Collages are so much fun and easy to create. I made these two puppy dog collages for my daughter's friend, who is expecting a baby boy. I used her nursery colors of blue and brown for my inspiration. My local craft store recently had their canvases on sale for 50% off, so I have very little invested in my gift.
Approximate Time: About 2 hours
Supplies:
- two 8-inch square canvases
- brown and cream acrylic paint
- painter's tape
- foam brush
- 2 copies of each dog/animal pattern
- Mod Podge
- scrapbook paper in 4-5 coordinating colors
- pencil
- scissors
- two 24-inch lengths of ribbon
- hot glue gun and glue sticks
- cotton swab
Instructions:
- Search children's coloring books or the internet for an animal picture as a template. You will need 2 copies of each one, one to use to cut up for your pattern pieces and one to use as an assembly guide.
- If you don't want your canvases to be white, "wash" a color over them using some acrylic paint thinned with water. I used brown acrylic paint and water and applied the wash with a foam brush and used a paper towel to wipe off the excess. You may need to repeat this process until you achieve your desired color.
- Next, use painter's tape to tape off a 5/8 inch border. Paint the border and sides using acrylic paint and allow to dry.
- While waiting for the border paint to dry, you can cut out your pattern pieces. Lay each piece on the scrapbook paper you want to use for each body part. Use a pencil to trace around each piece and cut them out. I tried to mix mine up a bit. (It looks better to make both ears the same, both paws the same, etc.)
- Once your canvas is dry, remove the painter's tape. Assemble your animal by applying Mod Podge to the back of each body part and position it on your canvas. It is best to start with the body and head, then apply ears, paws, and facial features.
- Apply a coat of Mod Podge over the entire animal once all pieces are glued down. Dip the end of a cotton swab in cream acrylic paint to create the polka dots on the border.
- Once the whole thing had dried (overnight), I brushed on a layer of Mod Podge over the entire piece, even on the sides.
- Once completely dry, tie each piece of ribbon into a bow, leaving even tails on each one.
- Hot glue the tails to the back corners of each canvas. When dry, they will be ready to hang! Note: You could use wallpaper or construction paper if you don't have scrapbook paper on hand.
By Rachel's Mom from Wilkesboro, NC
