There are probably a myriad of answers to your question, Sabbath but IMO the success of your project depends on the old canvas, its age, physical condition and what type of paint was used on it before. You could try covering it with a coat of Kill. I, personally, would use the Kill appropriate for enamel bases because unless you know what's on there now...that variety of Kill ought to cover and seal the old paint better than the latex based variety. Just follow the directions on the Kill container. It's a wonderful product.

House paints tend to be thicker [and heavier] by nature as opposed to artist oils so adding that type of paint onto an old canvas could cause the finished product to crack once it dries. But...there are some collectors who pay thousands of dollars for paintings that have that appearance.

Any high gloss paint...either enamel or water based...will have a sheen to it once it dries. Beyond that...I don't know of anything that you might add to the house paint to give it an iridescence. If the project...as a whole doesn't fail...you might try adding a top coat of some iridescent paint from a craft store but make sure that paint is compatible with whatever house paint you've used. Oil to enamel paint...and water to Latex.

I love the weeping cherry stencil. I hope your project is successful. I'd like seeing that on a wall, too.

Thank you Anne! I will show you my masterpiece when I am done if you promise not to laugh.

Use could use gesso to cover the canvas.

My dd needed a canvas for a project a while back. I just sprayed over the canvas with some black spray paint that is supposed to stick to plastic and other surfaces. Dd used craft acrylic paints to paint. So far it looks ok. I don't know how many years we plan to keep this. The project is done.

Well.....another opinion here. I would give the old canvas a light sanding to remove any shine from the surface and any loose paint. It could be done in a way to create a uniform, slightly rough surface for the new paint to cling to. Make sure to thoroughly brush off any dust created. If working with wall paint, it will be thinner than an artist's paint and may drip. Perhaps it would be best to work with it on a flat surface. ( That's the way I would do it....for what it's worth.)

I'd love to see the finished project, Sabbath...and...I never laugh at anything creative. So not to worry. Personally...I think it's going to be quite beautiful....and delicate.

Thank you everyone for the great suggestions! I am going to give it a try and see what happens. I am not artistically inclined, but I am willing to try.

If it were me, I'd forget about the house paint and go old school using cheap acrylic paints and a stencil brush. There are several reasons for this. First, stenciling is dry brushing and acrylic paints are perfect for that. Another is that they are inexpensive and come in a wide variety of colors. See how in the picture of the cherry blossoms there is a mix of light and dark pink/red colors in a graduated form? It would be very difficult to accomplish that look using house paint; but not with the dry brush technique which is also very easy for a novice to do. Lastly, as mentioned above, because of the consistency of latex paint, there is a very high risk you'll see seepage under the stencil which would ruin your art.

To cover the canvas, you can use a medium to darker gray acrylic paint and then a coat (or 2) of white. Adding a layer of Gesso is always recommended because it provides a good foundation for the paint but it's not absolutely necessary. As for the gray, it's the perfect neutral color for covering vivid colors so there's no color bleeding into the white.

For the technique portion, I found a very good youtube video that shows you the exactly how to do what I'm referring to so your picture will be similar to the sample above. Just remember to start with your lighter colors first and use the darker colors last. Darker colors will easily cover the lighter ones when blending. (And Burnt Umber is the perfect brown for the branches) If you want to practice before hand, canvas paper is ideal and will give you the same look as the canvas will. The paint, brush, gesso and paper are all relatively cheap and available at Micheals or Joann's. Lastly, something I used to tell my students when I was teaching at Micheals is that when it comes to painting, you really can't make a mistake so relax and try to enjoy the experience. Don't focus on making your art "perfect" as many times it's those little imperfections that make the art beautiful and unique. On the flip side, if something really doesn't appeal to you, you can always paint over it and start again so there's always a fix. Good luck! I hope you enjoy doing your project and that you'll post a pic when your done!

How to stencil using the dry brush method

Thank you so much! I will use the gesso, grey paint, and cheap acrylics. Has anyone ever seen paintings that have long drips? I want to somehow do that. I want the long drips to come off the leaves. Do you have any suggestions?

