Canvas's for Japan!!! & Feeling Inspired!!!

I have really been enjoying the process of just creating lately!! While the mojo is happening I have been making the most of it!!! It is like my passion has been ignited all over again!

Following Donna Downey's blog and in particular her inspiration week she run last week has unleashed something in me. I love doing what I do and scrapping our history and happy memories, but it is like I have been given permission to just create art for the pure enjoyment of it!
I have never been one for off the page things or art journals, as I like things to have a purpose.
With the help of Donna's inspiration week I have created my first canvas's, I still had a purpose and a reason to play in the first place which also helped spur me along, and that reason was to create something to send to Japan for Tomoko's Fundraiser.
I was initially going to do some cards to send over, but was inspired to give something different a go!

So here are the results of my first play with canvas art.......
Can I just add that although I didn't get the whole art for art's sake before (except for true artist's)
I sure do now!!! It is something I can't explain, but boy the feeling of creating something like this is just magic!

All these pieces revolve around Hope, it was all I could think of that could help over there! I found it easier to work on a few at a time too, as one background was drying I could start on the next.

"Hope is the thing with feathers that perches in the soul,
and sings the tune without the words and never stops at all."
Emily Dickenson

Materials:
Canvas, Texture Paste, Jo Sonja - Opal paint, Glimmer Mists - Candel light, Sweet Clover, Walnut Gold, Silver Sugar, Olive Vinem English Ivy, Old Lace, Wheatfields, Distress Ink - Walnut Stain,Versa Colour - Mint, Clear embossing powder, Gauze, Dusty Attic - Birdbaths, Song Birds, Mini Dove, Websters Pages Tree Sticker, White Gesso, Helmar Acid Free Glue.

• This is a 9.5 x 8 inch Canvas. I started this one by playing with some paint and texture paste on the background then added glimmer mists over it and left it to dry.
• I added the Websters pages tree sticker to some chipboard and cut out. I also added a little distress ink and glimmer mist to the tree and then coated with clear rock candy.
• The bird on the birdbath was inked with Mint versa ink then clear embossed.
  The birdbath itself was coated with texture paste then added a little distress ink and come glimmer mists and left to dry.
• The Bird on the top RH corner was also coated with texture paste and smoothed in some areas while roughed up on the wings. Once this had dried I stamped the bird with a flourish stamp with the Versa Mint ink then clear embossed. The little bird on the bottom LH corner was also inked with the mint and embossed.
• It was finished off with the gauze along the bottom and added some more glimmer mist for good measure. :)
  I was really happy with the way this turned out!

 

 "Learn from yesterday, live for today, hope for tomorrow."  Albert Einstein

Materials:
Canvas Board, White Gesso, Glimmer Mists - Deep Plum, Walnut Gold, Old Lace, Candlelight, Wheatfileds, Jo Sonja's Turners Yellow, Staz On - Black , Cactus Green, Distress Stickles - Peeled Paint, Water Colour Pencils, Water Brush, 7Gypsies - News Print Tissue Paper, Kaiser Craft - Oriental stamp, Vine stamp (unknown), Teresa Collins for Junkitz - Diamond foam stamp, Heidi Swap Mask - Damask, Tim Holtz Mask - Borderline, Mont Marte Skin Tints - pastel pencils.

• This one is a 9 x12 inch canvas board. This is my first ever attempt at painting a face like this, so I know I have a long way to go here! I had fun with this background, there are so many layers on it it's not funny!
• I started with a coat of gesso, then added a piece of typed tissue paper and white washed over it!
• Then I sponged heritage green paint around the outside edges.
• I think I added another white was over this, then sprayed more glimmer mis around the edges and had it dripping down the page from the top.
• Next I added the mask along the bottom and top RH corner then sponged another gesso white wash over it.
• Using yellow and white paint I stamped the diamond pattern on the top LH and bottom Rh corners.
• Next I added a vine stamp along the LH side and the top and bottom RH corners. I used water colour pencils to shade these in and a water brush to blend them.
• I collected some images of japanese ladies from the internet to get the idea for the portrait.
  I penciled the outline then used gesso to paint in the background of the portait.
• I used Mont Marte Skin Tints - pastel pencils to colour her in, I was also happy the the water brush worked with these for blending.
  I also used the Staz ON refill ink with a brush to outline and colour in the hair. Finishing off with some red paint on the lips and flower.
• The red on the wrap is just done with the water colour pencils and a water brush.
• Then I added the swirls along the bottom and peeled paint distress stickles to the ends of the swirls.
• I also used a kaiser craft stamp - Oriental with black Sataz ON over the top, I love how it give the effect of somthing hangning down the page.
• I finshed off with some more glimmer mist around the outside edge and the quote.
     
  
  Hope can Set You FREE!

Materials:
 White Gesso, Mont Marte Skin Tints - pastel pencils, Water Brush, Texture Paste, 7gypsies - Musique tissue paper, String, Jo Sonja paints - Aqua. Rich Gold, Rub & Buff - Antique Gold, Basic Grey Wholly Cow Rub Ons, Helmar scid free glue, Distress Crackle paint - Shappy Shutters, Glimmer Mist - Olive Vine, Color Box ink - lime & a 12 x 12 Inch Canvas.

• I started this with a coat of Gesso then I added patches of texture paste and Aqua paint using a spatular.
• Once this dried I added the Dusty Attic corners and stuck down and blended into the background with the white gesso and aqua paint.
• Next I added the tissue to the background with the helma and add the glue over the top as well. I left a few wrinkles in the tissue paper.
• Next gold paint was dry brushed onto the corners and hte background.
• The bird is on a piece of chipboard then painted with white gesso and then added texture paste to give it a bit of texture. the outline was drawn on with a brush and a Black Staz On refill ink.
• The leaves were painted with the shabby shutters distress crackle paint, once it was dry I added the lime ink followed by some glimmer mist and finished off with a touch of gold Rub & Buff.
• I started with the string in aqua and gold colours but decided in the end to add white paint over it to make it stand out more, this was stuck down with the Helmar too.
• Don't look to closely to the hands, I have never been able to draw hands or feet. I used the water colour pencils to colour these in. I painted the background with gesso first and also added texture paste to try and add some depth to them too.
• I finished off with cutting up some of the white basic grey rub ons around the outside edges then using my fingers rubbed some gold Rub & Buff around the edges and over the corners.

 

 Thank you for looking!! Hopefully this will now be the first of many canvas's, I really did get so much enjoyment out of doing these, it really is about enjoying the process and just experimenting!!!
I hope these are well recieved in Japan and can help to share a little bit of Hope!!

Thank you for looking!! :)

I know I was going to start my Dusty Attic Give Away last weekend, but I sort of got side tracked with creating these, so it will definitely be happening this weekend!!
Take Care Beautiful People!!
Hugs
Michelle x

Comments

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NICE POST FOR US, WE CAN LEARN IT MANY MUCH!!!

[Debbie Kingston]

WOW Michelle. What stunning work. So much texture and so many techniques. You have truly outdone yourself. You are soooo clever. Can't wait for January!!

[Ana Gell]

O M G!!! ...u r so amazingly talented Michelle!! I would pay heaps for one of ur artworks myself!! ...only thing is I would have to take all 3 of the above pieces as I cant make up my mind which one is the best...keep up the gr8 work honey.. Arohanui Ana xoxox