4 of 27 - Make a Piece of Art...

I'm not going to lie. I'm pretty impressed with my progress on my list so far.

I put "Make a Piece of Art" on my list this year because I don't challenge myself enough in traditional art.  It's where I started, it's why I do what I do, and I used to draw and create so much before I finished school.  I spend so much time on the computer, I forget what it's like to use my hands for things.  Heck, I even forgot how much it hurts your back to bend over a canvas for hours and hours.

My inspiration for this project was two-fold.  Number one: My friend just moved into a new condo and I haven't contributed to her walls yet. (Also, it was her birthday).  Number two: My friend and I saw this room featured in HGTV Magazine and were inspired by this painting:

The artist is Matthew Heller and his work is fantastic.  While I would have loved to give my friend one of his paintings...they are a little out of my price range.  So I figured, why not try it myself?

I decided to pick the lyrics from this song (from one of my HFF mixes) for my friend, since I knew it made her happy.  Now it was a matter of making it happen.

I gathered all of my supplies from Michael's with my 40% off coupon. (Win) A canvas, some acrylic paint, stenciling brushes, and a set of individual letter stencils from Martha Stewart in a font that I could tolerate. :)

My process for doing each line probably took twice as long as it should have, but I wanted to make sure I coud fit the words correctly in the space.  Initially, I thought I could fit the whole song, when in truth I could only fit one verse and the chorus.  To make sure I got the color blend right, I mocked up the words in Photoshop so I could focus on the color for each letter.

I was lucky enough to have two days off from work to be able to focus my efforts on making this piece.  It's far from perfect, but I think that makes it pretty great.  

Of course, the best part was making my friend happy on her birthday.  Truly the best. (That's her fantastic condo in the first photo, by the way.)

So now it's time for my "take a risk and DO IT" speech because I think everyone should take a risk on stuff like this.  Especially when it involves a little bit of paint, a wide-open canvas, and music that you love.  You are your own worst critic so...GET OUT AND CREATE!

And if you need inspiration to do it anyway, listen to this new song by Ben Folds Five...because it's called "Do It Anyway."

Happy creating!

Love,
M