is best for the heavier metal pieces and tiny things. Let everything dry overnight.

 Step 4:

Spray the entire canvas (including sides) with White Krylon Gesso Spray and let dry for 1 hour (it actually dries much quicker, withn 15 minutes in fact, however, I waited a bit longer because I sprayed some areas heavier than others and wanted to ensure all the little nooks and crannies were dry.

 Step 5:

Start coloring you canvas with whatever you want! I wanted to see how my homemade shimmer mists would look so I sprayed the 3 colors I've made them in- aqua, green and a light raspberry. I liked it ok, but I wanted more color, so I decided to try my Gelatos to see how they would blend into the canvas...with all the dimension, I wasn't sure how it would go, but it actually worked quite well! It wasn't planned, but I ended up going with a rainbow of colors across my canvas. After laying down each color, I simply spritzed water directly onto the color, moving it with my finger and covering all the pieces on the canvas. No doubt about it, the key is Krylon Gesso Spray! It makes it really easy as soon as the water is added to the Gelatos--color magic! I wiped away a bit of color in some areas allowing the white Krylon Gesso Spray to show through, a really pretty effect. Oh, and don't forget to color your canvas sides too!

 Let dry completely and add sentiments, word stickers, hand doodling, etc, if desired. Or leave it as is--it's just as pretty!

 I'm also entering my canvas into these 2 following challenges:

Craft Hoarders Anonymous Challenge #14- Button It Up! I have used a variety of buttons from my overabundant stash--a great way to free up some craft space!

The Mixed Media Monthly Challenge #3-Stencils with Modeling Paste- my brick wall was created using a stencil and Finnabair black sand texture paste (center of the canvas)

close up

...and 1 more

And that's all she wrote! ;) Thanks so much for stopping by my blog my friends! Wishing you a most creative and blessed day!