Quotes on Canvas

For Christmas presents to close friends and family, I try to do something thoughtful. I had the idea of making a canvas for my sister, mother, and best friend that included meaningful quotes.

First, I used a stencil and pencil to draw out the letters. The canvas below is one I did for my sister. I free handed the stars.

Then, I took a permanent marker and traced the pencil markings.

I blended colors to choose the base coat for each canvas and used a wide brush to apply the base coat of paint.

I then used a thin angular brush to color in the letters. I used two coats of paint and finished up by outlining the letters with a black sharpie to make them pop.

For the blue canvas above, I decided to add photographs. I applied them using Mod Podge and then used a foam brush to coat the entire canvas with horizontal and vertical Mod Podge streaks. This gave it an linen effect.

I'm very happy with the way all 3 canvas turned out and my mother, sister, and best friend loved them! :)

"Must Love" Sports-Themed Canvas

For another teacher on my team (who absolutely loves the Dallas Cowboys), I made this cute sports-themed canvas for her classroom. She has already hung it on her wall! :)

Here is a previous post where I describe how I make these canvases:
http://ihaveacraftproblem.blogspot.com/2013/12/must-love-pet-canvas.html

"Must Love" Pet Canvas

As a gift for two of the teachers on my team, I wanted to make them something special. I used smaller canvas (9x12) that they could hang in their classrooms. One teacher really likes dogs and the other really likes cats, so I decided to go with that theme. :)

First, I used a pencil and lower case stencils to trace my words. I drew the cat and dog paw print free hand. I then traced over the pencil markings with a permanent marker.

I mixed paint colors to make my background and used a large brush to completely cover the canvas with the background color. I then used a smaller, angular brush to paint in the letters. My last step was to outline the words and paw prints with a black permanent marker.

My teammates really liked the pet canvases and I enjoyed making something personal for them. :)