The Dress - Painting with Plaster

The Dress

Painted with Plaster

The first time I made a painting where the image was made with plaster and then painted over for a 3D effect was in college when I was doing some works for a production at the Yakima museum.  I made six 6x6 ft paintings...each one themed after the music compositions that were being performed.  My sister choreographed a dance to go with each song too so the production was a combination of live jazz, dance and visual art.  It was cool.  The plaster was used on a painting called Punctuation.  I made a huge punctuation mark on the canvas with plaster, then painted the whole canvas a solid color and then splattered it all jackson pollock style...I thought it went with the theme of punctuation with the punctuated marks they left.  ANYWAYS, I really enjoyed using plaster and have wanted to do it again ever since.  I have ALSO been wanting to make a dress painting for a long time too...like .....Then, a few months ago when I was researching faux finishing when I was getting ready to do the bathroom makeover  I discovered Segreto Finishes by Leslie Sinclair and fell in LOVE.  Then I was looking through the Segreto Art Gallery and saw the paintings by Rachel Schwind and saw the paintings she made with plaster and was inspired.  Her dress paintings with plaster are like the perfect combination of the 2 types of paintings I've been wanting to do for the last few years!  So I made this for the master bedroom.  

work in progress...

work in progress....

I wanted to make it more greyish and muted the way Rachel Schwind does, but wanted to have some blue undertones so I painted a mix of grey and teal on the background and then just teal over the dress.  I started adding a white-ish wash to the background..toning it down...but then I couldn't bring myself to do it over the dress...it wasn't what I intended...but I loved the pop of color...it still has the simplicity I wanted anyways.  I used plaster and painted it on with a palette knife.  waited for it to dry and then added paint.  Only mistake...I should have not done this on a canvas...the plaster is cracking like crazy so I am going to get a bunch of midge podge and paint that over top of the whole thing to try to keep it from cracking further and hopefully keep any plaster from cracking too much and falling off!  I would be so sad.  The cracks aren't too noticeable unless you get up and look real close but they make me nervous!  The punctuation painting was on canvas too and there was no cracking...even after trasport in a u-haul but maybe it was because that canvas was so thick and sturdy...these canvases I've been buying are really inexpensive and are light and flimsy...I'm not even sure if it's real canvas..it's almost papery because if I get it too wet...the edges start to fray...so maybe that is the problem.  But large canvases are EXPENSIVE!  This one was $16! and it's a good size!  you get what you pay for I guess.

And after I made this dress painting, my 5 year old, who is dress obsessed, wanted to make a dress painting too and design her own dress so I did a google image search for dress paintings and let her pick out a reference picture and she made this, all by herself and she is so proud of it she keeps saying we need to send it to a factory so they can make it into a real dress.


When she seriously wants to draw something, I sit down and give her a little instruction by drawing the same picture along side her on my own paper and explaining what I'm doing as I go and then she draws hers at the same time.  It's from the Monart method when I was teaching art classes and it's nice because I never touch her picture and she can look at it after and be proud that she did the entire thing by herself.  As you can see I turned mine into a silly clown picture as we painted along side each other.  She wanted it to have polk-a-dots so I had her make the dots with crayons and then paint watercolor overtop, a 5 year old couldn't paint a polk-a-dot dress it would be a mess...so this worked well and kids always love seeing the crayon resist the watercolor.  When is was dry she added glitter.

While doing the google image search for "dress paintings" we found the artist Roxanne Rossi and I am LOVING her dress paintings.  So simplistic and beautiful I had to share!  Almost made me wish I painted something like this instead of the plaster dress....(almost! still love the plaster dress painting)

Chalkboard Bakery Sign on Canvas

Faux Chalkboard Bakery Sign on Canvas

 

I originally saw this cool bakery sign wall decor on a blog header over at Junkin Junky about a year ago, and she has since changed the image on her blog header so I can't really show you.  A couple months later I was looking for it (this was before pinterest) and found the bakery sign over at the Curious Sofa, although it's not there anymore either, but luckily I saved it because I FINALLY did it!  

