My Brother My Friend Subway Art

Last week I was in some kind of funk and just couldn't motivate myself to do much of anything. But I was feeling bad for my boys. We just weren't doing all the usual stuff. I decided that we needed to do something creative. I've been seeing some cool subway art around the internet lately and thought maybe we could make our own. I got so excited that I skipped a step I should have done, then payed for it later on.  I will tell you how I made this and include the step I should have done!

1. I used a plain old 16x20 stretched canvas from Michaels. This had been sitting in my basement forever, with grand plans in my head of what I might do with it. But, plans are better carried out and I decided that my brain was taking too long for those other plans!

2. PREP YOUR CANVAS. Okay, so I didn't do this and had to go back later to touch up the letters because the paint bled under the vinyl letters! So. Very important to prep - use white paint, gesso, whatever. Just don't skip this step!

3. Cut vinyl letters (or get them cut). The bold letters I printed off my computer, then cut them into the vinyl with an exacto, the fun font I cut with my cricut. Stick the letters on your canvas how you want them. Make sure they are well sealed.

4. This is the fun part. Let your kids have free reign with paint, brushes, fingers, and hands! If they are littles like mine are, point out all the "white parts" to cover.

 This is what it looked like when the boys were finished.

 Atlas: "My work here is done."

5. Allow to dry. When paint is dry, you can spray the whole thing with a lacquer spray for more of a sheen. I used acrylic paint, and I thought it ended up looking a little dull, but the lacquer gives it just enough of a shine. 

6. Carefully peel off your vinyl letters. You can do this before step 5 if you want to spray everything, letters and all.

 As you can see here, there was a bit of bleeding. I ended up touching up the bold letters, but not the names. The letters would have been much crisper had I only been a little more patient and did #2!

So there you go. Totally easy, Totally do-able, Totally Cool art for your home.

Getting my art on

Early last year and the end of 2008 I took two Art Journaling classes online here from Dina Wakley (on my sidebar). I didn't get very far at the time. I was hindered by a number of things. First, I am a perfectionist and I was very intimidated by the talent of my teacher (though she was lovely and kind and very accomodating). The way she would just put a dab of paint on the page with such abandon, I admired that and wished I could do the same. I was also extremely intimidated by the whole journaling thing: what could I possibly have to say, my life was so boring! Then, I was pregnant, and I got busy getting ready for baby. Lastly, I was in too much pain (the good ol' kidneys) to sit for too long at a time. All okay excuses. So thoughts of art journaling sat on a shelf in my brain, percolating, until my friend Birdie re-inspired me by giving me a wonderful hand-bound (by her) art book for my birthday.

I think having a child has calmed some of my perfectionist tendancies (out of necessity) and some recent events have allowed my pen to creatively blossom in so many ways I never expected. I have really enjoyed this creative process and haven't cared so much about what the end result would be. (Dina was always telling us that - that you couldn't think too much ahead all the time - just be in the moment and put something on paper!) So I put something on paper.

So thanks Birdie, thanks Dina, and thanks to some others who shall remain nameless. And finally, thanks Otto, for being such a source of complete joy in my life!