Family Paint Pouring: Meet Mr. Chocolate and Chocolate Chip

 

Since he left for undergrad, we've been used to going months without seeing our son each year and looked forward to his Summer visits. Needless to say with COVID, we weren't sure that was going to happen this year but he made a carefully planned drive from where he's studying in Chicago to come see us in the desert. We've been hanging out at home and it was the perfect opportunity to do a family craft project so I asked my "boys" if they'd want to try  paint pouring and they did. The above is mine which I kind of mucked up because I messed up the white paint and it got lumpy but theirs turned out GREAT! 

Meet Mr. Chocolate and Chocolate Chip (off the old block...get it?! I'm punny) and their paint pours! 

Mr. Chocolate loves yellow, silver and black so those were his color choices: 

During COVID, son started a plant collection so he chose colors to complement his plant area in his apartment, green, brown and gold. 

I'm working on some Halloween decor and decided to use burgundy, black and white. I ended up doing two canvases to use up some of the leftover paint. The one above and this one. Stay tuned for upcoming projects that will use these as backgrounds. 

All of the supplies came from Michaels: Artist Loft Acrylics and Pouring Medium

A good time was had by all and they're happy with their first foray into paint pouring! 

Swirls & Swirls : Paint Pouring and Quilling

Sharing a gift I made for the friend who started me on this Quilling obsession. We've been friends since the 7th grade and since I've recently retired, you can figure out that's a loooonnng time! She also just became a Grandma this weekend! Age is a state of mind though right? So despite over 60 years of marriage between us, we're still in HS, going to our favorite pizza place and ice cream parlor. 

Where I'm heavily into neutrals, she's heavily into colors. The paint pour I did was in honor of the peacock feathers and jewel tones that were part of her wedding colors. Swirls of turquoise, greens and purples. Did I mention she made her own wedding dress and each of our bridesmaids dresses then fast forward to her daughter's wedding 2 years ago and she made her dress? She's amazing. 

I did this piece on a wood cradle board which is one of my favorite surfaces on which to paint pour.

For the Quilling piece, I once again turned to embroidery hoops as my "frame" which have become my go to as you'll see in some upcoming projects! I went with shades of purple and dark brown which coordinated with the paint pour colors.

And being a cardmaker and a paperholic at heart, I made a card to send along with:

I went with Jewel Tones that coordinated, using a Jewel Tone paper stack by Craftsmart and a bicycle themed sheet from another Craftsmart paper stack, In Bloom. I am hopeless when it comes to Michaels either buy one get two free or 70% off on these stacks. Hopeless.

I Quilled the butterfly in coordinating colors.

Supplies Used: 

• Craftsmart Acrylic Paints (Michaels)
• Wood Cradle Board ( Blick Art)
• Embroidery Hoop
• Juya Quilling Papers (available on Amazon)
• Misc Coordinating Paper
• Aleene's Turbo Tacky Glue ( Walmart) 

Paint Poured Pendant. Say That Three Times Fast

So, my Chocoholic reading peeps, you know I'm recently obsessed with Acrylic Paint Pouring. I love that no two pieces are alike and it's therapeutic for me to watch the pieces evolve as the paints mix and dry. 

It's messy and there will be excess though. Being a waste not want not kind of Maker, I was ECSTATIC to discover that you can do things with the leftovers called "skins", which, if you pour on a non-porous surface like the plastic drop cloth I use, is what the paint forms after it dries and you can peel it off like, well, a skin! Some artists do pours specifically to create the skins for jewelry and mixed media pieces. Once I read about this, of course I had to play. 

Supplies: 

• Acrylic Paint Pour Skin (leftover from previous project)
• Beveled Pendant Blank (Mine are from https://www.craftfantastic.com/)
• Glass Round (https://www.craftfantastic.com/)
• Diamond Glaze Dimensional Adhesive (Stamp stores or online)
• Circle Paper Punch

The hard work is done once you have a skin to work with so this is a super quick project. I punched a few circles from the skin, and chose the one I liked best. 

Put a dab of the Diamond Glaze on the bevel blank ( don't flood it just a small dab) and lay in your punched circle. Smooth out to make sure there are no bubbles. I just used a dry Q-Tip. Use a little more Diamond Glaze and then place your glass circle on top. Let dry. You're DONE!

If you don't have a glass blank, you can also flood your bevel with the Diamond Glaze and it will dry to a hard finish. You just won't have the "domed" effect you get with the glass. 

