Staring at a blank canvas can be very daunting to an artist. While many artists develop a “style” and tend to stick with the same medium all the time, I am more “eclectic”. I get bored really easily and get tired of doing the same thing all the time so I bounce around from medium to medium and subject to subject.
I was looking for a new painting project that I could do with one of my highschool art classes that was fairly simple, yet included some different techniques and looked cool in the end. So I came up with the idea of Road Map Painting. It turned out to be a great project and I enjoyed doing it myself.
Here are the supplies you will need. Canvas or canvas board, ModPodge, Yarn (any color), Pencil, Paintbrushes, toilet paper, acrylic paints and a map.
I began by using Google Maps to find a street map of a city. (I chose Boston.) I focused on a small area, enlarged it and drew the lines on my canvas. You want to simplify it and not draw EVERY road!
I then cut pieces of yarn and glued them over the lines with the ModPodge. You need to make sure they are thoroughly covered with glue because fuzzy yarn is difficult to paint over. Allow the glue to dry over night.
Next I began gluing down toilet paper with ModPodge to create a slightly textured surface. A single sheet works great for light texture and you can bunch the paper for a stronger texture. Again be sure everything is completely covered with the ModPodge and allow it to dry over night.
Finally I painted the entire surface of the canvas with a base color. I then used accent colors to add depth and value to the piece. By using a dry brush some of the background color can show through creating an interesting look.
Here is my finished piece.
I definitly think you need to limit your pallette with this piece. Pick a specific color scheme and stick with it. Too many colors can be overwhelming to the finished piece. Fewer colors give it a unified look.
looks like this could work with primary age students for stick alphabet letters, giving them opportunity to see and feel it
glad you are back on the blog
Thanks for reading it Dee! I may not have many loyal blog fans but I am glad you are always there! I quit facebook so I could go back to blogging! It feels good to be back. I have missed it! I think you could easily make some changes to this and adapt it for all levels. Foam alphabet or shape stickers glued to construction paper and then painted over would be a great adaptation for younger kids. I might steal that idea!