Welcome to Our Patch

For the last couple years, I've wanted a sign with this sentiment to place on the porch or near the front door. Most of those I saw were either too expensive, would take too long to arrive, or had a design I didn't like.

So what's an artist to do? Make her own.

This is the very first time I've ever painted on canvas with acrylic paint. Since the entire attempt was a crapshoot, I made it as inexpensively as possible. (My entire expense for new materials was three dollars!)

I started with an 8" x 10" canvas from Dollar Tree that I had on hand. I used white chalk paint from my stash to give the canvas an initial coat of paint. Then I mixed some light orange paint with a dab of red and dry-brushed over the white. By making several batches of the orange paint, I was able to get variations in the color. I absolutely love how the orange background came out.

Feeling encouraged with that small win, I moved on to the design. I found the image on the internet. I transferred it onto the canvas using fabric tracing paper from my sewing kit (of course!) It worked remarkably well.

Then it was time for the hard part: painting.

I first tried using the two white paint pens I had on hand. I wish they were fresh, because I think that would have been the ideal way to tackle this piece. But the pens weren't working well. So I tried some white acrylic paint. It didn't cover the orange well. So I ended up using the same white chalk paint as the original coat. Chalk paint covers quite well, but it does dry fairly quickly and gums up the paintbrush. 

I obviously have a lot to learn about paints and paintbrushes. I had quite a bit of trouble. So I took my time, listened to podcasts while I worked, and eventually got the design painted.

It was ... messy. I decided to use an ultra-fine tip black Sharpie to outline all of the white design. It's still messy, but doesn't look too bad from a distance.

I decided I needed to seal the painting. This was another fraught step. Would it work? I have a very old spray can of matte sealant - honestly, I think it's over 35 years old! The last time I tried to seal on top of Sharpie, the ink bled. So I took my chances and gently sprayed the sealant on the painting. Not only did the ink not bleed, the sealant helped the colors to pop. I am so pleased!

I bought two different 8" x 10" frames at Dollar Tree, (one of which had to be super-glued back together at a corner). When I tried to put the painting in the frames, I learned that my canvas wasn't cut straight. It was slightly too big for either frame. (I've spent two dollars at this point).

The following day, I stopped by a different Dollar Tree location. They had 11" x 14" frames! So I bought one of those. (The third dollar spent). I used a black mat from my stash. It was 11" x 14" with an 8" x 10" opening. I simply taped the canvas to the back of the mat with some painter's tape. (I go high tech). Then all the pieces fit together. 

I hung the painting in our entryway at a rather unusual height. But it works! This is what it looks like when we walk in the front door.

And here's a close-up of the completed painting, in place.

Three dollars! Plus, since most of the supplies were on hand, this is another step toward finishing my 20/2020 goal of completing 20 projects where I already had the supplies: canvas, paint, mat, sealant.

As a bonus, I'm rather proud of myself for trying a new technique and having a measure of success.