Here is the original from curious sofa 

                                                            

I started with a 12x24 inch gallery wrapped canvas that I got on sale really cheap years ago...before I even became a mom, which was at least 5 years ago as JJ's bday comes up next week!  I didn't have any black acrylic paint, so I used J's Black Tempura/Poster Paint but due to my painting classes from college, I still have a difficult time using any paint straight from the tube...even black, so I mixed the black with some of my burnt umber...don't know if it made any difference, but oh well...I painted the entire canvas black.

Then I put a piece of chalk in a bag and smashed it with a hammer.  I used a wide dry paint brush and brushed the chalk powder onto the black canvas to make it look like a chalkboard.  Who needs chalkboard paint when  you can use black poster paint and basic crayola chalk to make a faux chalkboard finish?

 

I inverted the original image from curious sofa and enlarged it to the size I wanted in word and had it print onto several pages.  Then did the ol scribble chalk on the back and trace the letters onto the canvas.  I did try practicing my freehand at first which wasn't terrible, but I just wanted it to be uniform and even and so I traced the lettering on. 

 When I started, I planned to paint the letters with white paint, but right before starting thought...um since I'm making it look like a chalkboard...why don't I just use chalk? duh...

 To keep the chalk for smudging and wiping off, I took it out to the garage and sprayed it with fixative. You can find that in the drawing section a store that carries art supplies.

 I made this chalkboard bakery sign to go next to the door to the deck because there are two empty areas of wall, on the opposite wall, I just threw up this pizza paddle we already had.

 There...better than having nothing up there on those walls....slowly getting the house less bare.

 I just had to take a pic from this angle because I love the light fixture and brick fireplace in the kitchen...

Best part of the new kitchen decor?  It was free!  I just used things that I've had on hand.

To see how to enlarge images to print on multiple pages click HERE

To see how to transfer images as I did with the type on this project, click HERE

 

FYI- an update from last nights post...NO POOPY DOOPY DISASTERS this morning!!! THANKS FB friends for your help!!!

Bathroom Redo

Bathroom Reveal

Well this is one of those "reveals" where I'm a little apprehensive to share...it's not TOTALLY done because we need to paint the trim and woodwork, but I'm done with this project for now I need a break!  

The original paint in this bathroom was not looking so great, there were tons of water streak stains on all the walls...I think mainly due to the fact that the towel rack was no where near the sink so people were walking around with wet hands which were then dripping down the walls?  Anyways, I picked up some metal decor from Hobby Lobby 50% off and we wanted to go with an old world rustic look, using a faux finish on the walls.  But here is what happened...the tan color I picked out as the base went on and looked more like a creamy, peachy skin color...I felt like I was surrounded by skin.  So instead of just a light faux finish, I ended up doing a heavier, more dramatic faux with dramatic cracks in the walls to cover up the awful base color.  I also painted the cabinets and doors the same light color and started glazing them but it wasn't looking that great (I'm new to this stuff) and my husband said the door looked like it was covered in "diarreah juice" okay sorry for that gross description, that is just his sense of humor...I originally wanted to go darker with the woodwork anyways so I think that's what we will do now.  

Still can't decide if I like it...I've spent way too much time in that small bathroom over the last 3-4 nights and feel totally indifferent....don't know what to think of it.  I also want to put a decorative bracket type thing with a vase of flowers above the toilet possibly?  

Anyways, here is the before and after....and who knows...maybe there will be another "after" down the road if I decide I don't like this and redo the whole thing again!  Maybe at least an update after painting the trim and woodwork differently.

Here is when I had all the colors up to pick from...and of course the one I got ended up looking nasty and NOT like cappuccino! haha The swatch I went with was the 3rd in from the right on the 2nd to last row....

I did find out  after bringing home a ton of swatches that the main color throughout our house is Bistro Chair!

 See, need a different color on door and trim because it's too much the same...

Mod Podged/hotglued paper over the light switch cover

Here is the faux "process" I did (really was experimenting)

 Made a glaze with burnt umber and raw umber acrylic paint mixed with water and smeared a bunch on randomly with a 4 inch paintbrush....then take a wet rag, wring out all the water and then smear it, wipe it and dab it around until it looked like this....I would also go back with an almost dry paintbrush and do crosshatching to blend and texturize it as well

Anyways....did I ruin my bathroom? Last night I dreamed that I started over and painted the walls a solid darker color with light trim...

