Crackle Finished Elephant Mixed Media

Crackle Finished Elephant Mixed Media

Posted by DecoArt on Jul 31st 2014

Acknowledge the elephant in the room with this textured, crackle-finished mixed media painting.

SUPPLIES

    • water container
    • palette or plastic plate
    • paper towels
    • tracing paper
    • transfer paper
    • scissors
    • pencil
    • white cloth
    • #3 round brush
    • #2 liner brush
    • 1/2" flat brush
    • 1/4" flat brush
    • 2 sheets of scrapbook paper
    • 6" x 6" basswood canvas

    INSTRUCTIONS

    NOTES:

    Let dry completely between painting steps.

    1. Trace the sides and front of the canvas onto scrapbook paper and cut out the pieces to cover three sides and the front of the canvas. (I chose tan scrapbook paper with lighter tan polka-dots.)
    2. Coat a side of the canvas with the 1/2" flat brush and Americana Matte Decou-Page. Wet the paper slightly and gently lay it on the Decou-Page while smoothing with the brush. Repeat on the remaining two and the front. (Avoid the bottom.)
    3. Cut pieces of a second type of scrapbook paper into 1/2" strips: One will go across the bottom of the canvas front that is 6" long. Apply this strip as described in step 2. The other two strips will be the width of the canvas edge. (Mine were 2".) Apply them so the paper seems to wrap around the canvas.
    4. Apply another piece of scrapbook paper to the edge that will be the bottom of the picture. (Trace the canvas to find the correct size.)
    5. Use the pattern, tracing and transfer papers, and a pencil to trace the elephant onto the canvas.
    6. Instruction #5
    7. Dip the wet 1/2" flat brush into Burnt Umber. Wash the paint over the sides of the canvas and press a wet paper towel onto each side to lift off some of the paint. (This will reveal the polka-dots and make an interesting texture.)
    8. Fill the elephant in with a 4:1 mixture of Titanium White and Carbon Black using the 1/4" flat brush. (Don't fill in the eye or ear.)
    9. Apply the Clear Crackle Glaze generously over the elephant with the 1/4" flat brush. (Mess with the Glaze as little as possible when you apply it, or it won't crackle as well.)
    10. Instruction #8
    11. Use a finger to rub the Patina Green Antiquing Cream over the Clear Crackle Glaze.
    12. When the Antiquing Cream is dry, use a moist white cloth to rub off the excess. The Antiquing Cream should just be left in the cracks. (Refer to photo.)
    13. Instruction #10
    14. Use the #3 round brush to dry-brush Burnt Umber around the edge of the face of the canvas. (To dry-brush, simply dip the brush and wipe off most of the paint.)
    15. Dry-brush Burnt Umber with the #3 round brush along the edge of the bottom scrapbook paper strip.
    16. Using the #3 round brush and a 3:1 mixture of Titanium White and Phthalo Green-Blue, fill in the ear. While the paint is still wet, quickly press a wet paper towel on the ear to lift off some of the paint.
    17. Use the #3 round brush and Titanium White to make the eye.
    18. Use the #2 liner brush and Burnt Umber to make the center of the eye.
    19. Mix (1) part Dioxazine Purple with (3) parts Titanium White. Use the mixture and the #2 liner brush to outline the elephant, its eye, and ear. Use your finger to smudge the paint around the elephant as you go.

    DOWNLOADS

    Elephant Pattern