Alyice on May 20th, 2009

How To Create Wedding Name Art

Earlier this month, my friend got married and I wanted to make her day extra special by putting together two gift packages: a bridal shower gift and a wedding gift.

For the bridal shower gift, I kept it rather simple. I filled a large box with token items that were purchased at local discount stores, then accompanied each item with a cute note. Some notes were sentimental while others were written purely for the laugh factor.

The wedding gift, however, needed to be much more special. It needed to be something that showed my friend how much I really wanted her marriage to work and how blessed I thought she and the groom were for finding each other. I started out by purchasing a few “marital” items at a Christian bookstore, then followed it up by digging through my art stash and creating several pieces of art that she could proudly display around her home: a mixed media canvas, an altered vase, and two framed pieces of art that memorialized their wedding day. I am happy to say that everything was a BIG success!

One of the framed pieces was so simple to make that I thought I’d tell you how to make it here. The key is to choose colors that will match the bride and groom’s new home so don’t be afraid to ask about color scheme.

Supplies you’ll need:

8×10 frame
2- 9 x 12, 90 lb. cold press watercolor paper
2- chipboard letters
Jewel-It® embellishing glue
Diamond Glaze® dimensional adhesive
Kamar Varnish – non-yellowing, acid-free spray varnish
Adhesive dots or raisers
Acrylic paints
Paint brushes
Rag

Steps:

Cut one sheet of paper down to 8×10.
Use acrylics to paint background. Start by quickly painting two main colors across the paper, in a swishing motion. Leave plenty of white space to fill in with other colors. Let dry.
Use secondary colors to fill in the white space, then using a damp rag, blend the colors together. Let dry.
On the second sheet of paper, choose colors that can stand out, yet complete the background paper colors. Color the entire paper and let dry.
Stamp various designs, in no particular order, across the second sheet of paper, and let dry.
Draw two birds (or other complimentary images) onto the second sheet of paper and cut them out.
Choose two letters that represent the beginning letter of the bride and the groom’s names. Paint the letters. Let dry.
Coat letters with a thin layer of Diamond Glaze®. Let dry.
Use Jewel-It® to glue the raisers onto the back of the birds. Let dry. (While most raisers come with self-adhesive tape, I have found that they do not hold after a long period of time.)
Place the birds and the letters onto the 8×10 paper. Play around until you position them so there is enough room to write out the bride and groom’s names.
Use Jewel-It® to glue the raisers on the birds onto the paper. Place a book on top of the birds to hold them down and in place. Let dry.
Use Jewel-It® to glue the letters to the paper. Place a book on top of the birds to hold them down and in place. Let dry.
Use black acrylic paint to write out the names.
Use black acrylic paint to create dashes across the bottom and one side of the paper, leaving room to write in the month and year that the couple tie the knot.
Let dry over night.
Spray with a light coat of varnish. Let dry for 48 hours.
Sign and place in frame.

My friend is very down-to-earth and enjoys folk-art. If, however, your friend prefers something more “classy” or “edgy”, don’t hesitate to switch things up a bit. You could use calligraphy to create the names, purchase smaller chipboard letters or brass letter plates for the rest of the name, and even embroider the names onto the paper itself. The key to creating successful “name art” is to think in terms of the person you are making the art for.

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Comments (3)

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lisa says:
Very sweet piece!

lisa´s last blog post..wordless wednesday
Posted at 12:06 am May 22nd, 2009
Tina L. Scott (formerly Tina L. Miller) says:
I am the friend Alyice is referring to, and I have to tell you, Mark and I absolutely LOVED the beautiful artwork Alyice made for us! Very original, with lots of texture (I love texture in art!), beautiful rich colors, lots of depth in her work, they’ll go beautifully in the bedroom we are decorating together . . . I can’t say enough about it. And so personal!

In fact, Alyice made us FOUR pieces of original art and we feel so blessed and were blown away. Alyice wasn’t very good at waiting until the wedding day. She made us open our present the day before (since she and her family were staying with us in our home), but that worked out wonderfully! Because when we saw her beautiful art, we decided to display TWO of the pieces at the reception so everyone could see them!

This particular piece was displayed on the gift table and everyone loved it!
Posted at 6:35 am May 22nd, 2009
Alyice says:
Oh Tina, you made me blush this morning! Thank you for saying such kind words! I am so glad you guys liked the art and that I did good on the colors; especially considering I hadn’t seen all the remodeling you had done to your new home since I live several states away now.
Posted at 9:47 am May 22nd, 2009

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All material on this blog belongs to Alyice Edrich, unless otherwise noted. No project, artwork, or text may be reproducted without the consent of the creator. That includes making derivative works for resale. Please use project tutorials for personal use and/or gifts only.