Lilypad lesson - Canvas on canvas

Hi there and welcome to class. Today we’re going to look at altering a canvas on a canvas, do an image transfer and create a bespoke piece of home decor. Are we ready? Then we’ll begin, this is what we are creating

 
Me and you

11 years ago this month I was lucky enough to marry my soul mate. I came across this photo while I was looking through our wedding pics and thought it would be perfect to transfer onto a mini canvas I bought recently at the Artisan craft show.  The technique is very simple but effective and is a different way to display those special photos.

 
The ingredients; I used the swirls stamp set (on sale half price right now!) for this project as well as a small canvas about 7’’ x 5’’, an even smaller canvas about 2 ½’’ square. A big and juicy ink pad in waterfall, a clear ink pad, some blue embossing powder, some matt gel medium, a piece of overhead projector transparency to print on and some ribbons, gems and flowers for decoration.

 
Using some cut and dry build up your ink on the canvas, do it the same way as you would on paper baring in mind it stays a bit wetter sitting on the canvas. Using the waterfall ink pad gives lots of shades of blue to build up into a pattern. Dry the canvas with a heat gun once you’re happy with the pattern to fix the ink.

 
Pack the back of the canvas with some cardboard to create a solid unit to stamp onto

 
Using the large swirls stamp a pattern around the canvas using the different colour blues from the big and juicy pad. Again the ink will sit on the canvas so be careful with smudging and heat set as soon as you are happy, leave to one side to dry thoroughly and note that the images will fade slightly as they dry.

 
Size your photo to fit the mini canvas and print it on to a piece of transparency, the kind that is used for overhead projectors, you can get it in good stationary supply stores. Pack the back of the mini canvas as you did the main one to add a solid base to work on.

 
Cut it to size and apply a generous layer of gel medium (the stuff used to thin acrylic paint without diluting it, use a matte one) to the mini canvas, NB apply to the canvas and NOT the image!!! Lay the transparency onto the canvas straight away, print side down and rub the image onto the canvas, use your thumbnail or the back of a spoon. Keep rubbing until the image ‘melts’ off the transparency onto the canvas then peel away the transparency. Similar to using a rub on but a little more patience is required

 
The distressed look is part and parcel of the technique. Ink any exposed canvas including the sides.

 
Go back to the main canvas and this time use a clear ink pad to stamp the swirls and emboss them, building up the pattern on your canvas.

 
Attach the mini canvas to the main canvas with some strong glue, I used gel glue and then add ribbons, gems and flowers as you want.

 
I love my little canvas with all it’s dimension and swirled patterns, I hope you feel inspired to have a go yourself, I also hope you’ve enjoyed class for this session and thanks for stopping by, hop by soon as there is inspiration to be had in abundance from the other froglets and I’ll see you soon, until then Happy Stamping

Love MJM x

Comments

[Sally nicol]

Wonderful technique and clear instructions.