Hello! We are back this week with more mixed media inspiration to share. As we mentioned in a previous mixed media blog post, we love to incorporate wood into our artwork. The ‘Butterfly’ home decor piece we are showing you this week was created on canvas using a variety of inks, papers, and finishes. In this piece we wanted the White Birch wood butterflies to be the primary focal point and have small accents of small Cherry wood butterflies.
Supplies for the ‘Butterfly’ Mixed Media art: 8×10 canvas, Cherry Wood Sheet, White Birch Wood Sheet, Gesso, variety of patterned paper, old book pages, mesh tape, pearl embellishments, black gel pen, black stazon ink, yellow spray ink, blue spray ink, rub-on transfer images, sponges, paint brushes, white ink, gold metallic ink, gold metallic pen, white acrylic paint, black acrylic paint, coral acrylic paint, electronic cutter, butterfly cut files, variety of texture and background stamps, texture stencils, modgepodge, adhesive, spray fixative, and scissors.
‘Butterfly’ Mixed Media canvas directions:
Note: these are general guidelines for creating similar piece and results may and should vary.
1. Cut out 3 different sizes (S, M, L) of butterflies from a White Birch Wood Adhesive Sheet using an electronic cutter and a butterfly cut file. Also cut out seven extra small butterflies from a sheet of Cherry Wood. Set cut butterflies aside.
2. Prep an 8 x 10 canvas with Gesso.
3. Adhere book print paper to entire canvas using modgepodge or a clear adhesive. Let dry.
4. Adhere a variety of colors and sizes of patterned paper to the bottom 2/3 of the canvas using modgepodge or a clear adhesive. Let dry.
5. Lightly paint a wash of white acrylic paint mixed with modgepodge or a clear adhesive. Let dry and spray fix.
5. Mist yellow sun rays to the top potion of your canvas using a sun ray texture stencil and yellow spray ink. Lightly mist entire canvas with blue spray ink. Let dry and spray fix.
6. Rip off a few organically shaped pieces of mesh tape and adhere randomly onto canvas.
7. Arrange and then adhere the seven extra small Cherry Wood butterflies to the left side of the canvas.
8. Stamp a variety of textures in black ink onto the canvas.
9. Apply a clear coat of modgepodge to entire canvas. Let dry and spray fix.
10. Add black rub-on transfer images (swirls, black zig zag border, words, etc) to the canvas.
11. Arrange the 3 different sizes (S, M, L) of White Birch Wood butterflies onto the canvas with the largest butterfly toward the top, medium butterfly in the middle, and the small butterfly toward the bottom. Space evenly and adhere.
12. Add a light wash of coral acrylic paint to canvas, paying attention to get a small amount of paint on the butterflies.
13. Stamp a variety of textures in gold metallic ink to canvas.
14. Stamp a variety of textures in black ink onto the canvas.
15. Cut out inspiring words from an old book. Adhere to canvas.
16. Apply a clear coat of modgepodge to entire canvas. Let dry and spray fix.
17. Stamp a variety of texture stamps in white ink onto canvas. Let dry and spray fix.
18. Add detail and defining lines to canvas using a black gel pen. Outline the butterflies, words and other areas you’d like to highlight.
19. Add detail and defining lines to canvas using a gold metallic pen. Color in random squares of mesh tape. Spray fix entire canvas.
20. Add pearl embellishments to centers of (S, M, L) White Birch Wood butterflies.