Tips: 

I cleaned both my bevel blank and glass round with alcohol just because it seemed like a good idea. I also think I'll be using my phone camera more because it takes amazing pictures. Used it for the pendant pic and my camera for the rest and like the phone pic best. 

Paint Poured Reverse Canvas : Makers Gonna Make

Color! I know what you're thinking. Most of my projects are neutrals but I decided to play with some brighter colors on a paint pour. True confession. This was a "happy accident" that didn't start out as what turned into this project. 

I was doing a paint pour canvas to try and pick up some colors in a lamp in our living room. The periwinkle and magenta dominated WAAAAY more than I thought they were going to and I did not like it for that space AT ALL ( neither did Mr. Chocolate). So I did what every maker does when they have a craft fail. Re-purpose until you get something you like. 

I've also wanted to do a  reverse canvas project which I've been seeing a lot on Pinterest and in the blogosphere so I decided to use a canvas I wasn't happy with to try and make one. Worst case scenario, I'm out one canvas with which I was unhappy anyway. 

Supplies: 

• 16x20 Canvas ( Mine was from a pack from Michaels when they had them 5 for $10)
• Paints (I used Artist Loft White, Gold, Turquoise and Martha Stewart Poppy, Folk Art Periwinkle and Magenta)
• Zinsser Paint Addititive
• Silicone Oil
• Black Glossy Vinyl ( I used Cricut)

Other tools

• Utility Knife
• Staple Gun

First step was mixing my paints which I continue to experiment with. This time I added a few drops of Silicone Oil (HW section, Lowes) along with the paint additive. 

I re-use paint cups so if you see a color I didn't mention, that's why.

I did the puddle pour method again so you can see the rings of the colors as each new one is poured into the last. 

This is the canvas after tilting around to move the paint. Not my favorite. What to do? Enter reverse canvas idea. My brain. It's how it works. 

What is a reverse canvas? You basically take apart a pre-stretched canvas and reconstruct it using the frame as a traditional frame vs the frame around which the canvas is stretched. The first step is removing the canvas. I chose not to painstakingly remove each staple from the back of the canvas. Emphasis pain because 1.) it was a pain in the neck to do and 2.) it hurt.  I used my utility knife to cut the canvas close to the staples. The remaining strip pulls right off. 

This is the frame that the canvas was on. You can leave it plain or stain or paint it. 

I painted mine black since I knew I would be using black vinyl. I cut a quote I downloaded from the Silhouette Online Store and cut it using Cricut Glossy Black Vinyl on my Cameo. 

After the frame dried it was time to re-attach the canvas. I placed the frame painted side down then laid the canvas on top and attached with my staple gun. The biggest challenge here is getting your canvas pulled taught. The more staples the better seemed to be the lesson learned here! 

Flipped it back over and then trimmed using my utility knife. 

I immediately liked it better with the black frame! After I finished trimming I applied the vinyl and was ecstatic! The canvas I was prepared to toss became my favorite new piece of wall art for my office! 

Sharing At: 

A Stroll Thru Life

Mega Paint Pour 30 x 40 Canvas

Happy April everyone. If you love April Fool's Day good on you. Me, not so much! 

Sharing my biggest Acrylic Paint Pouring project today. I shall call her "Canvasouras".  I had so much fun with this one and have to say, it is my favorite one yet. 

Supplies: 

• 30 x 40 canvas (Michaels had these 70% off so this one was $34 less 70% final cost $10.20 and of course I bought 2  and any video of me getting these out of the store while pushing a cart is for sure hilarious)
• Artist Loft Acrylic Paints in White, Raw Umber, Black, Gold, Light Turquoise ( picked up a couple of large bottles that were 40% off at Michaels). The big bottles are $9.99 full price and the smaller 4 oz tubes are $3.99 full price. 
• Zinsser Flow Control paint medium
• Water
• Hand Sanitizer (secret ingredient!)

My first challenge was figuring out how I was going to stabilize my canvas and keep it off the floor. Enter giant Target plastic storage bin, the kind that will hold wrapping paper etc. Inexpensive , had on hand, flipped it upside down and worked great!

