SK On Elderberry: SK's Queen of Everything and Princess of Pretty Much

Queen of Everything and Princess of Pretty Much

by SK Sartell

This little lady has been in the weather for over ten years with nary a complaint. It was time to give he some smiles and attention.

The bench wood is oak and split. So sorry to see her in this condition. The wrought iron is in very good condition and I just sanded the old rusty iron surface back and coated with Rust-Oleum® Universal® Hammered Spray Paint.

The wood seat was sanded and filled and primed with an outdoor bonding primer.

I really thought my idea as simple. What was I thinking? The more I got into the project the larger and deeper I got.

I added two custom painted canvases to the project, thinking this would be a bit of fun...Hmmmm.

The original idea seemed bright at the time. I wanted to create a three piece art set which could be arranged in several different ways. The bench with two canvases above with one set of designs and painted canvases hung vertically, turn the bench around and rehang the pictures horizontally for a new and different look.

Again. What the heck was I thinking? Seemed simple at the time...It's always easier and looks much more simple on paper.

The canvas duck was washed and ironed to remove sizing. There I go again ironing duck. Poor babies.
I tear canvas my canvas to the desired size. Why? I was told tearing helps keep the canvas fibers in correct alignment and will make stretching easier? I have been tearing fabric for as long as I have sewn. This will only work on natural textiles as far as I know.

Frames were built for the canvas to be stretched. I used 1"x 2" fir, mitered the corners and glued and nailed them together making sure I had a T-Square on hand to keep them square. I then made corner pieces and glued them in tightly for strength. Stretching creates immense tension and when done right a quarter will bounce on the front of the stretched canvas. You don't want you canvas to be loose and wonky. When they have been stretched properly I spray the backs with a mist of water and let them dry. This will help shrink the canvas to be more taut. Remember the quarter?

If you have never had the opportunity to create your own art canvas, it's a treat you might enjoy. Again you might not want to jump into that mucky pond.

Using a favorite damask stencil I lightly glazed the background of the canvas.

After the glaze was dry I sponge painted all the exterior edges of each canvas and the bench seat.

With great art from The Graphics Fairy I started adding my first layer of stain and graphics. Her dragonflies and French designs are favorites of mine.

French Postmark http://thegraphicsfairy.com/vintage-ephemera-clip-art-paris-letter-with-postmark/

Butterflies http://thegraphicsfairy.com/instant-art-printable-colorful-butterflies-moths/

French Chocolate http://thegraphicsfairy.com/transfer-printable-french-chocolate-cacao/

After the canvas is dry I use a Clorax Bleach Pen to draw details which will then show as a lighter background detail after being washed.

When this has worked it's bleach magic, the canvases were washed and ironed again. I used a strong spray starch to get all wrinkles out. I wanted a smoother surface for my paintings.

I encased the bench using 2" of foam covered with a white broadcloth. I then upholstered the bench with the painted canvas.