Alyice on February 5th, 2010

Create Valentine’s Day Wall Art

I remember, as a little girl, waking up on Valentine’s Day to find a heart shaped box of chocolates and a tiny stuffed animal sitting at the foot of my bed. My mom was never good at vocalizing her love, and often had a difficult time showing it. But come a special occasion, and she outshined the best of them.

I, on the other hand, have absolutely no problem telling someone how much I love them, admire them, appreciate them, or want to be around them. What I am horrible at, however, is keeping up with holiday traditions.

I love the idea of a holiday, but I’ve never really been good at keeping up with traditions. I tried the gifts at the foot of the bed on Valentine’s Day idea, but it just wasn’t me. Felt guilty about not keeping my mom’s tradition alive, especially since I truly did love it as a child—but I soon got over it.

Now I embrace the fact that I am different from my mom—not better, not worse, just different. And I’ve also come to terms with the fact that when it comes to Valentine’s Day, I am definitely a “last minute” kind of gal.

If you are like me, and put off your decorating until the last minute, you’re going to love this idea!

Last year, I created a beautiful mixed media painting with the word, “love” across the top. I loved it so much that I framed it. But before I did, I photographed the image, cropped out a part of the top, and resized it to 5×7, so I could use it as last minute Valentine’s Day Cards.

Now, all I have to do is print the image onto photo paper, let dry, then cut and glue (or tape) to the top of a blank, 5×7 greeting card. Talk about instant gratification—and totally unique!

And if I want to get a little creative, I can use the image, along with some scrap papers, to create a mini-collage like the one below.

Notice how the painting has a foggy appeal? I created that by spraying the finished card with acid-free spray adhesive. Then while it was still wet, I sprayed the card with a clear matte sealer.

To create the Valentine’s Day wall art, just follow these instructions:

Supplies:

Strathmore Paper for Acrylics or Watercolor
White tissue paper
Scrap papers
Heart shape punch
Small round sponge brush
Paint brushes
Risers
White Gesso
Acrylic paint
Mod Podge, matte

Instructions:

Cover two sheets of Strathmore paper with Gesso paint.
Let dry.
Use Mod Podge to adhere tissue paper and scraps to one of the papers. Continue adding tissue paper until you build up a nice texture—sort of like little hills.
While your textures are drying, cut out tiny hearts using a heart shaped puncher.
Paint the bottom half of the textured paper with dark acrylic paints.
Let dry.
Dry brush light colors on top of the dark colors. This allows the textures you created with tissue paper and scrap papers to show through.
Paint the top half of the textured paper with light colors—colors that resemble a sky. In my case, I chose yellow with a hint of orange and burnt sienna. I also used the circular sponge to insert some blue.
Use Mod Podge to adhere hearts to the darker area of the painting.
Use red acrylic paint to paint the hearts. You do not want to leave them unpainted—even if you chose red paper—because the hearts would stand out too much and you want them to blend in with the rest of the painting.
Use red paint to paint the word “love” across the top of the painting.
Let dry.
While your painting is drying, grab the other sheet of Strathmore paper and cover it with acrylic paints. Don’t be afraid to create crazy and wild designs.
Let dry.
Turn the paper over and draw two birds, facing each other.
Cut out the birds and adhere to the top of your painting using risers.

Congratulations, you’ve just created a beautiful Valentine’s themed painting ready to be matted and hung on your wall!

Keep Creating

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Comments (5)

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jenny rorhs says:
This is soooo pretty! Clever idea, lady!
Posted at 2:10 pm February 5th, 2010
Alyice says:
Thanks Jenny!

I appreciate the compliment.
Posted at 2:24 pm February 5th, 2010
Katie says:
Lovely piece, thanks for sharing your tips on how to make one. I wouldn’t have thought you need to paint the punched out hearts.
Posted at 2:14 am February 6th, 2010
Alyice says:
Katie,

Thank you for the compliment. Yes, painting the hearts really does make a difference on the piece.
Posted at 2:26 am February 6th, 2010
Mod Podge Amy says:
Looks so cute!
Posted at 8:27 pm February 6th, 2010

AlyiceEdrich.com
I'm a mixed media artist and freelance writer. Need web content? Want to commission or license art? Let's Talk.

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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.