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Decoupaged Canister

Thursday, March 13th, 2008 by Alyice

I can’t tell you how truly pleased I am with the marriage collage. I’ve been staring at it for the past couple of days in awe at how subdued the colors are. It’s like a quiet whisper gently reaching out to the viewer and grabbing hold just long enough to say, “In love therein lies magic, mystery, and serenity.”

Just had to share that little tidbit of information…

I also wanted to show you a little decoupaged canister I made with the left over photo. I always try to make two to four photos so that I have back-ups should I not like what I started or should I decide a three dimensional photo would make the canvas “pop” more.

The canister has a completely different feel than the collage canvas. The canister is more playful and offers bright colors that seem to dance around the hearts as if to say, “There’s a party going on”. The photo was toned down with various paints to give it a hint of aging. The groom looks like a movie star from the early days—say 20s or 40s—doesn’t he?

The canister is actually an old Ovaltine jar. My kids go through Ovaltine like it is water—it’s the only way I can get them to drink milk so I often have plenty of canisters lying around the house. I painted it with three coats of white gesso, letting each coat dry before adding the next coat. Then any paint I had left over from other projects was brushed onto the canister.

After a few days, I had a nice background of color. I then added the photo and the hearts using decoupage glue. I painted an area of the canister with decoupage glue and added the heart. Then I put a coat of decoupage glue over the hearts and moved onto the next section. When the canister was completely covered, I let it dry. Then I added one more coat of decoupage glue for good measure. I used black paint to write in their names. After letting the paint dry I decoupaged over their names.

Finally, I grabbed gold paint and lightly brushed over each heart. When dried, I applied two coats of varnish. And wellah…an altered piece of art.

Keep Creating

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The Business Side Of Things

Tuesday, March 11th, 2008 by Alyice

Have you ever wondered how some artists are able to make a nice living doing what they love? Have you ever stopped to ask yourself, “How do I get there, too?”

Art is such a subjective thing in that what one considers to be art another does not. And so, in order to succeed as an artist, one must be willing to be susceptible to the criticisms of others. That’s no easy task for an artist. Artists create with their souls and their works are an extension of who they are on the inside. It’s like that expression often used when someone is transparent in both body language and words. But instead of saying “She wears her heart on her sleeve” we say, “She wears her heart in her work.”

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I suppose that’s why you often hear artists of every gender, age, and media say, “I’d rather be in the studio.” It’s hard to be told how to create something. It’s hard to be told that something you created, in which you thought was simply brilliant, was missing its mark. And yet, those are things an artist must endure when building a business around their works.

That’s why I was excited to discover Alyson B. Stanfield’s new book, “I’d rather be in the studio: The Artist’s No-Excuse Guide To Self-Promotion.” It truly is jam-packed with thought provoking questions designed to make you think about your art in a whole new way.

Are you a hobbyist or are you an artist on a mission? Do you want your art to replace your income or do you simply want it to supplement your income? And if you do want to make an income from your art, how are you going to get there? These are questions you’ll ask yourself as you delve into Alyson’s book. And these are questions you’ll find answers to if you use her book as the home study course it was designed to be.

As someone who already runs a successful online business, there’s a lot of information I already knew, like using the Internet and the press to promote my business, taking advantage of blogs, websites, e-zines, and utilizing online networks. But there were so many other things that pertained specifically to the art industry that I did not know and that’s where I got the most bang out of the book. Like did you know that an “Artist’s Statement” could mean the difference between getting into a gallery showing and being turned away—even if your work was good? Did you know that too much talking during an exhibit, about your work could turn buyers off, but just the right amount could actually get you the sale? And did you realize that you can actually begin following up with past buyers—even if it’s been two years from the sale?

Seriously, if you are thinking about making money with your art, increasing awareness about your art, or taking your current art business to the next level, you’ll want to pick up a copy of “I’d rather be in the studio.” There’s some solid advice in the book. In fact, I have several pages earmarked for future reference.

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Marriage Canvas

Monday, March 10th, 2008 by Alyice

This week-end I began work on a new canvas, and today it is officially finished. I had so much fun putting this canvas together because it represents second chances—this is the second marriage for the spouse. The couple complete each other in a way that brings them true joy and happiness and because they have many of the same likes and dislikes it makes hanging out together loads of fun.

I began the canvas by painting a thin layer of white gesso. Then I spread a thin layer of molding paste over the canvas. While the molding paste was still wet I added several hearts I punched out of scrap papers. Then I used a heart shaped stamp with deep indentations to add more texture. I let the canvas dry over night.

The next day I painted the canvas using Golden fluid acrylics and Liquitex Basics acrylics. When I got the color scheme I was going for, I added the photo of the couple (which I had previously decoupaged). Then I added more molding paste to shape two more hearts into the painting. I also added the lettering. I let the painting dry over night.

The next day I used an oil pastel crayon to outline the heart and rubbed the color into the canvas using my fingers. I then painted the hearts and did a little more painting of the canvas itself—to give it a deep rich color. I then let the canvas dry. When it dried, I grabbed a bottle of Diamond Glaze and poured it over the two hearts and the letters. I inserted tiny beads into the two hearts and let the canvas dry over night.

This morning I finalized the piece by applying two coats of Delta Ceramics Satin Exterior/Interior Varnish; a polyurethane super resistant coating. Then I spent the better half of the morning trying to take a decent photo of the canvas.

I give product photographers a lot of credit because taking a good product photo is no easy task! I had blurred shots, shots with discoloration, and shots that simply couldn’t be used thanks to light glare. And if I got too close, in an effort to really show off the detail in the canvas, the couple’s faces became distorted. I was ready to pull out my hair, let me tell you!

But finally, I think I have a photo good enough to be shown—at least I hope so!

Keep Creating

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