A Set of Canvases

So as soon as I saw these Bigz Sizzix Dies with matching Texture Fades by Tim Holtz, I knew I HAD to have the butterfly, dragonfly, and bee.  My head is brimming with ideas for using them.  I really want the sea horse and sand dollar also, but they will have to wait!   These dies cut thick chipboard, tin cans, cardstock and everything in between! After cutting out the shape, position it in the Texture Fade and send it through the Vagabond Die Cut Machine and it's embossed.  So easy and so cool!!!

I used 8"x 8" deep edge canvases for this project.  I covered the canvases with stamped tissue paper to create some background texture and pattern then randomly covered them with Liquitex Ceramic Stucco. It's got a sandy texture which takes the paint really well.  I used an array of media including acrylic paints, inks, and Pan Pastels until I got the background the way I wanted it.  

Dragonfly detail

For the bee's background, I used the Crafter's Companion hexagon stencil  with ceramic stucco to create the raised honeycomb effect.     

Bee detail 1

Bee detail 2

Butterfly detail

I used thick chipboard to cut out the critters and embossed them.  I put a coat of white gesso to ensure that the paint would be bright and really pop. I used lots of layers until I was happy with the results, then distressed the edges with darker paint and black ink. I also randomly rubbed some Viva Inka Gold to highlight the embossing. The burlap was needed to make the critters stand out from the background.  I'm really pleased with how these canvases came out and plan on making more in different colors.  What do you think?  Don't be shy and leave a comment below!