Butterfly Wall Art

Ok, so I have a confession to make.  The first few days following the completion of this project, I would sneak into my daughter's room a few times a day just to look at this.  It would put a smile on my face.  Wierd?!  Maybe.  But, I just love this :)  It was just the perfect piece for the space.  It tied together nicely with the room colors.  And for a non-artist such as myself (I code, remember?!) this was quite an accomplishment!

These are super easy and super forgiving.  I love forgiving art projects that look amazing, don't you?!  They make me actually look like I know what I'm doing!

I bought artist canvas that's already been stretched at Michaels for a few dollars each (these are 8 x 8 x 1.5 inch), and got enough nerve up to go to Joann's to shop for fabric.  This was my first time shopping for fabric, and yes, I was intimidated.  At first.  But it's really not as bad as it seems.  The most important thing is to go in already knowing your color scheme.  I knew I wanted to play with dark and light blue, dark and light pink, and green.  So, I looked in those color sections, and found what I liked.  Since each fabric will be used twice, you'll need 3/4 of a yard of each fabric.

Cut your fabric so it's big enough to go around the perimeter and around the back (see #1 below).

Now, for the next step, you'll need a heavy duty stapler (see #2 below).  I borrowed my hubby's, and have used it on a few projects since.  If you don't have one, they sell them at the hardware store...

Staple the fabric on one side (#1 below), then the opposite side (#2). Then flip it around and do it again. At this point, you should have one staple at the center of each side (#3).
Now, folding the corners is probably the hardest part of this whole project.  But, practice a few times, and you're sure to get it.  The pictures below should help as well.  You want to create two creases in the fabric (as shown in #2 below).  And then put one crease down (#3), and then follow with the second crease right on top of the first crease (#4 below).  The goal is to create a nice smooth fold.




Once you have the stretched fabric canvas, spread some clear gel medium on the surface and the sides using a paint brush.  This will harden the fabric and get it ready for paint.

While your canvas is drying, print your template on card stock paper.  If you're making a butterfly on an 8x8 canvas, you can use my template.  Just make sure to choose the landscape orientation when printing.  Otherwise, Google Images has everything you can possibly think of, but you'll have to resize your image to fit your needs.

Cut your template out, center it on the canvas, and trace using a pencil (a white colored pencil if using dark fabric).


Use a flat fine brush to paint...



Now, repeat five more times...  Make sure you pay attention to whether you're painting the inside or the outside of the butterfly, or you'll have to repeat one extra time like me...

Isn't it awesome?!  Head over to Part 2 of this tutorial where I show you my super efficient method for hanging these beauties, but in the meantime here's a preview of what it looks like in the room...

By the way, this is a really great craft project for kids.  Of course, there is no need to make six, but one or two that complement each other (with the paint alternating inside and out) will suffice.  My boys have made a dragon and a lion, and really enjoyed the process and their fabulous results!  What was really nice about this project was that even though they have never painted on canvas before, they were able to produce something really nice completely on their own!  Have you ever painted on canvas with kids?  Let me know if you try this project!