Bee Happy, Bee Kind, Bee Humble 🐝

These sweet little bee canvases are simple, cheerful, and such a fun way to create a small handmade decor set. Each piece starts with a 4x4 canvas, a soft yellow-and-white background, hand-lettered words, a little bee trail, and a glass bee embellishment sealed with resin. They’re perfect for spring decor, tiered trays, shelf styling, gifts, or just a happy little reminder to be kind, be humble, and be happy!

Step 1: Paint the Mini Canvas Backgrounds

Start by adding a simple background to all three canvases. Paint each 4x4 canvas with white acrylic paint first, then add a little Golden Glow while the white is still wet. Blend the yellow loosely into the white so the background looks soft and sunny instead of solid yellow. You don’t need anything fancy here. A messy, abstract background works beautifully because the lettering and bee will be the main focus.

Use a heat gun or blow dryer to dry the canvases before adding your words. This helps keep your graphite lines clean and prevents your lettering from dragging through wet paint. Once everything is dry, you’re ready to transfer the phrases.

Step 2: Transfer the Words

Place your word tracer on the canvas and tape it down so it doesn’t wiggle. Slide graphite paper underneath, then trace over the letters using a stylus or ballpoint pen. For this set, the phrases are “Bee Kind,” “Bee Happy,” and “Bee Humble.” Center each phrase on its canvas, leaving space near the top for the bee embellishment and the little dotted flight trail.

Step 3: Paint or Trace the Lettering

For your canvases, use watered-down black acrylic paint and a tiny liner brush to fill in the letters. The paint should be thinned to an inky consistency so it flows easily from the brush. If your hands are shaky or lettering with a brush feels intimidating, you can use a black acrylic-safe drawing pen instead. 

Step 4: Add the Bee Trail

Once the words are finished, use a fine black drawing pen to add a dashed bee trail. Start near where your bee will sit and make loose little dash marks that loop, swirl, or curve around the words. Keep it playful and imperfect. The little trail adds movement and makes the bee feel like it is flying across the canvas.

Step 5: Add the Glass Bees

Place one glass bee embellishment on each canvas, usually near the top where the flight trail begins or ends. You can use handmade glass bees, bee buttons, mini bee embellishments, or sealed paper bees. If you use paper or stickers, seal them first with Mod Podge and let them dry so the resin doesn’t damage them.

Step 6: Mix the Resin

Mix a small batch of Art Resin using equal parts resin and hardener. For the three 4x4 canvases, 1/2 ounce total resin is more than enough. Mix 1/4 ounce hardener with 1/4 ounce resin and stir slowly for three full minutes, scraping the sides and bottom of your cup. You’ll likely have extra, so you could probably resin four to six mini canvases with this amount.

Step 7: Apply Resin

Remove the bee from the first canvas temporarily, then spread a thin layer of resin over the surface with your gloved finger. Place the bee back where you want it and drizzle a little resin over the top to secure it. Repeat this process for each canvas. You only need a thin coat because the canvases are small and the main raised element is the bee.

Use a heat gun, small kitchen torch, or larger torch to pop bubbles in the resin. Keep the heat moving and don’t let the flame touch the resin. If your resin is extra bubbly, it may be too cold or it may have been stirred too aggressively. Slow stirring and a warm room help keep bubbles under control.

Let the canvases sit flat and undisturbed while the resin cures. Once dry, they’ll have a glossy finish, the bees will be secure, and the whole set will look polished and ready to display.

This mini bee canvas set is such a sweet, simple project with a happy message. You can display all three together on a shelf, style them on a tiered tray, or gift them individually. The best part is that you can customize the words, the bee embellishments, and even the background color to make them your own!

If you're a member of The Shattered Circle, you'll find this tutorial in your classroom under Art Shattered Weekly Facebook Lives, search for "Bee Happy+".

If you don’t want to miss my Facebook LIVE art instruction, make sure you are on my texting list. I always text 10 minutes before I’m going to go LIVE, so you won’t ever miss it. You can text “Hey Cindy” to 901-519-2923.

Want more inspiration and artwork?

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