You are so welcome! I love painting, it's so gratifying and relaxing! Drips...hmmm like the crayon pictures? Post a picture of what your referring to and maybe I'll know the technique

I like an artist named David Kidd. I will try to take a picture of my computer so that you can see the drips.

I wish I had his talent. Somehow I want to try to achieve something reminiscent lol of his work.

Ooh...hard to see the dripping, is that a screen over it? Are you talking about the lines under the black splotches? If so, that dripping is done with a misting bottle.

What do you want your finished project to look like? The art in the picture of the stencil or something that's more abstract?

I want it to have the bones of the stencil with an abstract feeling similar to the first picture I posted. I don't know if that's achievable do to my lack of expertise. Those lines are in the painting.

Oh gosh, I just refreshed and didn't see all of the pics.

What I really want is it to look like his work, because I love his work but can't afford it so I bought a stencil and thought I would give it my best shot.

I know it's a looonnnngggg shot lol!

I found clear pics on online and I don't know if this is his exact technique, but there is a medium made by Liquidtex called Fluid and when added to the acrylic paints it gives it body and keeps it from drying out. Using a larger brush you need to paint the background with very shear layers of color. Let it dry. I would still dry brush the stencil on, making it heavy on the edges like the video shows with a little less depth to it (make it heavier in the middle of the leaves). For some variation or interest, you could make some leaves solid too. Then after you remove the stencil, stand the canvas on it's side and lightly mist it so the paint gets watery and runs. Just do a test run on canvas paper so you'll know how the paint will react to the misting.

The background is what will be the hardest to do because you want color but you don't want it to look intentional KWIM? The burnt umber I mentioned above might be a good option to "dirty up" the background on the canvas.

You can also get a pretty cool effect by pooring a liquid medium directly on to the canvas and letting it spread.

Give me a few minutes and I'll see if I can find pics and good tutorials that can provide a visual for what I'm explaining. Ok?

Thanks :)

Forgot to say too that it's hard to see the gold up close but it looks like he's either just blotched it on with a brush that's loaded with paint, sponged it on or dry brushed it on. Or it could even be a combination of dry brush and sponging. What he's done that's cool is he's added the gold after the misting has dried so it has a different dimension to it. The paint may even have thickener in it to help give it a more dimensional look as well.

Back ground video

I found this video that shows you how to get a look that is similar to what you're looking for only his paintings are opposite of what she's doing. She uses blacks and browns with some white, whereas you might want to use the Titanium white with just a tad of the black and brown. You just need to find a mix you like when you practice on the paper.

The other thing is that some people like to mist their canvas while others might use a retardent and then there's a gel you can put directly on the canvas. All of these options serve the same purpose of keeping the paint from drying and making it more fluid.

And this article has yet another technique that he may have used for that gold.

http://www.explore-acrylic-painting.com/impasto.html

Thank you so much! My painting will be better because of the help I have received from you all! Lukkiirsh- I always thought your name was Lurkish, idk why. Thank you so much for your detailed information, I will use it!! The information you provided is amazing!

Found pics of the mediums I was referring to as well, these are mixed directly into the paint. I like the liquitex brand, but Golden is also quite good as well.

Retarder I use

This is what Ghostlyvision was referring to....I've never used it though

Irredescent tinting medium:

Iridescent Tinting Medium — Producing a range of iridescent or metallic colors when mixed with acrylics, this medium viscosity medium allows the artist to control iridescent intensity. It is opaque when wet, transparent to translucent when dry, and will not oxidize.

I'm glad it helps and I hope I didn't overwhelm you. If you have any questions, though just let me know. If you want, you can message me lukkiirish@gmail.com.

Wow!!! Thank you so much!

Thank you Lukkiirish!

I made my own canvas and wish to try a modern piece. Like you, no previous experience....I'd love to see what you come up with Sabbath.

Let's do this Nicole!!!

Nicole that picture looks great!!!

sabbath....not mine...just an example of what I might compose. Maybe an elephants head....or something like that. I need to cover the canvas in gesso first. I just don't have time right now....still working on the house for a few more weeks...also did I mention the canvas is 5'x6'...?