Inspirational Canvas Baptism Gifts

Remember the canvas I painted during my experimentation with expressive flower art? I made two more using different color combinations. Here are all three together: 

       

I turned them into inspirational canvases as gifts for my goddaughters, Kylinn and Ellia, and their mom, Courteney. Yesterday marked 5 years since their baptisms. 

This one is for my goddaughter, Kylinn. I think this verse suits her perfectly. 

This one is for Ellia. She's beautiful inside and out, and the love of God shines through her. 

This one is for Courteney. Again, strength. Her path hasn't always been easy, but she remains positive and is always a pleasure to be around. 

I finished these canvases the day before our church was blindsided by some terrible news. I'm glad these were finished and that I had a few days with them before giving them away. I'm going to make one for myself once I figure out what verse to use.

Want to make your own? Obviously, you're not limited to choosing Bible verses. Consider inspirational quotes, uplifting messages, or even something silly that makes you smile.  

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Inspirational Canvas 

Materials: blank canvas (mine is 5" x 7"), white gesso, acrylic paints (around 5 colors, including black), paintbrush, palette (or Frisbee), paper trimmer, colored cardstock that coordinates with one color of paint, black cardstock, pen, craft glue

1. Prime your canvas with gesso and let it dry. 
2. Put a small amount of each paint onto your palette. Create shades of each by blending the colors with each other. Cover the entire canvas with swaths of color. Rinse your brush. Let the background dry.
3. Add large flowers and small flowers to the canvas, covering about 60% of the background. Do not clean the brush. You'll get interesting colors when dipping into a new color with a hint of the previous color on the brush. Continue to add layers of paint to the canvas. Some flowers will get covered, which is fine. Vary the sizes and shapes for an expressive look. 
4. Add centers to the flowers using just a dab of light-colored paints. Set the canvas aside and clean the brush.
5. When the canvas is dry, use your finger to run black paint along the edges to clean it up and give a more finished look.
6. Select an inspirational verse or quote and write it on strips of cardstock. Mat the cardstock strips with black cardstock.
7. When the canvas is completely dry, glue the cardstock strips to the canvas.

If you make one, please let me know! I'd love to see a photo.