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Sunday 23 November 2014

The perfect way...

...to spend a birthday.

The weather was pretty awful but it didn't matter because the company was great and we all enjoyed getting mucky.

Andy ran a similar workshop earlier in the year but this time we were thinking more about Christmas and making a decorative piece for the home or to give as a gift.

Starting with a 12x12 pre-gesso'd canvas we were let loose to rummage through boxes of embellies and dies...
 ...roughly planning out the layout before making a start on the actual piece.

As this was a Christmas piece I wanted to use one of Ignacio's Christmas digi images (Nicecrane Designs) as a focal point on the piece - who better than Santa arriving with the gifts.

Having carefully transferred all the bits & bobs onto a sheet...
...I made a start adding some texture to the canvas using texture paste and stencils...
 ...some brickwork and snowflakes seemed ideal...
 ...and then I started adding some burlap - the texture and the frayed edges create a lot of interest...
 ...and is easy to wrap over to the sides to continue the 'look'.

All the bits & bobs were gradually attached to the canvas and given a good coating of gesso...
 ...a trusty post-it note protected the printed image.

Things never go back onto the canvas in the same layout as you start with - bits get moved and you come across other things that you want to add but it doesn't matter - the idea is to create something that you find pleasing.

Once everything was on and coated with gesso, the whole thing was given a blast with a heat gun to ensure it was completely dry before adding some colour...
 ...I covered everything with acrylic paint and then spritzed with a Tim Holts Distress spray in a brass shade...
 ...the spray is great for getting into all the nooks & crannies that brushes find difficult...
...I then used some gold acrylic paint to dry-brush certain areas to give more depth.

When the light improves a bit, I'll take some pictures of it on the wall.

My friend Hilary went for a red & gold theme...
 ...I love the wooden words that she used.
Tina kept her canvas fairly pale with a slight hint of cream...
 ...and highlighted some areas with a light plum shade.
Andy also played during the workshop...
...and his was a lovely blue & silver scheme with lots of texture.
Tina's daughter decided she didn't want a Christmas piece. So she made her canvas for her bedroom...
...and included the name of her favourite band. The 'firework' effect around the edge was hand painted with a variety of acrylic paints.

Considering we all started with a white canvas, all five pieces ended up very different.

There was a sixth canvas that was sprayed and had five Sizzix lampposts attached to it - that was my birthday present from the class...a starting point for me to have a play with. When I make up my mind what I'm going to add to it, I'll show you all some pictures.

I really enjoyed my day - so thank you to Andy & Pinnacle Crafts and Hilary & my fellow crafters for making my day so special. I had a fabulous time.........................................................

8 comments:

The Scrapbook Lady UK said...

very nice work! jx

Wendy said...

That is a fabulous canvas - and what a lovely way to spend a birthday!

Sandra said...

Wowzer that is some canvas :)

voodoo vixen said...

Happy Belated Birthday Toni, and what a fabby way to spend it! Love the canvases, the texture paste is wonderful for adding interest and love the colours you chose.

Julia Dunnit said...

Oh great stuff, so glad it was such a good day.

Paula - Buenos Aires said...

Happy belated birthday my dear! Make this year a wonderful oned! Wishing you love, laughter and crafts. :D

Sue Jones said...

Lovely - Looks like great fun.

Kirsteen said...

Wow! Well done - this is amazing!