I was telling a friend the other day that I think I may have found my favorite medium to work in ... well at least for now that is ... chalkboard paint, canvas and sidewalk chalk ... oh and of course scraps of fabric! I am in love!!!!
It feels like art journaling, not that I'm a big art journal-er, but that's how I approached these quilts. I just started without much thought or plan. Doodling, outlining, random words, my kids poem, or just whatever came to mind.
There's great freedom in working with the chalk. If I don't like the way it is looking I just swipe the panel with a wet cloth and start all over.
Before I did anything, I cut a bunch of panels of canvas and then slapped on some chalkboard paint. I set them aside, actually for several month, until the time was just right for me to dive in and experiment.
Here's What I did:
First I cut a bunch of panels of canvas ranging in size from 11 x 11 inches to 7 x 10 inches. I used a rotary cutter and a green mat but it's really not necessary. Next I slathered a thick coat of chalkboard paint on the canvas and yes the canvas does shrink and buckle ... I kind of liked it!
And then I just started doodling away. I used the white chalk to sort of sketch things in.
And then I added the color, filling in the white shapes.
But of course I couldn't stop here ... next came the blending of my limited colors of chalk. It feels a bit like the painting classes I took as a young girl. I have great memories of how I thought it was magic, laying two different color paints down on a canvas and then blending them to create a wonderful new color. It is magic!
So at this point there was no stopping me and sometimes that can get me into trouble. I started writing random words and phrases and before I knew it, almost all the black was fill in, which was not supposed to happen, but oh well ... it did and like it!
Next step ... cut a panel of batting slightly larger than the canvas and free motion stitch the panels together. Free motion doodle stitch in the panel as well.
Embellish with scraps of fabric, old book text, beads and perle cotton.
Chalk over any spots that smudged while stitching.
To keep the chalk from smudging, just spray the piece with several light coats of hairspray.
Stay tuned ... more chalkboard paint art quilts to come!
Amazing as usual, thank you for sharing!
Posted by: Kathy | July 30, 2011 at 09:13 PM
Love it!! These are so free and fun! Looking forward to the next installment.
Posted by: Chris Eastwood | July 30, 2011 at 10:14 PM
OH MY CYNTHIA! these are absolutely wonderful...i'm a big fan of including black somewhere in everything. thank you much for sharing ... :)
Posted by: donna!ee | July 31, 2011 at 04:19 AM
I love it...you always have the best ideas!!!
Posted by: Tracy Schultz | August 01, 2011 at 08:43 AM
What a fun and clever idea!
Posted by: Alisa | August 02, 2011 at 07:06 PM
I absolutely love this idea. And as usual, they are amazing.
Posted by: Jennifer | August 04, 2011 at 11:10 AM
oh, WOW!!! this looks awesome!
Question: I have some canvas bags i bought a few months back. Would it work if i painted them and then chalked them over? It would be a fun project for the kids!!!
Hummmm.... my wheels are turning...
thanks for the inspiration...
PS come by my blog to see what I just finished?? :P
Posted by: tereza crump aka MyTreasuredCreations | August 08, 2011 at 09:46 PM