Hello Spring “Nest” Canvas

Spring is my favorite season of the year. I love how the days get warmer and longer.  There is something magical about seeing everything starting to bud and bloom.  You can tell by my painting palette that these are also some of my favorite colors….the soft pastels, and vibrant clear colors of spring. I also love the smells of the season from the smell of the earth thawing and coming to life, to the sweet smell of the blossoms. And then there are the birds….I love seeing them make their nest, lay their eggs, and then their little families learning to fly.

I hope this little canvas will let you enjoy the magic of spring in your home.  I used a few mixed media techniques to make it fun and quick.  It is painted on an 8″ x 8″ x 2″ wooden canvas.  You will also need dictionary pages, Decou-page matte medium, an old charge card, feather stamps, stamp pad, permanent black marker, aqua/blue colored pencil, paints and general painting supplies.

I used the following DecoArt colors in the project: Antique Gold, Burnt Umber, Golden Straw, Hauser Medium Green, Mississippi Mud, Raw Siena, Spa Blue and Warm White.

Tear pieces of dictionary pages and glue them to canvas with Decou-page.  Use edge of charge card to smooth out air bubbles.  Allow to dry and then top with coat of Decou-page.

Place a dot of Spa Blue on surface and then spread with plastic card.  Continue adding paint and spreading until most of surface is covered.  It looks more interesting to have areas of the paper show through. It also looks nice to have heavy and lighter areas of paint so that the pages can show some.  If needed, you can wipe excess paint off in areas.

Video on painting background:

Background text and word NEST  NEST Word file   NEST PDF

Print out above file for background text and also word NEST.  Trace background words onto canvas and then go over words with colored pencil.  Using Decou-page, glue letters to top of canvas.  When dry cover everything with a coat of Decou-page.

Pattern for Nest – nest pattern (PDF)

Transfer on pattern, painting inside of nest with coat of Burnt Umber. Paint eggs with Spa Blue.

Create nest following video:

Float around eggs with Mississippi Mud. Float left side and top of each letter with Raw Sienna, and bottom and right side with Spa Blue.

Line edges of word NEST with permanent ink black marker. Dry brush Warm White highlight on each egg.  Fly speck piece with Burnt Umber.

If desired, strengthen shading on eggs with Burnt Umber.  Tap Warm White shine in each highlight.

Add a few green leaves in nest if desired. You can also bring a few stray twigs over the eggs in the front of the nest.

 

Stamp feathers on edges of canvas

I hope you enjoy creating this project as it brings a little spring into your home.

Happy Creating,

Jane