INSPIRE: Dwell In Possibility-Beautiful Mermaid Wall Art

Hello Creative Friends!

Welcome to INSPIRE!

Today I want to share with you, my recent dt project for Rita Barakat Designs.

A beautiful inspiring wall hanging.

Spotlight product feature for this project is her fun and whimsical Art Foamies Stamps in the Mermaid on the Beach & Flower Swirl Designs.

The details on these stamps are PHENOMENAL!

They can be applied using paint or ink, and can take your creative imagination in any direction.

My inspiration, was to up-cycle a scrap piece of wood, a leftover from one of my hubbies projects.

Because this wood is of the laminated variety, so the first step was to add "tooth" in order for the paints and inks to adhere better.

So, I used a medium grit sanding block, and lightly gleaned the surface of the wood. I then used a damp cloth, and wiped it clean.

For added texture, I coated the wood with a light application of clear gesso.

Once the gesso had set, I wanted to use an ombre' effect in the painting, so I chose a variety of bluish turquoise acrylic paints by PLAID.

To give the effect of depth, I added the darkest shade of paint for the bottom, and gradually lightened the shades moving to the top of the wood.

And with each application of color, I blended it slightly with the last color.

I JUST LOVE THE WAY THIS TURNED OUT!

Now for the details.

Using the Mermaid Art Foamie Stamp, I used

Staz-On Ink, in Jet Black, to apply the image to the now paint dried wood.

I then colored the mermaid in, using additional PLAID acrylic paints, and using PLAID Glitterific and Extreme Glitter, on the mermaid fins to make them sparkle.

For the Flower Swirl Art Foamie Stamp, I applied two different color of green acrylic paint, layering each individually, and allowing to dry in between applications.

Using a Faber Castell Pitt Artist Pen Big Brush in White, I added accents to the flowers and to the mermaid.

I also used Dew Drops from The Robin's Nest, applied using the Embellie Gellie from ScraPerfect and glue, for a dimensional bubble effect.

For finishing touches, I added braided rope around the wood board, using Beacon Multi Grip Glue, seashell embellishments, and Texture Sand.

And last, I added a Tim Holtz Ideaology Quote Chip, "Dwell In Possibility".

So, just like that, I turned a plain, scrap piece of wood, into a beautiful art piece, with a reminder that what ever the dream, anything is possible.

For the Rita Barakat Art Foamies please visit her

Etsy Store at: