I’ve always loved art that incorporates words – surprise surprise – and what better way is there to recycle a book than to turn it into something you can enjoy in a whole new way.
A while before Christmas I came across a printed Shakespeare quote that I loved, but I just couldn’t justify the price tag. So I went about creating my own (very much cheaper) version to give to the boy for our new home. It was easy and fun, so I would definitely recommend it.
Here’s what you’ll need:
- Canvas
- Background paper
- Glue stick
- PC and printer
- Pencil
- Paint (I used black acrylic)
- Smallish paintbrush
- Carefully selected quote
Step 1: Lay your paper background down in whatever way you like best. I used pages from a book, but I like the idea of using an atlas next time, or you could choose any coloured or patterned paper that would suit your quote. I trimmed all my edges to get rid of borders and kept the whole thing pretty square, but it would work just as well if the paper was torn up or laid at angles. When you’re happy, carefully glue it all down, paying attention to those flappy corners.
Step 2: Play around in word, photoshop or whatever program you’re most comfortable with to write out your quote in an attractive way. I spent forever choosing a font (all important!) and ended up settling on Cooper std. When you’re done, flip the text horizontally so that it’s mirrored, and print it out.
Step 3: Scribble over the edges of your backwards letters with a pencil, making it good and thick so that there’s plenty of lead on the page. Turn the paper over and position it face down on the canvas wherever you want the quote to sit, then trace the outline of the words so that the lead transfers onto the surface.
Step 4: Paint in the quote, using your pencil lines as a guide. They’ll probably only be faint, but it should be enough to work with. When I was done I decided to paint the edges of the canvas to give a bit of a framed look, but you might prefer to leave the paper showing.
And that’s it! Easy as pie and the whole thing only cost a few pounds.
Have you been up to anything creative lately? Or have you got a favourite piece of word-art?
Between the Lines 