Upcycled Frame Porthole Tutorial

I was so excited  to convert one of the round wood frames that I found at a rummage sale this weekend (for 50 cents each!)  into a porthole.  I imagined it rusty but with some faux verdigris showing through.

 

 

I got the fasteners at a garage sale the other day and they worked perfectly to simulate the rivets on a porthole.  I used some wire cutters to clip off the ends (and the ends will make some cute earrings!) I used hot glue to adhere the “rivets” to the frame.

 

I love this fabulous ART-C chalk paint it glides on and dries a perfect matte. I didn’t cover completely because the rust paint was coming next:

 

The Rust Effects paint is textured and comes in two colors.  You really need both colors to get the effect of rust.  I just rubbed it on with my fingers and tried to vary the coverage all around the frame.  The frame is a little “busy” and I considered that when I started on the collage.

 

 

I like to use unexpected craft products so I got out my nail polish bottles and painted the “current” in different lines on the 300lb watercolor paper.  Then I placed some painters tape on the horizon where the water and sky meet and applied a crisp line of acrylic paint and used my fingers to smooth some of the paint over the nail polish so the colors blended but the current still is visible.

 

I printed out a clip art whale’s tail and added some white jelly pen accents.  I used white plus brown and yellow to shade the clouds.

 

Next I Googled “Big Dipper” and tried to duplicate the Big and Little Dipper and surrounding stars as close as I could with some tiny metal stars I got at a garage sale.

When I was about 75% finished with this mixed media piece I got a text message from Sunrose Gallery that another round piece of art,  “Fantasy Tree” just sold.

I texted Cathy back right away and told her I was working on another ROUND piece! When she saw this porthole mixed media her reply was instant “I love it, bring it down.”   The cool thing was a new round piece would fit the grouping on my wall display in the gallery perfectly.

So I wrapped it with tissue paper, stuffed it in a shopping bag and walked the mile to Sunrose Gallery while I had my daily cell phone chat with Mom on my afternoon walk.  I don’t usually make round pieces, so I found it very whimsical to sell one and make one in the same day.  :  )