Mixed Media Monday: Bird on a Branch

Another Monday!  Another Mixed Media by me!  

Hi everyone, thanks for stoping by to see what I have been up to.  I designed this 12"x12" canvas wall hanging for the All That Stickles Blog Linky Party: Nature/Outdoors.  I have fun every week coming up with art works that incorporate those lovely Stickles, and the Nature theme turns out to be perfect.  I really love nature especially living where we do, I would be so miserable if I were more of a city girl!  Here, we have many varieties of birds mostly woodland but we also have some bigger fouls, some wetlands and of course the open air birds because of all the farms around.  We live close to one of the only remaining untouched bogs in the world where there are even more rare and unusual varieties.

On this piece I couldn't tell you with certainty what bird this is as there was no description with the stamp.  It appears to be a type of Warbler, perhaps even a Swallow.  I went with the Warbler.  I have both here so it was a toss up.  Funny thing about the branches I used, they are actually over grown Dill Stems, and not tree branches.  The light weight of them makes them a perfect material for wall hangings.

I used raw and unprimed canvas to make the background which I painted with Golden Fluids and Acrylics.  When it was dry I stamped on some music notes.
 I made the bird appliqué from a smaller piece of raw canvas that I first prepared with clear gesso, used a permanent pigment ink with a bird stamp and applied another coat of clear gesso before applying the colours with Gelatos.
 When I used the gelatos I spritzed water on to my non stick craft mat, coloured with a Gelatos and made a little soup spot, and used a brush to apply some colour to the bird.  I used Silver on its legs, Yellow on its belly and head, and Brown on its back.
 I machine sewed the bird onto the canvas leaving a small opening so I could stuff it with some leftover batting and I hand stitched to close that opening.
   Finally I applied some stickles: a drop of Walnut stain for his eye, some brushed on Walnut stain on the back, Goldenrod on the belly and beak, Scattered Straw on the branch,  and the Eucalyptus, and Waterfall on the background.

I made holes in the top of the canvas and installed some very large eyelets and hooked up some shower curtain rings.



Supplies:
Raw canvas (Frederix)
Acrylic Paints:  Phthalo Green (Blue Shade), Hansa Yellow Light, Titanium White, Cerulean Blue Deep,  Cobalt Blue (Golden)
Bird Stamp (Magenta)
Music Notes Stamp (Michaels)
Ink: Black (Staz-On)
Gelatos: Brown, Silver, Lemon (Faber Castell)
Branches (my garden)
Large brass eyelets (Dollar store)
Shower curtain rings (Dollarama)
Batting (Fabricland)
Thread  (Coats)
Clear Gesso (Liquitex)
Heavy Gel Medium (Golden)
Glue (Weldbond)
Black pen (Sharpie)
Stickles used:  Golden Rod, Eucalyptus, Waterfall (Ranger)
Distress stickles:  Scattered straw, Walnut Stain. (Ranger)

I hope that this entices you to look at nature and be inspired.  Thanks for viewing.