Matryoshka Doll Canvas August 14, 2015 – Posted in: Crafts

I’m excited about the project I’m sharing today! When the amazing Kimbo from A Girl and a Glue Gun invited me to be part of Heat Transfer week with Expressions Vinyl I immediately knew I wanted to do another piece of wall art. I love pushing the boundaries of how to use canvases to create custom art and this was another successful attempt at awesomeness!

I used the heat transfer vinyl from Expressions Vinyl to create the basis for my matroyshka doll canvas, then filled in the details with hand embroidery. I’m wild about the way she came out!

She’ll eventually end up in Ella’s room I think, but for now I love having her hang by my front door. The contrast of the textured canvas, the smooth vinyl, and the hand stitching are a perfect combination for me!

It was surprisingly easy to create, too! I found a design I liked online and printed it the size I wanted. I traced the lines I needed with a sharpie, then placed the design on the back of the canvas so I could see it when held up to the light.

Then I painted around the perimeter of the doll shape, wanting to keep her face and belly the natural color of the canvas. I used the picture on the back as a guide for where to paint.

Then I took my picture and taped it to my front door. You can use a window, a light box, or even your tv or computer screen to do this part.

I cut small pieces of the vinyl I needed, placed them on top of the design, and traced around the area I needed. This is very much the same way I do appliques.

When all my pieces were traced, I cut them out and removed the excess vinyl according to the instructions found on the Expressions Vinyl website.

Most heat transfer is done with a cutting machine like a Cricut or Silhouette, but I don’t have either. The vinyl was VERY easy to cut with an x-acto knife and it adhered to my canvas with no issues. You have to be gentle with the cutting, making sure to not cut through the plastic backing, too. I placed a book under my canvas so I had something solid to press down on while ironing the vinyl to my canvas. I built it up the same way I build appliques, from the bottom piece up, and once the vinyl was all adhered I again placed the picture on the back of the canvas, held it up to a light source, and traced the parts I embroidered. I did this late at night so I don’t have any photos.

Are you ready to make your own custom artwork? Head over to Expressions Vinyl to get your heat transfer papers and get ready for some fun!

You can also enter to WIN a $100 gift card from Expressions Vinyl!

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**This is a sponsored post. I received product from Expressions Vinyl but the opinions stated are my own.

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