Last week, I was able to borrow a projector and trace my sideshow banner drawing onto heavyweight outdoor canvas. Since then... I have been obsessed with finishing it! Sometimes I get so excited that I jump right into a project (and continue)... even though there might be "issues". When I started painting, the outdoor cotton duck fabric I was using started to shrink! Oh no! So I painted on a scrap piece... let it dry... and threw it in the bathtub. The fabric flattened out, so I continued painting... thinking I'd just paint a few spots and gently place the entire banner in the tub. Well...
I couldn't stop! Every spare moment I had was consumed with painting, painting, and more painting. And since I was using acrylics, with a drying time of only minutes... I kept going and going. I painted for hours at a time (I think 6 was my record!)...
I was having fun getting lost in all the finite details. My favorite television shows—on in the background—drifted in one ear and out the other. I didn't even lift my head to see what was going on! And then...
It was nearly finished... wrinkled and all. I was ecstatic! But I really wanted the fabric to be nice and flat for when I added the finishing touches — outlines around the edges of the main "advertising" elements. So I gave Crustacea a bath...
And then I let her drip dry...
And so... now I know! Make sure your fabric is washed (or at least wetted and dried) before you start. My sideshow banner does still have some wrinkles. But you know what? I wouldn't have it any other way. I used to think that I couldn't make mistakes... and that I had to do everything perfect the first time. This held me back from even starting a piece of art I really wanted to create. Now I embrace mistakes and the sky is the limit!
Until next time big top fans!
Love it!!!!
ReplyDeleteLove how your banner came out! Good to see the "bath" worked.
ReplyDelete