Craft Of The Month:  Fresco Collage

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Taken from: <www.craftsnthings.com> 

Bring sunshine inside when you create this “al fresco”-inspired collage.
finished size: 9”x12”, completed time: 2 hours

What You'll Need:

Artist’s canvas, 9”x12”
Instant plaster
Butterfly mini-mold
Casablanca rubber stamp
Wicker White acrylic paint
Yellow Ochre pigment
Garden-print tissue paper
Matte découpage medium
Craft glue
Palette or spackle knife
Faster Plaster® plaster and mold, Stamp Decor™ rubber stamp, FolkArt® Acrylic Colors and Artists’ PigmentsTM, and Mod Podge® by Plaid® Enterprises, Inc. Gem-TacTM by Beacon Adhesives Co., Inc.

Instructions:

1. Use masking tape to mask off centered 3”x31/2” rectangle, 2” from top of canvas.
Quick Tip: Neaten edges with craft knife.

2. For butterfly, follow manufacturer’s instructions to mix half of plaster with water. Fill damp mold with plaster; let sit five minutes, then tap sides to release air bubbles. Set aside for one hour. Remove from mold and let dry.

3. Use palette knife to spread remaining plaster over canvas top and sides, avoiding masked-off area. Mix remaining dry plaster to toothpaste consistency; spread over canvas while first layer is still wet. Remove masking tape; let dry overnight. (Note: If plaster feels cold, it is still wet.)

4. Lightly sand any sharp edges on canvas. Basecoat canvas Wicker White and butterfly Yellow Ochre. Sand butterfly edges and details. Mix Yellow Ochre with water to ink consistency; apply to canvas. Dab painted canvas with paper towel where paint appears heavy.

5. Mask “window” with scrap paper. Apply Yellow Ochre to stamp; stamp canvas, allowing image to flow off edges. Quick Tip: For softer look, do not reapply paint after each impression. Remove paper from window.

6. Cut tissue paper to fit “window”; découpage in place. Apply two coats découpage medium to entire canvas. Glue butterfly to canvas as desired.