After I painted my first canvas to complete #6 on my 101 in 1001 list, I quickly moved on to my second. Now, when it comes to home decor—especially wall decor—I usually go back and forth, mull over different ideas, and end up with the same blank wall. That has been the process since we bought our house more than three years ago, with a couple exceptions. So, you can imagine my surprise when I saw a Pottery Barn inspired DIY on Pinterest a few weeks ago, and within a few days I found myself at the local Hobby Lobby buying a huge canvas. I had a couple different walls in mind for the art, and decided on the wall above our bed. Let me show you the "before" image:
Our bedroom has a vaulted ceiling and, while this shelf is large enough to span our king-sized bed, our wedding decor just wasn't commanding a presence against the high ceiling. Sorry, wedding stuff. After I decided on the spot for the new canvas, I had to decide on the paint colors. Since I laid out the design in Photoshop, I was able to place it on a brown background and try different combinations. The colors I liked best included the pebble color we have as the neutral in our bedroom (the brown is an accent wall), and white to match the trim and ceiling. See some of my process—for full instructions, check out this post.
Step 1: Outline the numbers. Our living room windows were perfect for this. I used our anniversary and birth dates—05/27/07, 05/06, and 10/22. 
Step 2: Have curious kitties check out the canvas and approve the outlining.
Step 3: Paint, paint, paint. The white was BASICS brand acrylic paint from Michael's and it only took one coat with some touch-ups. The pebble was a half-and-half mixture of flat and satin Valspar wall paints to match the sheen of acrylic paint, and took two coats to cover. 
In between painting the canvas, I also hand-brushed the word "irie" and placed it in the same type of frame as our wedding picture. The word irie—meaning "it's all good"— came from our honeymoon in Jamaica, and has a magical way of transporting me right back to that time. Here's the shelf before and after. Pay no attention to the horrible lighting in our bedroom.
The canvas size is 48" x 36" next to our wedding image that's 20" x 20", and the 9" x 9" irie print. I can't lie, there were some frustrating moments painting in and around the numbers, but it turned out to be a lot easier than I expected. I suppose that's why I'm the designated edger whenever we paint a room. If you try this project yourself, I'd love to see the results.
And if you're on Pinterest, find me here!
Growing up, my parents (generally) indulged me in whatever I set my mind to. Painting is one of those things that began early and never faded. My mom would take me to the local ceramics shop, and I would eagerly scan the aisles for my next painting project. One time it was a jewelry box for grandma, another time it was a Jesus statue for grandpa, then it was a musical snowman for mom, and there were many others. I dabbled in different kinds of arts and crafts through the years, but one thing I never tried was painting a canvas—until now. I was so inspired yet so intimidated. I just wanted to go at it and see what would result. I didn't want to "decide what to paint" or try to make any decisions that would slow down (or halt) the process of JUST CREATING. If it turned out decent enough, I could hang it and paint some more!
So, I'm posting my results for the world to see. I liked the way it started out with the brown, beige and yellow, but I don't like the way it ended. I think I used too many colors—for my house anyway, because only the beige and teal match—and tried too hard to fill the space. But I'm calling my first attempt super successful. I painted my first canvas, and I've already moved onto a much larger canvas project. I can't wait to post pictures when it's finished.
Since I won't be hanging this one, I'm considering selling it. It's 11x14" and about .25" deep, so it could be framed. If you're interested, shoot me an email at vicki@ryedesigns.com or fill out the contact page. It's a V.Rye original, and if I'm ever a famous artist it might be worth money as my first canvas ever—kidding, kidding. If no one is interested, I'm just going to paint over it.
By Vicki | Posted on 06/13/11 | Posted in Personal, 101-in-1001 | 0 Comments | Post Comment
By Vicki | Posted on 06/29/11 | Posted in Personal, Projects | 1 Comments | Post Comment
Michelle Adams : You MADE one!!!!! LOVE it!!! 06/29/11 10:29pm