I bought these two mini canvases a long long time ago with the intention of painting some bright colors on them. But when I got to Chicago I decided I didn’t want to do that anymore. So they sat on my shelf blank, well gold actually, for another few months until now. I came across a cool poster on Etsy that had a similar theme, but neutral earthy colors. I wanted bright colors and those canvases desperately needed painting. So thus the state love project was started! It worked out perfectly that I had two. One for each state that I’ve called ‘home’. Hopefully I’ll get to add a few more states to the mix and maybe even a funny boot-shaped European country if I’m really lucky.
First off you’ll need a few supplies…
1. Small canvases
2. Acrylic paints & a bigger tube of gold (or whatever background color you choose) & white
3. Brushes
4. Exacto knife
5. Print Outs of your state(s) {I pulled mine from Google & resized them in Photoshop}
STEP 1: Before you do anything, paint your canvases with a base color. I went with this goldish iridescent gold. This color will show through a bit, so take that into consideration! I like painting the edges too because it gives the painting a polished & finished look when it’s completed.
STEP 2: Take your state print-outs and using an Exacto knife on a cutting board or cutting mat, carefully cut around the edges of the state and discard the middle.
STEP 3: Tape the cut-out to the canvas for easy tracing. Trace with pencil. I had to go over it a few times so that it was visible. Once it’s traced, remove the white print out.
STEP 4: The hard part: picking colors! I decided on these two with a pink heart to balance them out. I was thinking that I might put them in my entry way and I’ve already got a pink door, so I didn’t want to over do it! Once you’ve decided on colors, start painting. I’ve learned that mixing colors makes them more opaque than just squeezing them out of the bottle. And the colors are often not what they look like after they’re dry. I used a little bit of shading around some of the edges to give mine more depth.
STEP 5: Once the states are dry, go back and paint around with white. I left a little border around the state to let the gold show through. I also mixed a little bit of grey to add a little more shadowing to the edges around the state and some in the corners. Again, I like the depth it brings!
STEP 6: The final touch! Make sure everything is dry before you start on this! Paint a heart in the general direction of where your city is located. I’m afraid I got a little too far west on my Texas painting, but oh well. I did live in Fort Worth for 4 years, so I’ll let it slide.
Once they’re all dry, find a good home for them. I’m still trying to decide where to hang mine. What do you think — entry way or the long hall?
Did you make these? Send your pics here to be featured!
Enjoy!
Pingback: Maryland State L-O-V-E « A Smith of All Trades