"The Mourning Bride" Mixed Media Canvas!!

Hey Everyone!! I hope your weekend is off to a great start!! For today's post, I have a project I created for my daughter. What makes this project special is that I included an original poem that she wrote.

It's been awhile since I created a project with no time constraints.

I just wanted to let my creative juices flow and see what the end result would be.

My craft room has a corner where I pile future projects I would like to work on.

At this time, it's hard to find the time to even begin these projects.

With DT requirements, packing for our big move, the girls, and hubby it's been tough.

I hope that once we are finally settled, I can hopefully get them done and share them with you all.

Well with that quick update done, let's get to today's project.

Here's the pic of the completed canvas:

I used an 8 x 16" canvas that I kinda borrowed from hubby.

The inspiration for this project came from this Manga picture I colored last week.

My 15 year old loves everything Anime and Manga, so hubby purchased a few Manga coloring books for her.

I like to color these pictures using my alcohol markers.

I find that it's good practice for trying out coloring techniques, experimenting with colors, and trying out different skin tones.

I was definitely in a coloring kind of mood last week, so I chose these picture to flex my coloring muscles.

I was pleased with how it turned out and initially I wasn't going to tear it out of the book.

But then it hit me, once I saw hubby's pristine canvas staring at me.

Mixed Media Canvas!! Yeah, why not!

Now, don't get me wrong, I normally take a day or two to work on my canvas projects.

But this one took me 3 days to create.

Mainly because I used a lot of texture pastes to create the background.

I bought a few Martha Stewart brands at Michael's on clearance, a few weeks back and the drying time is 24 hours.

Since I wasn't in a rush to create this, the dry time wasn't an issue.

So with canvas in hand, I set to work.

First step was to paint a layer of gesso over the canvas.

As it was drying, I grabbed a few things that I wanted to include like a chipboard circle, tree shape, stars, and a fence made from popsicle sticks.

With supplies in hand, I began laying out the pieces I collected to create my background scene.

I adhered all the pieces down using some Heidi Swapp "Magic Medium".

I then took my Martha Stewart "Stucco" Texture Paste and started applying the paste along the bottom of the canvas.

I also applied it along the bottoms of the tree and fence to blend them into the background.

I set it aside to dry for 24 hours.

Once dry,  I used Martha Stewart "Sparkle" Texture paste to make the moon and stars  a part of the background.

I then set it aside to dry for another 24 hours.

After everything was dry, I used a few paint sprays that I mixed up to add some color.

I wanted the background to be dark and somber, so I used a Cobalt Blue and Black paint for the sky.

I sprayed some water over the top to get the color moving.

For the bottom half, I used a Black paint.

Once I had all the colors laid down, I put it outside to dry.

I went back and forth a few times adding more color here and there.

I used gesso to paint the moon and stars and black acrylic paint for the tree and fence.

Here's a pic of the canvas after it was all painted:

I added highlights to the tree and fence and a starry filled sky with my white gel pen.

Since I had the image all colored in, I just fussy cut her out and added some Glossy Accents in some areas.

Here's a rundown of the colors I used:

- Skin- FS1, FS4, CR3

-Hair- B00, C02, C04, C06, C08

-Dress- C02, C04, C06, RV19, E18

I then took some wings from my seven year old's Monster High Draculaura doll, made them darker using my RV19 marker, and attached it to the canvas using Glue Dots.

For the image, I used pop dots to adhere it on top of the wings.

All that was left to do now, was to add my daughter's poem.

I told her I wanted something that would fit the image's expression.

She came back a few minutes later with this beautiful, haunting poem.

It doesn't have a title but I thought "The Mournful Bride" fit.

 Here's "The Mournful Bride" original poem by Shyann:

She waits for him,

by that cold, stone grave.

That dress he gave

now stained crimson.

Her azure eyes glisten,

with tears that will not fall.

She waits eternally for his call.

And voila!! Canvas complete!!

I hope you enjoyed this project for today!!

Thanks for stopping by and enduring this long post.

Enjoy the rest of your weekend and Peace!! :)