Hi, crafty friend! My usual color palette is pastels with shabby chic vibes, but every once in a while, my grungy side comes out and I’m compelled to create in that style. 

If you love grunge or you are new to it, it’s so easy to create in this style using moulds, pastes, paints and more from Prima and Finnabair. Just about everything is still in stock for this project—the only thing that isn’t, is the decoupage paper, but you can also use any other paper or decoupage paper you want to help create this look. I’ve included everything else for this project below so you can shop the supplies easily--I did add the decoupage paper in case it comes back into stock and you want to request an in-stock notification from Scrapbook.com as well as a similar option that is currently in stock. 

So let’s not waste any more time and get right into this tutorial!

This is a reverse canvas project. This means we’ll be creating on the back side of the canvas. Start by prepping the canvas by trimming off any excess canvas or hot gluing the ends onto the frame to keep them from moving around. I used hot glue for this. Then paint the back of the canvas with white gesso.

Once that is dry, you can then trace out some paper or decoupage paper to fit the inside of your frame. I cut my decoupage paper around the outside edge of the canvas. Decoupage paper will be a little easier to fit inside your canvas frame than paper will be. Once you’ve dry fit your decoupage or paper inside the canvas, you can trim off any excess. If you have a square frame, you’ll need to snip in at the corners to help you get it to lay nicely inside the frame. If you have a circular one like me, you’ll want to snip all around to help it lay nicely. 

Pull the paper or decoupage paper out and paint a layer of Finnabair’s Soft Matte Gel inside the canvas. Place the paper or decoupage in place and press it into the gel, smoothing out any wrinkles. Make sure there is gel under all of the paper/decoupage paper. If you are using decoupage paper, add another layer of Soft Matte Gel over the top of it to seal it in place. If you are using paper, I recommend painting a layer of Clear Gesso over the top of it. This will protect your paper from warping if you add any pastes, paints or sprays over it. 

If you are using resin mould casts, prep your moulds by painting them with one of Finnabair’s gessos. She has white, black and clear and they will all work for this. I used white. If you used the Redesign Casting Mix, you can skip prepping your moulds. 

Once your moulds are ready, mix up a custom shimmer paint with one of Finn’s Liquid Acrylics and a Mica Powder. I combined Ochre with a golden mica from the Golden Hour set and Avocado with the green mica powder in that set. If your paint gets a little thick, add a bit of Fluid Medium to it. Paint your moulds and set them aside to dry. I painted the tape from Finn’s Labels and Tapes mould, some trim pieces from the Redesign Regal Flourish mould, and the small square frame from the Redesign Ornate Legacy mould. 

To cover the staples on the back of the canvas and to create texture, use a silicone brush to apply Finn’s Paper Texture Paste along the edge of the canvas. You can let it go over the edges a little if you like. Set this aside to dry really well. 

I also used some of Finn’s Quarters and Halves moulds—these are the gears. I covered these in waxes. I started out by fully covering each with the Matte Sage Leaves wax using a dabbing brush. Then I layered on the Matte Old White and Metallique Rich Copper with my fingers. 

Once the paste on the canvas is dry you can add some color to it. I used the Avocado and Ochre, dabbing them onto the paste and then using water and my brush to move the color. I added the colors randomly and let them mix where they meet.

After all your pieces are dry, you can start assembling. I added the tape and trim moulds to the right side of the canvas using Finn’s Heavy Body Gel—this is a good adhesive that really holds once cured. I added a couple of the gear moulds that went directly on the canvas. Then I added some of Prima’s Nature Academia flowers over the that. I use them to hold the frame mould up. For adding these flowers and the frame, I used hot glue. Then I added ephemera to the project with hot glue as well. I added another trim piece over the frame, along with a flower and gear mould. 

I dry brushed everything with white gesso to highlight all the texture even more then finished off with a sentiment sticker and some gems. I hope you love this project and tutorial—even thought it’s a bit different than my usual pastel colorway. Until next time, happy crafting!

Adrienne

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Below are products that I used for this project.