My Paintings and DIY Quote Canvases!

The first portrait I ever painted :)

To pass the time while Daylon is gone, I've found myself exploring different areas in art, but mainly painting. A few years ago, I found my new love for acrylic paints when I took a summer art class from my cousin. It's seriously sooo fun to discover a new medium!
This portrait on the right took about 6 hours to complete. It was tough! It's not my favorite painting that I've done, but I love it because it's my first and it was a challenge. I had never painted people before, but I think I did a pretty good job at it!

The Lion King shoes were the first pair I ever painted! It took me 12 hours and a few nights staying up past midnight, but it was SO worth it!
The shoes consist of African art, Simba, Scar, the 3 hyenas, Timon and Pumbaa, Rafiki's painting of Simba as a cub, the sunrise (NAAAAAAAAANTS INGONYAMA BAGITHI BABA!!!), and 'The Lion King' logo. :)

These other Disney shoes are covered in the couples of Ariel and Eric, Beauty and the Beast, Mulan and Shang, Pocahontas and John Smith, Rapunzel and Flynn, Aladdin and Jasmine, and Phoebus and Esmeralda. These shoes took 14 hours to complete, and once again it was so incredibly worth it! Although I don't wear either pair all the time, I love showing them off when I get the chance :)


Anywho, I've discovered some ADORABLE D.I.Y canvas quotes on Pinterest (my addiction) that I just HAD to recreate! They looked super cute and simple and would be great for my future home :) The first one I completed is in the picture on the right. It was super easy to complete! I found some cheap stencil packs at Walmart ($3 for 48 stencils) and a 2-pack of canvases ($11). First I stenciled the letters lightly with pencil to make sure everything lined up correctly. Then I filled in the outline with black acrylic paint and then a mauve color for 'sweetheart' and the heart. This project took me about three hours because of the stenciling and my OCD-ness with making sure the letters were perfect! But I reeeeally like how this one turned out! It was super easy and super fun to paint :)
This next project I just completed today I'll give step-by-step instructions for, just because I'm nice. First, I'll show you the completed canvas on the left! Yeah, I know, it's not perfect, but I like it :) Aaand the colors are Daylon and my's favorites :)
So basically, this is just a cute stripe pattern and a button heart on same colored fabric hot-glued together. Easy-peasy! I'll add the instructions under each picture :)

First you need your supplies! You need a hot glue gun, glue sticks, acrylics, paintbrushes, water, paper towel, and fabric or felt (mine is 18 inches by 21 inches) and buttons that are the same color! I got 74 buttons but only ended up using about 65. You'll want to get enough buttons depending on how big you want the heart to be!

Don't forget the canvas! This one is 10"x 8". You can use any size canvas for this, but remember to have enough supplies for the size you're using!

So first I placed the buttons in the shape of the heart I wanted on the fabric, basically just to map it out before gluing. I had to move a lot of buttons around to make sure it actually looked good.

Then I glued down the polka dotted button and the striped button to guide me as I formed the first curve of the heart. Once you figure this out, glue them down! You'll need that guide for the inside buttons. After you glue that side down, place and glue the other curve of the heart.

After you've glued the sides, fill in the rest of the heart with buttons. Make sure they all fit and that the gaps aren't huge. Some of my gaps were a little large, so I stacked a few buttons over the gaps, which gave it more of a layered look. 

While the buttons are drying, it's time to prep the canvas! Tape off the stripes you want to be white with whatever thickness you desire. I wanted thick teal stripes, so I made sure to give me enough space. However, make sure you leave more white space at the bottom for the words. So, I'm only painting three teal stripes :)

Notice the white stripe I left at the bottom. Don't paint it! I wanted a 'wispy' kind of paint stroke, so the lines aren't even or painted with many layers of paint. You can kinda see the white coming through. You can do it whatever way you like :) Let the paint dry for a bit. Luckily in Arizona, it only takes about 5 minutes for everything to dry.

While waiting for the canvas to dry, the buttons are ready. Cut out the shape of the heart and cut as close to the buttons as possible. You don't want the fabric to be seen on the sides. Make sure the shape of the heart is distinctive and lovely!

The paint should be dry after this. Carefully remove the tape without messing up the stripes. Some of my teal paint bled under the tape and into the white area, so I touched it up with white paint. 

Double check to make sure everything is completely dry before you glue the heart on. Position the heart wherever you'd like it to be on the canvas. For me, I wanted it perfectly in the middle :)

The last step is to paint 'Me + You' on the bottom right corner. I first tried to draw it out with an orange sharpie, but the paints prevented me from doing so. So, I decided to just free hand it and paint the letters in with a super tiny brush. If you don't feel comfortable doing this, you can always either print out a stencil or buy some at a store. 

Wait for everything to dry and then it's completed!! I really liked how this one turned out. It's cute, has orange buttons, and can be displayed in your home. It took me about an hour and a half to do all of this. 

I hope you enjoyed this! Go and create some fun art for yourself and pass that time! :)

Always <3