How to make a reallly neat cross painting!

I made this cross painting so quickly, and it cost me less than 20 dollars!
Here is what you'll need:

Glue
A sponge
Tiny gold beads
Metallic gold spray paint
A tube (or two) of bronze acrylic paint
A tube (or two) of copper acrylic paint
A canvas
A ruler

Guess where I found my canvas? Goodwill! It cost me 4 dollars. Yes, someone had already painted the canvas, but that is actually a GOOD thing when you're wanting to do this kind of painting. It added texture to the canvas, saving me the hassle! :)

All of these supplies can be found at Hobby Lobby and Michaels, whichever you prefer. I prefer hobby Lobby because they have awesome sales, although the cashier at Michaels has been hitting the discount button for no apparent reason lately, and I'm good with that. :)

First, you'll want to spray the whole canvas with the gold spray paint, including the sides.

Next, squirt out blobs of the bronze paint all over the canvas. Then, do the same with the copper paint.

Next, holding the spray paint about 8 inches from the canvas, spray over those blobs of paint you just squeezed out.

Now, take your sponge and begin dabbing it into those blobs, and spreading out the paint however you want all over the canvas. You will see the colors starting to mix and look awesome.

Now, holding the spray paint about a foot from the canvas, barely push down as if trying to spray it, but not pushing hard enough, while simultaneously shaking the can. This will produce tiny speckles of gold to disperse all over the canvas.

Once you are satisfied with your painting, you can begin working on the cross.

Take your glue, and carefully squirt it into the shape of a cross. PLEASE don't do this until your canvas is completely dry, otherwise the beads will stick to EVERYTHING! First make the shape of the cross, then fill it in. I used a ruler to push the glue into perfectly straight lines after I was just about finished.

Next, take small handfuls of beads and sprinkle them all over the "glue cross." You'll want to make sure all of the glue has been covered with beads. The beads will try to change the shape of those straight lines you just made, so continue using your ruler to push them back in. This can be kind of tedious.

Now, just wait for your painting to dry, and feel very proud of what you have just accomplished. :)




Here are some of the specific products I used: