Tutorial Tuesday! Birth of a Canvas Floorcloth Pt. 3

Welcome back bloggers, today I am going to complete my canvas floorcloth. Last week I marked off all my design lines with a yard stick and pencil. The photo above shows all my lines and other markings. To make it easier to keep track of where I will be painting , I have marked an X on all the diamonds to be painted black. On the points of the compass rose to be painted black I have marked a B. This week I am going to paint in my Mariners Compass pattern.

Using an 3/4 inch angle brush I am painting the diamonds with black acrylic paint. I like using an angle brush because it makes cutting in close to my lines easier and neater. For this project I am using a variety of acrylic paint..Delta Ceramcoat, Folk Art and JoSonja paints. Any good quality acrylic paint will do...no cheap generic brands! My diamonds needed two good coats and be sure to let each coat dry thoroughly.

Always work left to right (unless you are left handed) when painting your cloth. You don't want your elbow in a diamond you just painted. I continued to paint until all my marked diamonds were black. Be careful to paint around your compass points, not over them.

Ok...now it is starting to come together and look like our design.

Next I am going to start painting the compass points. The points are painted half black and half white and as I said earlier I have marked a B on the black areas. Again I am using a 3/4 inch angle brush which will help me get into the corners and points. To get clean point tips I am using a liner brush. Two coats of paint here too!

Same technique using white paint..I am taking my time and being as precise as I can be. When it comes to my painting I am a neat freak ;-)

These smaller halfway points were painted with a burgundy color.

Now I am going to do some shading because I like my art to have a more 3 dimensional look. If you left your compass as is , it would look great. You do not have to shade and highlight for this design to work. I was taught to shade and highlight everything (damn those decorative painting teachers). For shading I tip the point of my angle brush into the puddle of black paint.

Then I work that color into my brush by stroking back and forth while holding the brush straight up. When shading and highlighting , start light and build your color. Remember, you can always add color, but once on it is almost impossible to undo. Build your shading layer by layer. Again..always let each layer dry or you will just pick up the prior layer and have a mess on your hands. I have made that mistake and it ain't pretty. I highlighted using pure white all along the ridge where black and white meet. I think it takes on a more 'raised' look. It is subtle..but it is there.

Notice the points on the left have been shaded and the one on the right have not. Both look great...but for me, I like the more dimensional look of the shaded points..more realistic. I shaded all my points. Any remaining pencil marks can be easily removed with an art gum erasure. Being sure to remove any shavings or lint with a lint roller. I use a roller all through the project to keep particles off my canvas.

A final touch was a gold line I painted along the inside rectangle. I will let you in on a little secret...I used a gold paint marker for that line..makes it so easy. No having to detail the gold line with a tiny brush. After all my hard work, you bet I am going to sign my name to my artwork. That way my husband can't tell people he painted it ;-) I let my canvas floorcloth sit for a few days to let the paint cure and then I applied 4 coats of Minwax Polyacrylic water based varnish. In between each coat of Polyacrylic I let the floorcloth dry 24 hrs. As with painting the diamonds, I applied the finish left to right and I used a good 2 1/2 inch latex paint brush. Never..never let the paint guy shake the Minwax can..you will not get the bubbles out for days!

Gently stir only.
There she is... my beautiful Mariners Compass canvas floorcloth! Now do I keep her or put her in my Etsy shop????? Decisions, decisions.

This pretty and very practical floorcloth will last for many, many years and cleans up with a damp cloth. I hope I have convinced you to try painting a canvas floorcloth of your own. You don't have to follow a pattern...freehand design is just as fabulous. For much more advice and supply questions I encourage you to check out my favorite floorcloth internet shop www.canvasworksfloorcloths.com . Thanks for following along..have any ideas for my next tutorial? Leave me a comment and let me know. Until next time, be kind and stay creative.