Next came mixing the paints. For this, I used bigger cups ( 12-16 oz red Solo drink cups for the white, black, gold and brown) than I've been using and one thing I've learned along my paint pouring learning journey is to get the paints thin enough w/out making them too runny. This is trial and error but I did about 1/2 paint and 1/4 ea paint medium and water. Stir slowly until really well blended. The secret ingredient? Hand Sanitizer! I saw this in a video and wanted to try it. The ingredients really aid in the creation of cells which is something I've been struggling with. More on this below. 

For this one, I did what's called a "puddle pour" which, as the name suggests, you pour your paints to make a puddle on the canvas, layering them as you go. 

I made puddles at each end of the canvas. One was white dominant and the other was brown dominant and I layered the colors randomly, and then took the rest of the the white and black and poured around each puddle on the corresponding side. 

The consistency was PERFECT this time because as you tilt the canvas, the paints flowed and were able to cover the entire canvas and run down the sides. Now for the "secret ingredient" the hand sanitizer. 

People use different mediums to create cells. Everything from WD40 to treadmill lubricant to hair serum etc. I picked up some hand sanitizer for $1.79 at the grocery store. The alcohol content plus the viscosity interacts with the paint to give you the right effect. Since I wasn't sure, I didn't add it to every color and will next time. I also discovered that if you don't securely have the cap on your paint tube, shake it so you can squeeze out the remaining paint, get it on your wall because oops....hand sanitizer gets it right off! Who knew? 

These are the "cells" I'm talking about. It's just chemistry magic. Don't ask me to explain it! I just love looking at them, mesmerized, as they emerge. 

This piece was going in our living room and while I'm known for neutrals, I wanted to pick up the aqua from the globe and tie in the brown from the clock , the chair etc. 

I'm SUPER happy with the results. What do you think? 

Sharing At: 

Paint Pouring: Coordinated Panel Collection

I'm still practicing my paint pouring skills and wanted to do a kind of gallery wall with 12x12 panels in our bedroom. I am so happy with how these turned out!! 

If you're not familiar with paint pouring there is lots of help available on Pinterest and You Tube. I have a paint pouring board on Pinterest here. 

The reason I love it is there's no ( at least not to me) right or wrong once you follow the basics. It's all about what you like and experimenting with the mix of the pouring medium and colors you choose. The best way I've found to figure things out is to just play with it and do it. I will say that if you're going for a coordinated look like what I did with this project, it's probably better to do all of your pouring on the same day so you can be consistent in your formulas. Weather can also be a factor so doing them on the same day ensures drying time etc. is also consistent. 

There are also kits and paints designed specifically for paint pouring. I've just been winging it with a mixture of different acrylic paints and mediums. Here's what I used for this project: 

Supplies: 

• Paint Booster Paint Additive ( I got mine at Lowes)
• Artist Loft Acrylic Paints (Michaels)
• 12x12 Wood Panels ( Blick Art Materials)
• 12x12 Canvas (Michaels)
• Alcohol ( 91% or more is best)
• Water 

You'll also need: 

• Something to cover work area
• Mixing Cups
• Gloves ( eg vinyl or latex because your hands will get messy)
• Push Pins (push these into at least 4 corners of the back of your surface to make a little stand so the panel isn't touching your work surface)

There are different techniques to paint pouring. You can pour your paints directly onto the surface individually or you can layer in a cup which you'll then flip onto your surface. I used the former for the white panels and the latter for the black panels. I also thought I was going to just do four but decided six panels worked better for the space. I only had 4 of the wood panels so I did the other two on canvas since that's what I had on hand. 

I didn't prep the wood surface but I did cover the canvases with a couple layers of Mod Podge as a sealer. 

Layered Flip Cup Method

This is the method I used on the black panels. Once you mix each color separately with the mediums ( I used a couple capfuls of the paint booster, one capful of alcohol and a little water to get a pourable consistency...one that drizzles steadily from a stir stick) you can then layer each paint color in a separate cup. I just alternated colors. 

Someday I'll do videos but not yet :) 

Once you have enough paint ( I just used plastic drink cups and for a 12x12 panel filling to the top was enough) you put your surface on top of the cup and then flip it over. 

Some will seep out so be prepared! You can slide your cup around your surface or just lift the cup off where it is. 

Oooooo magic! This is my flipped puddle and you just start tilting your panel slowly to spread the paint. You want to make sure you cover the entire surface and then as the paint drips down the sides you can take a gloved finger and kind of finger paint the edges. 

I love that no two are alike and each piece you make has its own personality. They're soothing for me to look at ad just discover new patterns each time I do. So much fun!