The Crazy Simple Life

"I better make sure it's level Mom."

You can make unique pop art for your kid’s room! We are de-babying the little man’s room and I’ve been thinking about a cool art project to put on the wall for months. Inspiration finally struck when I passed by the Mod Podge in the craft store. I LOVE Mod Podge. (Remember the RA in college who was constantly dragging you to craft parties where you decoupaged glasses with tissue paper? That was me.) I also love the look of collage art combined with paint. I decided to try painting a stencil in brightly contrasting colors over a collage and the results are great.

I used a transportation theme with planes on the example below, and cars and boats on two others I previously completed. You could do absolutely anything! What about a canvas full of flowers overlaid with a bright butterfly? Pictures of favorite Disney princesses overlaid with a gold crown? Images of stars, rockets, and aliens overlaid with a bright red painting of Saturn? The possibilities are endless. Here’s how to do it.

Materials:

Stretched art canvas (Mine is 18 x 18.)

Glossy decoupage glue (I like Mod Podge.)

Cheap bristle and/or sponge brush

Acrylic or crafter’s paint

Paint brushes

Large Stencils (I just made mine by tracing objects onto plain paper.)

Decoupageables: magazine cutouts, stickers, scrapbook paper,photos, fabric scraps, etc…

1) Trim all your photos and cutouts. Figure out how you’d like everything arranged on the canvas. I started with a piece of scrapbook paper in the center and then arranged words and pictures around them.

2) Next is my favorite part, decoupage the canvas! I find I get the items to adhere better if I apply a thin coat of the glue to the back of the cutout and also to the part of the canvas where I plan to put it. (Don’t worry about a little wrinkling and puckering of your cutouts. It gives it character!)

Use the brush to help push out air bubbles and make a good bond.

3) Allow the glue to dry completely.

4) Meanwhile, cut out your stencil. You can make your own stencil by simply printing a picture of your desired object and then cutting it out of the paper.

5) Center the stencil on your canvas and use masking or painter’s tape to secure it in a few locations. Paint the inside of the stencil carefully with your choice of paint. Don’t apply to the paint too thick, you want to be able to see the pictures through the paint. Remove the stencil and allow the paint to dry.

6) Paint the area outside the stencil a different color, including the edges of the canvas. If you have trouble painting next to the edge of your stenciled object, you can set the inside of the stencil on top of it. Again, don’t apply the paint too thickly. Allow the paint to dry. (You’ll notice I have three different colors here. I did a series of three paintings and alternated the location of all three colors on each piece.)

7) This step is not necessary, but if you like you can add some words or phrases in a brightly contrasting color. I’ve used the words “by land,” “by air,” and “by sea.”

When the paint is dry, apply a final coat of glue over the top to make everything look nice and shiny.

Just like that! Have fun with it and feel free to share any other ideas you have for pop art themes!