New canvases. One for Dayce.

Every once in a while, I get the BUG!  And by bug I mean the painting bug!  And last week was such a time.  I had a little guessing game up on my Facebook page last week with pictures of four big cups of yogurt, each totally topped very uniquely.  I issued a challenge, and to the first person who could figure out whose yogurt was whose in our little family of four would get a prize.

Becky Fogarty (a self professed long time blog reader) won the big prize.  And so I gave her the option for the word on the canvas, even though at the time, I'd intended to make jewelry with her word... but as you know, my thoughts and ideas change like the wind.  And so... canvas it was.

I'm sort of into this heavily mixed media thing!   I start off with ripped pages from an old book.

And then I start layering on paint and shapes and stencils and Distress paints, and alcohol inks, and....

In the case of this canvas, I knew I wanted to simply use his name, as it for an employee's new grandson, and all I knew was his name and his nursery colors.

See those circles?  They are from a stencil that I used as I painted on a contrasting green.  And then, look below... see those darker green globs?!   That's alcohol ink.  Maybe my new favorite thing!  But as we all know that, too, might change tomorrow!

I cut his name, freehand obviously, out of scrapbook paper.  And then used gel medium sticks to circle the circles in some places.  I also used a marker around the letters and smudged it all along the way with my finger.

Then, I added a little more texture around the circles, darkened the name a bit, and added some washi tape!

I meant to tell Kortni that she needs to have Dayce put his little handprint on his canvas like I did when Ellie was only 6 months old.  It is still so special to me and hangs in her room.

So, anyhoo... here it is.  His nursery is black and lime green.  And although it is not the "traditional" baby colors, nor babyish look, I thought it really captured his mama's personality, and thought she'd like it.

I went back in with a white gel medium and added some highlights to the letters.

I put the date of his birth on the canvas and added a wee more texture to the "plain" old circles.

I just LOVE that whole grungy texture.  I think it looks RICH!  I also added scallops here and there to give it a softer, babyish feel in the presence of such harsh colors.

So.. what do you think!?

This one is for Dayce.  I hope he loves it as he grows and his mom, Courtni, likes hers as much as I totally love Ellie's first one.

It is still hanging proudly in her bedroom.

Happy Wednesday, y'all!  I'm off work and growing and bonding, and chilling, and.... all those good things!!

MO