Blank walls got you down? For less than $25, you can release your inner Warhol by making your own masterpiece with the hidden treasures of your junk drawer. Look for interesting objects and exciting colors to create a dynamic layout. Give your art some heart with meaningful ephemera, like a postcard from your hometown, a black and white photo of your dog, or a favorite fortune-cookie fortune. Use this item to be your focal point, then keep on adding stuff until you like what you see. Ooh la la!
You Will Need:
4 artist stretcher bars, 20 inches long each
unbleached canvas (natural color), 15 inches by 15 inches
black craft felt, 24 inches by 24 inches
brass eyelet/grommet kit with setting tool (quarter-inch size)
found objects to photocopy
Tools:
staple gun
scissors
hammer
ruler
T-square
Directions:
Step 1: Arrange your selected objects on the bed of a color photocopier. Try several compositions, making several copies, until you like what you see. Have your photocopy transferred onto natural canvas at Kinko’s.
Step 2: Grommet the photocopied canvas onto the 24-inch by 24-inch black felt square.
Step 3: Make a frame out of the stretcher bars using the T-square to make sure it is square. Stretch your art onto the stretcher frame (see sidebar “How To Stretch A Canvas”).
How To Stretch a Canvas:
1. Put the mitered corners of the stretcher bars together. Tap with a hammer for a tight fit. Make sure the stretcher frame is square using the T-square. Then lay the fabric right side down and center the stretcher frame on the fabric.
2. Fold the top edge of the fabric over the top edge of the stretcher frame and staple at the center. Repeat on the bottom. Then repeat on the right and left sides.
3. Go back to the top. Pull the fabric tight and add a staple on either side of the center staple. Repeat for the bottom then the left side and the right side, working your way out from the center. Continue stapling in this manner out to the corners.
4. To make tidy corners, fold the fabric over the stretcher frame corners like you are wrapping a present and staple.
A Lesson From The Louvre: To give your art that museum quality, create a small label stating the title, artist, and date (add “on loan from the Googleheim Estate” and you can charge admission!).
Artistic License
Missing your muse? For this project, anything goes as long as it’s flat and fits on a copier. So get out your junk drawer and start making copies!
Items For Inspiration:
cigar bands
coins
feathers
keys
lace
leaves
love notes
maps
number stencils
playing cards
postage stamps
ticket stubs
unusual currency
vintage advertisements
wine labels
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