Let Freedom Ring
Design by Debbie Slavin
© 2005
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Sifting through some old pictures I ran across this special couple. My dad was in the military for 25 years and both my parents were very patriotic. My mom still hangs her bunting over her cozy nest at the Lassen House (Assisted Living) facility. I enjoyed marrying these pieces of paper, old button, scrap booking paper and canvas so that my mom could remember the “Good Old Day’s.” Dad and mom always enjoyed this time of the year! The fourth of July is right around the corner and many memories were made on that day for our family. I’m hoping that you might be able to enjoy this piece incorporating your love of painting, a bit of scrapping and some lettering. Easy as Pie!
Materials Needed:
- Pre-primed canvas – 18x24
- #60240 Patriotic Collage – Karen Foster Design or any patriotic paper that speaks to your heart.
- Red, White and Blue tassel – Wall-Mart
- Large button of choice – 1 ½ diameter – Vintage Buttons are the best!
- Picture – 6x7 Black and White – This picture has a bit of color to it and was added by the photographer when color photos first began.
- Corked back ruler
- Shady Lady Glue – Shades 4 U or Aleene’s Quick Dry Tacky Glue
- Star Stencil – Use star pattern provided and simply cut out for a stencil.
Brushes:
- Four inch roller for first application of paint to your canvas.
- #8 Ruby Satin Bright – by Silver Brush – For lettering
- Small Stencil Brush, #4, 6 Round, Detail Liner
Medium: Magic Mix
Paints: Blackberry, Linen, Warm White, Cornflower, Deep Plum, Rich Gold
Prep: Using the four inch roller, apply Magic Mix to the pre-primed canvas – sides also. Work in a quick fashion dressing the roller in Blackberry and a tish of Linen. Roll quickly in many directions until you have achieved the balance of color that pleases your eye. The background should be dark enough that the lettering can easily be seen. Allow to dry 24 hours. Because canvas is porous, moisture tends to take longer to dry. If lettering or brush strokes need some extra help, they may easily be removed with a damp rag if paint is completely dry during that first stage.
Mark off area that the paper is to be applied to. Using a large old brush, apply glue to your canvas fairly thick. Apply glue around all edges of the paper. Place paper on canvas making sure that lines are adhered to. Place two or more large books over this area for several hours and then remove. Allow to dry 24 hours.
Time to paint! Scroll work at the bottom of your design is Red, White and Blue. Small comma strokes and liner work is Warm White. Larger Commas are Cornflower. Some are over stroked with Warm White. Whimsical circular motions are made with the detail liner using Warm White. I use Magic Mix with all my stroke work. This helps your brush from skipping or dragging especially on canvas and walls.
Stars are Rich Gold – You can either use the stencil given or apply your own star. Liner work around each star using Linen.
Lettering: The script is the Chancery hand with flourishes. Step by step using the lettering brush #8 along with Linen and Magic Mix. Underline or ground your work using the cork backed ruler and the chisel edge of a large flat brush. Skip though the letters that descend below the baseline or the line in which most of the core letters rest.
Application of Picture: Apply a thick layer of glue to the back of your picture and apply to canvas. This picture was very thick so I used a heavy book to reinforce weight allowing the picture to stay put. Large button to the left is also applied with glue. Tassel was wrapped around button after drying time.
Hope you enjoy your patriotic piece! Have a lovely Fourth of July!
Debbie Slavin
Download Line Drawing - Save to a folder. It is in .bmp format and is a large file in black and white.. Resize to fit your project. You will need Flash Viewer to open Flash Paper. Most computers have it but if not, Get it here...