UPDATED PIC AFTER PAINTING CABINET AND BASEBOARDS with BEHR French Roast (or espresso roast...something to that effect)

Hand Painted Family Last Name Signs

Now that they have been recieved...I can show and tell these gifts I made!

Hand painted family last name signs with the date each family established on 12 x 12 inch canvas.   I found a really fine tip paint brush and some Japanese Sumi Ink in my stash that worked out really well for doing all the lettering.  I used the same technique as I did in the Restoration Hardware Inspired Pillows Tutorial.

I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas!  We missed being with family but it was still special having our first Christmas here in our new house and of course....Christmas is special wherever you are because no matter where you are and who you are with, it's all about Christ! And we have been blessed to have met so many wonderful friends since we moved here in May so we have yet to be lonely on the holidays and had a amazing Christmas Eve Dinner with Friends and attended an awesome service, everything was wonderful. On Christmas Day, I meant to make a yummy gluten free chocolate layered cake, but we all ended up taking a long nap on Christmas day which resulted with an overcooked Turkey and some last minute mashed potatoes and steamed peas! lol...and Luckily we already had an awesome meal the night before  also lucky I had this one cupcake in the freezer that the kids could share!





PS- Thanks everyone who has been voting for my embarrassing moments stories over at Wanna Be Balanced!  My skin has been SO terrible lately so I am really hoping to win the microdermabrasion kit!  If you haven't seen the post yet with all the funny stories and voted yet, check it out HERE.  Scroll down to the post titled "Vote for Your Favorite" and I'm number 10.  You may have already read about this on my facebook or twitter but I didn't want to miss anyone knowing about it :)

Apple Print Stationary - Fall Crafts for Kids

Apple Print Stationary

Fall Crafts and Activities for Kids

Hey!  So I wasn't sure what to post today, but then I remembered this fun activity we did last week that we got out of Family Fun Magazine.  We made apple prints by cutting an apple in half, horizontally to get the circle shape with the star inside.  It was the perfect after school activity while dinner was being made since my daughter was learning all about the letter A and apples at preschool last week.  She thought this was really fun stamping the apple in the paint and then stamping the apple on the paper.  Once it was dry, we cut the paper to make smaller apple print note cards.  She wrote a letter to her grandparents in it.  Once she was done and her paint colors had mixed and turned really dark and muddy, she stuck her finger tip in the paint and made apple seeds.

Baby Boy Room Decor - Canvas Sign

When I Grow Up...

Baby Boy Art and Nursery Decor
Canvas Sign

I saw this adorable little sign on Uptown Country and knew I had to make one for my baby boys room...

I wanted mine to be the same, but I had this 6 x 12 inch canvas so changed the quote a bit to make if fit my sign better.   I will be posting a tutorial for this canvas sign so you can make your own diy nursery decor just like mine in a couple days. this week is a busy week and so I only have time to share this preview...so come back soon, the tutorial for this baby boy art should be up in the next couple of days!  Also check back tomorrow to see who won the E Custom Cards Giveaway and enter today if you haven't yet! (see top of sidebar)

If you would like to purchase this 6x12 inch gallery wrapped baby boy art, it is available in my etsy shop and is custom made to order in any color to match your nursery or little boys room.  This baby boy art would make a great gift for a father to be, new father, hand made baby shower gift, or a gift to welcome a new baby boy to the family, or just because it would look so cute in your boys' room.

Restoration Hardware Inspired Pillows - Tutorial

Restoration Hardware Inspired Pillows

hand painted on canvas

  I have a thing for the natural linens and natural and neutral colors of Restoration Hardware and am a fan of the  

Presse Parisienne Burlap Pillow Cover.  I love the faded charm and vintage look so I decided to make my own version.  Now, I know these are not a actual knock-off because I didn't use french words to mimic the old bank bags and flour sacks like Resto did and they aren't the exact same style but it was the inspiration for this project.  I like the idea of incorporating stories and meaning throughout your home as much as possible...doing things with intention.  Kind of like how in Art History you see a painting that's interesting/beautiful to look at and you can enjoy it without knowing anything about it, but most likely, there is something more to it, a depiction of an event, a story, symbolism of some kind or another that the artist intentionally added.  So not that these are some great work of art like that....but I was just going for the symbolism aspect.  OK so I made the first pillow a tribute to our wedding date, but the other two pillows may just look like more nautical themed decor, but they represent our family history because my husbands ancestors were ship builders and that's where his last name comes from, and then I also remembered that some of my ancestors were ship owners that brought over some of the first Americans.

