How to create a st. patrick's canvas by kathy adams

The background of this canvas will be gold and green. The canvas is deep edge 8" x 10". The image was obtained from the internet and printed on copy paper.

Carefully cut out the image of St. Patrick. I wasn't sure if I would use the "Saint Patrick" that came with the image, but in the end I used my own typed words.

I also printed a poem onto copy paper. So that the printer ink doesn't run, I sprayed Krylon Workable Fixative on the front and back of the copies and let them dry.

Spray the poem with Sandcastle Colorations Spray and water. Roll a paper towel over it to soak up the excess spray. Set aside to dry or use a heat tool.

Now to create the layers on the canvas. Start with Buttercream Sorbet. Art Anthology mediums are best when colors are layered because they are semi-transparent.

Next add Gold Digger Sorbet and let it dry. Then a layer of Gold Metal Effects and let that layer dry. If you don't let each layer dry, the medium may clump up in areas.

Mix Shamrock Velvet, Tink Sorbet and Bankroll Minx together. This mixture will be used with the Gothic Stencil so make sure to use a small amount of Bankroll since it is more fluid.

Using a credit card or palette knife, scrape the green mixture through the Gothic Stencil.

Apply matte medium to the back of the St. Patrick image and carefully glue the image to the middle of the canvas. Do this while the green is still wet so that the image will lay flat.

Cut out the sentences and the St. Patrick words and edge them with Archival Ink. Add them to the canvas using matte medium.

I gave the images a topcoat of matte medium to ensure they are secure and won't curl up over time. Here is what it looks like so far.

After everything is dry, I sprayed the canvas with Sandcastle Colorations Spray and let it pool around the green stenciled areas.

Of course I have to add a four-leaf clover, so I cut a die cut from my Silhouette Cameo and painted it with Shamrock Velvet, Tink Sorbet and sprayed it with Granny Smith Colorations Spray.

I applied the clover with Zip Dry. For St. Patrick's crown, I decided to add some Gemstone dots using the end of my paint brush to apply them. It worked perfectly! I used Garnet and Blue Topaz.

Since the mediums are dimensional, the dots are raised and look like little gems! I LOVE those Gemstones! I also used gold and black pens to outline certain areas.

Don't forget the sides! They already had coats of Buttercream, Gold Digger, and Gold on them. I added 2 additional coats of Shamrock Velvet, letting them dry in between.

Then I added Tink Sorbet to the sides to add some sparkle. I love to pick a color that I used in the canvas to paint the sides of that canvas. It really give the piece a finishing touch.

Next, randomly added Crackle Accents to the sides and edges of the canvas, applying it thick in some areas and thin in others. Thick areas create larger cracks while thinner areas create smaller ones.

After letting the crackle medium dry overnight, I sprayed the canvas liberally with Sandcastle and French Toast Colorations Sprays and let it seep into the cracks. I also add it to the sides.

Here is what the cracks look like. Aren't they cool! Wipe away any excess spray.

I found that adding heavy crackle medium works much better. The thin areas barely cracked.

I love to add upholstery tacks to the sides of my canvases and this canvas is perfect for this look. Find them at the hardware section of Lowes or even Walmart. Also, see the cracks on the sides?

I noticed that the cracks like to peel off in certain places so to keep everything in place, I gave the whole canvas a coat of satin varnish.

Notice the halo? I used the "dot" technique to add Amber Gemstone dots to it, and the septor.

See how great the upholstery tacks look on the sides of this canvas? I love how this turned out. What do you think? Leave me some love below in the comments section!