Vintage Postcard Canvas

Vintage Postcard Canvas

Posted by DecoArt on May 31st 2017

It’s almost summertime!  Create this sweet little wall decoration using an 8”x8” stretch canvas.  There are several techniques that are fun to try and give a wonderful amount of depth and interest to any background.  Let’s get started!

Items Needed:

Instructions:

Now that all of the supplies are laid out, let’s get started with the instructions!

Begin with an idea, an 8” x 8” canvas and a couple of your favorite floral designs from a couple of napkins.  (In this case, the canvas already had text printed on the canvas).

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To create texture and something for all of your other mixed media elements to grip to, apply a generous amount of DecoArt Media White Gesso using your fingers or a palette knife over the entire canvas. Let dry.

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To add stamped images into the canvas background, begin tart working in small sections of the canvas.  Apply a generous amount (like mayonnaise on bread) of DecoArt Media Modeling Paste to a section of the canvas.  Gently begin to heat set the Modeling Paste but only to the point that the surface of the paste is barely tacky to the touch but not dry.

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Spritz a rubber stamp with water and firmly press it into the barely tacky Modeling Paste.  Lift the stamp and the image of the stamp will remain in the Modeling Paste.  Immediately wash the stamp clean.  You can repeat this process on another area of the canvas until all of the canvas you wish to add a stamped image into the canvas is complete.  Heat dry to set the image. 

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To add even more texture to the background, use your finger and add DecoArt Media Crackle Paste randomly on the canvas.  DO NOT heat set.  Let air dry all DecoArt Crackle Products.

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This is what the canvas will look like at this point. 

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To add color to the background, add a combination of DecoArt Media Fluid Acrylics Titanium White and Cerulean Blue to create a soft blue background.

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This is what the canvas will look like at this point. 

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To add an aged look, brush DecoArt Media Raw Umber Antiquing Cream over the entire canvas.  You can either wait for the antiquing cream to complete dry or you can work with it while it’s still wet.  Wipe away all of the excess cream using a damp cloth or baby wipe.  If you wipe away too much, just reapply the antiquing cream and wipe away again.  Heat set to dry. 

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Remove all of the paper backings from a napkin that has a large sunflower design.  Tear the sunflower out.  You tear rather than cut the edges because the edges meld better into the background when they are torn.  Place the large sunflower image in place on the canvas and pencil around where it will be using a Black Stabilo Pencil.  Then remove the sunflower image.

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Brush DecoArt Media Fluid Acrylics Titanium White inside of the pencil lines so that there will be a white background underneath the sunflower image.  Then run a wet brush over the Stabilo Pencil lines and feather the black outward to create a shadow around where the sunflower will be.  Heat set. 

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Randomly brush DecoArt Media Fluid Acrylics Interference Gold and Transparent Yellow Iron Oxide onto the background to give subtle highlights; particularly around where the sunflower will be placed and around the inverted stamped images.

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Stamp images randomly onto the background and sides of the canvas using Permanent Black Ink. 

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Apply DecoArt Media Matte Medium with a brush onto the white area of the canvas and lay the sunflower image in place (minus all of the paper backings).  Gently burnish the sunflower in place to remove all of the air bubbles and wrinkles of the napkin and to make sure the edges are secure.  Then brush over the sunflower to seal it using the Matte Medium.  It dries clear and works as an excellent glue and sealer.

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Brush DecoArt Media Matte Medium onto the surface of a piece of white cardstock and lay another sunflower napkin (minus the paper backing) over the Matte Medium.  Burnish to remove all of the wrinkles and air bubbles.  Brush over it to seal it and let dry or gently heat set.  You will use these images to make the sunflower more dimensional in the coming steps.

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While the extra sunflowers are drying, brush a little more of DecoArt’s Media Fluid Acrylics Titanium White and Cerulean Blue mixed together to brush around the sunflower that is already affixed to the canvas and hide the torn paper napkin edges.

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Brush the back side of the white cardstock where the sunflower petals are with DecoArt Fluid Acrylics Diarylide Yellow.  This will give the underside of the petals that golden yellow look when you lift and curl the petals when adding them to the canvas. 

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Cut out the petals; leaving a tab at the bottom that can glue to the canvas.  Then glue the tab in place over the sunflower that is already glued onto the canvas.  I glued them in place using DecoArt Media Liquid Glass.  When all of the petals are glued in place, glue another brown sunflower center over the one already on the canvas to better conceal the tabs.

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Here is what the sunflower will look like at this point.

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Brush DecoArt Media Fluid Acrylics Interference Gold randomly over some of the petals to give them a sheen and shine when the light catches them.

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With almost a dry brush effect, brush DecoArt Media Fluid Acrylics Paynes Grey randomly in the inside area of the petals to give them more depth.

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Now move to the left lower area of the canvas and repeat the process for the pink hydrangeas as you did on the sunflower; lay the hydrangeas in place and pencil around them.  Then paint DecoArt Titanium White inside of the pencil marks to create a white background.  Next brush DecoArt Media Matte Medium over the white area and burnish the pink hydrangeas in place on the canvas. Then brush Matte Medium over the pink hydrangeas to seal them.

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While that is drying, repeat the process of brushing DecoArt Media Matte Medium onto a piece of white scrap cardstock.  Then burnish the pink hydrangeas in place and remove all wrinkles and air bubbles.  Let dry or heat set. 

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Cut out the extra hydrangea pieces and use double adhesive pop dots to glue them in place so that they will have dimension. 

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Brush DecoArt Media Fluid Acrylics Interference Green and Interference Gold randomly on areas of the hydrangeas and greenery to add sheen and highlights. 

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Here is the canvas as it appears after this step.

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Put a little DecoArt Media Fluid Acrylics Titanium White onto a craft sheet and brayer it out.  Then brayer over a script stamp and randomly press the stamp onto the center of the sunflower to add white script onto the brown background.  You can also add more stamping using Black Permanent Ink onto the canvas or sides of the canvas that seem to need it now.

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Colorize the little vintage girl using a water brush and a very small amount of DecoArt Media Fluid Acrylics combination of Primary White and Titanium White or of a light pink ink applied with a water brush.  Gently heat set.  Use DecoArt Media Fluid Acrylics Burnt Umber and Titanium White paint to colorize a small stick to use as a swing seat.  **Note – I later decided to make the swing seat entirely white.  You will see that in the final photograph of the canvas.  Let dry.

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Change the color of the chain from antique gold to white simply by rubbing the chain between your fingers that have paint on them.  Heat set to dry. 

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Glue the little girl in place on the swing and holding the chains with DecoArt Media Liquid Glue.  Let dry.  Poke two holes near the top of the sunflower center and run the chains through the holes to the backside of the sunflower center.  Glue the chain ends in place using DecoArt Media Liquid Glass and let dry.

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To create the little flower seed envelopes, size them to fit the canvas and print them out on an inkjet printer.  Leave a ½” edge around the entire image.  This edge will be folded under and used to create the illusion of a seed envelope.  Glue the sides and bottom to the underside of the image.  See the photograph above. 

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This closeup view of the canvas shows all of the dimension and detail created by adding the cardstock elements.

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