Emerald Birdsong Canvas

 

Hey there! Todays project is this stunning canvas.  I was inspired by the changing of seasons and coming of Spring.  One of my favorite sounds is listening to the birds in the morning and using the bird chipboard die cuts from Infinity Engraving, I created my piece.  Here's how it came together!
Supplies:
6"x 8" Canvas
Tim Holtz Melange Tissue Wrap
Prima Soft Matte Gel
Faber-Castell stencils set 301
Imagine Crafts Creative Medium Purple Iridescent
Infinity Engraving bird die cuts
Tsukineko Essentials Glue pad
IndigoBlu Gilding Flakes in Lancaster Rose and Royal Peacock
Gelatos - Spearmint, Lime and Metallic Mint
Distress Paint - Twisted Citron, Cracked Pistachio and Lucky Clover
28 Lilac Lane Embellishment Bottles- Cotton Candy and Fresh Mint
28 Lilac Lane Embellishment Kits - French Quarter and Party On
Little Things sequin mix - Pretty Pansy

In the picture to the left is an assortment of products; I used some, but not all.  I started by tearing off a section of tissue wrap and adhering it to the canvas with matte gel medium.  I use a paintbrush to brush a thin, even layer over a quarter to a third of the canvas at a time and smooth the tissue wrap with my fingers or a bone folder.  I also adhere the wrap over the sides of the canvas as well.  It doesn't take long to dry.  My next step was to add the texture medium with a stencil.

I added dabs of Tombow to the back of the stencil and let it dry.  This creates a temporary stick, making sure the stencil doesn't shift when I add my texture paste.  The Imagine Crafts paste will dry to a pearl finish in one light and shift to purple.  It will take around an hour or so to dry; the thicker it's applied, the longer it will take to dry.  While that dried, I completed my birds.

Add fresh glue from the bottle to the pad.  Tap the glue pad over the surface of the die cut, as if you were inking a stamp.  The entire surface of the die cut should be shiny when it's covered.  Let them sit for 20 minutes for the glue to cure. 

After 20 minutes, add the gilding flakes to the die cut and tap to adhere.  You don't need a lot and the flakes are very light.  A lint roller comes in very handy for clean up. 

The black piece is a corner of a Ranger RUBit SCRUBit pad.  Using the scrubby side, rub over the surface of the die cut to remove excess flake and carefully over the edges as well.  Carefully funnel excess flake back into it's jar. 

The top two birds have Royal Peacock gilding flake and the bottom bird with nest has Lancaster Rose.

After my texture paste was completely dry, I added various shades of green gelatos over the tissue paper and blended them with my finger.  In some areas I added a tiny bit of water to my finger to help create a smoother blend and lighter color.  I also added shades of green distress paint in a few areas and Lucky Clover over the outer edges to bring it together.  I used the same matte medium to adhere the bird die cuts to the canvas.  I added a fair amount to the back with a paintbrush to ensure good adhesion and weighted them down until they were dry (I left it overnight).  Next, I wanted to use something new and a little different than what I usually use on my canvases.  Since I usually use metal elements and paper roses, I didn't want to use those here.  Since the die cuts had a metallic finish, I wanted to keep the focus on them. 

So I turned to my new button, beads and sequin mixes by 28 Lilac Lane.  I started by adding larger buttons with matte medium and adding in the smaller buttons, half pearls and sequins to look like leaves and flowers.  In a few other areas, I added medium and pressed beads into it.

Top third.

Bottom right corner.

Here is a shot of the purple shift in the texture paste.


Thanks for stopping by and hanging out with me today! Feel free to ask questions and let me know what you think! 

Much love,
Jasmine