DecoArt Winter Wonderland Challenge..."Winter Frost" canvas

Hi folks, my turn to share the  project I designed for the DecoArt Winter Wonderland Challenge and I decided upon an abstract canvas that would convey the icy chills of the season. 

As well as various products from the DecoArt range, I also used some twigs and a dried leaf from my garden, a few beads, some mesh and and some white thread. 

Before I begin the step by step instructions, here's a list of everything I used:

DecoArt Media Line:

White Gesso

Fluid Acrylics in: Cobalt Blue Hue, Dioxazine Purple, Quinacridone Violet, Phthalo Blue, 

                          Paynes Grey, Cobalt Teal Hue

Shimmer Mister:Violet

Matte Medium

Liquid Glass

DecoArt range:

Snowtex

Glamour Dust: Crystal

Other products:

8" x 8" canvas

A few clear, or white, beads

Mesh

Strands of thin string

Needle and white thread

A few dry twigs and leaf

Brushes, spatula, heat tool

Okay, here we go then....lots of photos!

 Begin by applying gesso over the canvas with a spatula, aiming to create varying thickness and texture.

Press a few beads into the thicker areas of the gesso.

Scratch a few "icicles" into the gesso along the top and bottom edges of the canvas using a ball ended tool or a brush handle.

When the gesso is partially dry, apply heat in a few areas...this will cause the surface to bubble up and create extra texture.

Add some strips of mesh and thin string to the surface, using more gesso to keep them in place.

This was how my canvas looked at this stage.

Add some drops of Liquid Glass to create nicely rounded blobs of texture.

Use Matte Medium to adhere a dried leaf to the canvas - if you don't have any, then a purchased skeleton leaf would work. Smudge a little gesso around the leaf and stem to fill any areas where it may be sticking up. You can also add a little to the surface as I did. Allow everything to dry fully.

Paint the whole canvas with the Fluid Acrylics (except for the Cobalt Teal Hue) blending them over the surface and getting into all the nooks and crannies.You are aiming to cover the white completely - don't forget the edges!

Spritz areas of the canvas with the Violet Shimmer Mister - this will give a subtle glint to those areas.

This is how my canvas looked at this stage...the colours didn't photograph too well here, but you can see the various shades blending across the surface.

Next we need to start highlighting the canvas surface. I used the Cobalt Teal Hue to brush over some areas, blending as I went with a dry brush and light touch.

I mixed some Snowtex and gesso together to get a slightly more fluid version of the Snowtex and then brushed this over various areas. I particularly concentrated on the raised elements.

 Some Glamour Dust sprinkled onto the wet Snowtex/Gesso mix gives the ultimate frosty effect!

After playing around with the size and shape of the twigs I wanted to use, I added neat Snowtex to the top edges of them and let them dry.

I used a large, sharp needle and strong white thread to attach the twigs to the canvas - just a few stitches at various points on each twig are enough to hold them firmly in place.

I used Fly Stitch to create the look of some birds flying in the distance. You can see how to create a Fly Stitch here. 

Here are a few close ups of my finished piece which show the detail and texture.

....the beads and string are a great way to add instant texture, picked up by the gesso/Snowtex mixture, and the Glamour Dust really gives the extra frosty touch.

I love the detail that is picked up on the dry leaf.

It's worth playing around with the placement of the twigs before committing to the stitching. 

There you have the completed canvas. You could create a series of these for a feature wall, or why not try making a set of four - with one for each season? Don't forget to check out all the other Design Team projects for our Winter Wonderland Challenge and remember that you still have until the 29th to submit an entry yourself - there's a great DecoArt Media prize package up for grabs!