Chalk Couture on Canvas Stettler Alberta

Chalk Couture on Canvas

6/2/2020

Artist canvas has to be one of my favourite surfaces to work on and you'll see it as a surface of choice in many videos & projects we do. Now you want to know why?!
1. It's widely available
2. Comes in a variety of sizes & styles (flat, stretched on a frame, etc)
3. It's light
4. You can use so many products on it!
5. It's affordable!

Let's face it, I love surfaces that I can afford to make a mistake on. It doesn't happen often but occasionally ;) . You can have so much fun & get creative with backgrounds before you add your Chalk Couture paste OR you can just use your Chalkology paste! It's also generally easy to add embellishments to.

We love using markers and creating a "watercoloured" type background.
Simply colour with washable markers onto plastic (plastic bag, laminating film, etc) spritz on water, flip & press. Boom crazy fun background that is unique every time!

Chalk Couture on Canvas Stettler Alberta

We also love using paint pour methods. A little messier and takes time to dry but amazing results that we love adding Chalk Couture onto (especially quotes!).
Of course, you can just paint the background as well. One solid colour, a beautiful scene, dry brush some texture, scrape paint-- really the options are almost endless!

Most often though we love just using the canvas as it is. You can buy it in White or Black and we love using the Chalk Couture pastes to decorate that blank base! We use the transfers, as well as use the paste like paint. Add a little water to some paste and let your inner Picasso out! We will go into details on water-colouring with Chalkology Paste in another post.
Some times we even poke small holes and put battery operated lights through! Light up decor!

Tips for success with Chalk Couture on canvas
I personally prefer paste on canvas.
1. Canvas comes in a variety of quality. Some of it is very rough. This will cause the transfer to have a poor "Seal" and paste will leak under. There are a couple ways to help your outcome.
A. You can sand the canvas smoother.
B.You can paint it.
C. You can coat it with Gesso. Or a sealer (like polycrylic).
Some canvas is already coated with gesso and I find these ones are ready for crafting!

2. Ensure all the air bubbles are out of your transfer and you have a tight seal by gently rubbing your squeegee across the transfer after placing int on the canvas, in one direction (the direction you plan to paste).

3. When pasting, press gently. OR have a hard surface behind your canvas. Since the stretched canvas is on a frame it has a little "give" or "stretch" to it. This can cause your transfer to pop off while working. A little support behind can lower your stress.

One last way I love using the stretched canvases is for a reverse canvas project (that's a whole other post!). Short version- take frame from back and put frame on front!