The Road Less Travelled - Mini Canvases by Julie Ann

I can't believe we're already at the end of July! Here in the UK we've had some glorious summer weather with moonlit nights so warm it's been best to be out in the cool of the night.

 And it's the world of Nature after dark that has inspired my project for Calico Craft Parts today.

Have you ever bought the little wooden easels on sale in discount craft stores? They come with mini canvases that I have always put to one side, never quite sure how I might use them. I have been moving a pile of them from place to place in my craft room for some time now, so I decided to create a miniature mixed-media project with a couple of them and some tiny Calico Craft Parts.

I planned to use every surface of these miniature substrates. They measure only 4.5 cm x 7.00 cm, but I wanted to include lots of detail. If you are going to work on any reverse canvas, it's important to remember that this side of the canvas is not primed. I painted the entire reverse side with Gesso and allowed it to dry before making a start.

Working from the inside out, I created little worlds using muslin; heavy gel medium to fix it down and create depth and texture; bead gel; garden twigs and moss.

Building up the layers took several days. I liked to allow each layer to dry before adding the next and then finally painting with layers of acrylic paint; a pearl glaze and some gilding.

As you can see, once I was happy with the reverse side of the canvases, I flipped them over and built up the layers on the outside.

Once I was happy with my layers, it was time to use the exquisite little Calico Craft Parts to bring the tiny world of my canvases to life. Although it is miniature, this owl looks truly dramatic and the tiny hare running to safety looks so full of life.

I added one of my own MDF houses with a mini Calico door all ready to open and allow the hare to escape the hungry owl.

Scraps of napkin tissue; a bottle top; a hand-drawn face under a layer of ice-resin and some beautifully detailed Calico Craft Parts suggest we take the road less travelled. If we do we can expect the unexpected - twists and turns; a glimpse of fairy folk; danger when we least expect it, but help in the unlikeliest of places too!

A Dolls' House hinge kept the two canvases joined to form a miniature diptych.

The moon is a circle of MDF left behind when one of the windows from the sheet of windows was pushed out. Its light turns the owl and the hare into silhouettes as the hare scampers to the safety of the kindly haven up ahead.
Thank You so much for stopping by and looking at these adventures on a summer night. I'm really looking forward to sharing with you again in a fortnight's time.
Calico Craft Parts Used on this project
Word Elements - Travel and Explorer
Sheet of mini MDF Wood Crowns, Style 3
Sheet of mini MDF Wood Wings Style 3
Sheet of mini MDF Acorns and Oak Leaves
Sheet of mini MDF Window Wood shapes
Sheet of tiny MDF window and door Wood shapes
Sheet of mini MDF Bird Shapes (Owls)
Sheet of mini MDF Hares