This project also cost me nothing since I had everything on hand...I have a big roll of raw canvas from an art project I did back in the day.  

Supplies

raw canvas, burlap, or undyed cotton fabric or other linen-type fabric

burnt umber acrylic paint 

flat paintbrush

scrap cardboard

charcoal

pencil

sewing machine

matching thread

pillow forms

image or lettering printed to desired size (how to print a picture on multiple pages info here)

tape

scissors

Find or create an image you would like to transfer onto your Restoration Hardware pillows.  If you are doing words, just select the right font and sizes and print out.  Figure out the size of your pillow and how big you want your image to be and click here to see how to print a picture on multiple pages.

Trim the pages and line up your image and tape all sections together.

Flip your printed image over and shade the back with charcoal as pictured.  I used a willow stick the first time and it wasn't as messy as the chalky charcoal I used in the picture.

Once the back surface is covered with charcoal, flip the image over and line up on fabric (raw canvas in my case) and tape down so it doesn't slide around.

Using a mechanical pencil or sharpened pencil, carefully trace over your image with firm pressure to transfer the image to your fabric.  Carefully pick up one side and take a peek under the paper to see if your image has been fully transferred or if you need to go back over a couple areas.  It won't be perfect but it will give you a good outline to go by.

Using Burnt Umber Acrylic paint (I used Dick Blick) I would get the paint on my flat paint brush and then run it over the cardboard to keep the tip flat and remove excess paint.  I did not use any water.  Then carefully go over your pencil lines and paint the outline of your image (or just paint your letters this way). You may want to practice first on some scraps.  After I had my outline done, I went back and did some filling in and shading but it was very minimal...as you can see in the ship wheel, on the spindles I would place my brush down on the outline and then drag it towards the middle of the spindle and pull up just a little bit and did that all the way up the spindle to create some dimension.  But how you decide to embellish on your outline is totally up to you and dependent on your image.  But with these pillows, the simpler and more basic you keep the image and detail....the better.  I also reminded myself not to go crazy trying to make these so perfect  because they are supposed to have a vintage, worn look to them and so every line doesn't have to be perfectly evenly shaded.  And I promised I wouldn't care when they got thrown around either, if the image gets worn from use...it'll just add character. :)

Now, measure the size of your pillow form and then cut the fabric to fit, adding room for seam allowance. (I added 1/2-1 inch which is being generous, but I figured I could always make it smaller...can't make it bigger)  Then cut fabric for the back, cut two pieces large enough to overlap by a couple of inches.  Give yourself a few inches to work with.

Fold the raw edges back on the overlapping pieces and iron as pictured above.

Sew a straight seam to finish the edge on both pieces.

Now line up your pieces with the right sides of your fabric facing each other.  Finished seam down against painted fabric.

Place the overlapping piece on, right side down also as pictured.

Pin around the edges.

Sew a 1/4 inch seam around all four edges, back stitching at start and end.

Using the slip opening, flip the pillow cover right-side-out.

Take pillow form (or in my case, nasty crusty kid wrecked pillow) and insert it into your custom, hand painted "vintage" burlap pillow cover to add some rustic charm to your space!

On the anchor, once the dry brushing was done, I wanted to add some faint color to the rest to add more dimension so after I had painted the outline and dark areas of detail, I did go back with a little water and a super small amount of paint just to barely tint it and went over the interior of the anchor, added a little more detail.

NOTE: I just saw this tutorial on Knock Off Decor and it's a much easier/faster method, especially if you don't feel comfortable hand painting!

Drop Cloth Pillow Case Knockoff

from the Shabby Beach Nest