Friday, August 8, 2014

FOWL ART


These two decoupage fruit paintings were left in our dining room by the previous owners. The second I set my eyes on these I knew I would either have to trash them OR transform them.  I chose the latter.

My first thought was to paint over them with some white chalk paint.  I used Americana Decor's White.

After I painted two layers and let it dry, I lightly sanded the edges

I wanted the profile of chickens, so I printed out two different ones but similar in shape and size.  I took my black watercolor pencil and traced over the line edge on the right side.

I then placed the marked side down and rubbed along along the marked lines to transfer the image onto the wood canvas.

With the same pencil I made the drawing darker so it would be easier to see as I painted.  You can also see that I drew two rows of squares around the edges.

 Once I was done painting the chicken and the background, I painted the squares in a red checker board pattern.  I then took my ZIG writer black pen and drew a line around each red and white square.

 Finally I took some Annie Sloan Dark Wax and slightly tinted the edges in order to give it a vintage look.

I repeated the process with the second painting.

I reversed the black and white colors on the second painting.  I also made sure the chickens faced each other instead of the same way.

 I hung them in our kitchen nook



My favorite spot every morning.
By the way, we haven't had to use AC so far this summer although we could've used it a total of two days.  A wonderful lake breeze flows directly through these windows.

Have a great weekend folks!
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16 comments:

  1. Love this project! They look perfect on your knotty pine wall.

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    1. Thank you Paula. That knotty pine is staying and I'm thrilled how they look there too :)

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  2. Very creative of you.
    A perfect accent to your cute kitchen.

    How nice to have the breeze of the lake.

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    1. Thank you Kerin. Oh, the breeze is so lovely and perfect :)

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  3. Aren't you clever!!! They look great.

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    1. awwwww, thank you so much happy one. I had a lot of fun doing them :)

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  4. HI Bev So glad to have clicked on your post on PJ 251 upcycled DIY projects. Most of all besides your awesome chicken art, love story about James Earl Jones. How wonderful the sellers passed on that story. He is one of my favorite actors. His voice is so deep and resonant, enjoy hearing him speak.
    Also love arts and crafts bungalows, how they're built and the wonderful built in's they put in the houses. Your home and yards are beautiful, lots of hard work to keep them that way. Wish Mr. Jones would stop by sometime what a wonderful experience that would be.
    They had a parade of homes in Grand Junction, CO daughter and I went to few years ago that had a slightly changed arts and crafts home. I kept looking and looking and finally asked one of the show people about it. He said he was surprised as not many people coming to the parade recognized the style. It was a beautiful home. Was also in an upscale area of Grand Junction. We live few miles west of G.J. out in country, rural area.
    You grand pets are so adorable but most of all your grand kids, that dark hair and eyes, oh my, beautiful children. Love photo of funny face your grand daughter made. Our daughter's dog is our grand dog, he loves to come over to play with our dog, they have great time together.
    I had to print out how you made your fowl art. I don't have a big chunk of wood so will use a canvas. Where did you get your Americana chalk paint? G.J. tends to be very slow to get new products I see talked about on blogs way ahead. When I go to craft stores to ask about products they look at me like I'm crazy. I get a bit frustrated with that here. Your fowl art is wonderful you've inspired me. Happy weekend
    If you choose to reply please do so to my email address:. FurryKidzPaperworx@gmail.com

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    1. Thank you so much, you're so sweet. I plan to always be prepared should Mr. Jones stop by ;) I bought the Americana Paint at Michaels Craft store but I also saw them at Home Depot. Hope to see your "fowl art" soon :) -Bev

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  5. Love your chicken art! So great that you did it in white and black!

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    1. Thank you Manuela! I enjoyed painting them :)

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  6. I love that you didn't trash those wooden plaques, but that you totally transformed them into something you love!
    How great that you haven't had the A/C on all summer! Mine hasn't been off!! It must be wonderful to have the lake breeze.

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    1. Thank you Kitty. They're so heavy and durable. I am glad I was able to restore them into something that fits my kitchen. Still haven't needed AC and I pray it stays that way for the rest of the summer. :)

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  7. What a great idea!! You are such a good artist!! The chicken pics are precious....the red and white checks finishes it off perfectly!!!! Great job!

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    1. Awww thank you so much Lisa, I appreciate your kinds words. Wait 'til you see the curtains I made for the kitchen!! :)

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