If you've ever pulled a fresh canvas out of the packaging, excited to start a project, only to find it saggy, wrinkled, or warped, you’re not alone. It’s frustrating, but totally fixable! Whether you’re prepping for a resin pour, glass embellishments, or just want a solid surface to paint on, this post walks you through exactly how to fix a loose canvas and prevent future warping.

Before anything goes on your canvas (paint, texture paste, resin, or glass), you want it to be tight. Press lightly on the center with your finger. If it gives too much? Time to tighten.

Option 1: Use Canvas Keys

Many stretched canvases come with tiny plastic or wood wedges called canvas keys. They go in the slotted corners of your frame. Tap them in with a hammer to gently stretch the wooden frame outward, which pulls the canvas tighter. Don’t have a hammer? A firm push with a craft tool or the back of a screwdriver works in a pinch.

DIY Alternative: Grab a few of those thin paint sticks from the hardwar...

You know those late-night Pinterest scrolls that turn into full-blown obsessions? That’s exactly how this whole Shrinky Dink petal project started. I stumbled across an artist using Shrinky Dinks to make jewelry, and a big ol’ lightbulb went off. What if we could use this same material to make custom, colorful petals for our resin art? Let me walk you through everything you need to know, from coloring and cutting to shrinking and shaping.

Step 1: Sketch and Color Your Petals

Start by drawing your petal or leaf shapes. You can sketch freehand or use a template. Since Shrinky Dink sheets shrink by about 50%, be sure to size your designs accordingly - something that starts around 4.5” long will end up around 2” once shrunk.

Place your Shrinky Dink sheet frosted side up over your design and start coloring. You can use:

• Archival brush markers for bold, opaque color

• Watercolor pencils for a more translucent look

• Mica powder or chalk for unique textures

Avoid Sharpies...

Looking to add some whimsy and magic to your artwork? Painted bubbles are a simple, beautiful way to make any piece pop whether you're crafting an underwater scene or just want a little fun on your canvas. In this tutorial, I’ll walk you through step-by-step how to create painted bubbles using basic tools and a few fun techniques.

Step 1: Set the Scene

Start with a painted background. I used an ombre of blues, blending three shades for a rich ocean-y feel. You can use whatever color palette suits your project, but darker backgrounds make bubbles stand out!

Step 2: Draw Your Circles

Bubbles are just circles - don't overthink it! You can trace around a cup, cap, or bottle with a watercolor or chalk pencil. Keep the lines light - they’ll blend in later.

Want a shortcut? Dip the rim of your cup into white paint and stamp it directly onto your background. Instant bubble outline!

Step 3: Paint the Bubble Outline

Now the magic begins! Load just the corner of a damp flat brush with wh...

Today, we’re diving into an easy and fun abstract art project that’s all about layers, texture, and trusting the process. We are working with an 11x14 canvas to create a layered abstract art piece with lots of beautiful, earthy tones. You don’t need a perfect plan - just grab your colors, a brush, and a palette knife, and let’s play!

Step 1: Choose Your Colors

Pick a set of warm, earthy tones or whatever colors speak to you. In this tutorial, I used a mix of white, Oyster Beige, Grey Storm, greeny blues (like Thicket and Midnight Garden), and a few soft greens. Keep some white handy to help mute or blend your colors as you go.

Step 2: Break the Blank Canvas

Start by wetting your brush and loosely brushing on your background colors. Don’t overthink it! The goal here is to cover the white canvas with broad, imperfect patches of color - let some of the underpainting peek through. You can mix a little white into stronger colors to tone them down and keep things soft.

Remember, this ...

Welcome to a spring-inspired glass art project that’s as sweet as it sounds - Pretty in Pink Flowers! In this tutorial, we’ll walk through how to paint a dreamy background, create flowing stems and leaves, and top it all off with dimensional flowers made from beads, acrylic petals, and resin.

Step 1: Painting the Background

Star by painting the background using a mix of Shoreline Blue and Hauser Light Green acrylic paints, creating a loose sky and grass effect. With a large brush, loosely apply your white paint across the canvas. Then, using the same brush, gently blend in Shoreline Blue by swishing in X-patterns. This gives the sky depth with highs and lows in color, rather than flat blue.

Leaving the bottom inch or two unpainted, switch to your green and use the same X-motion to bring the grass up into the blue. To warm it up, add Poodleskirt Pink to softly blend above the grass for a rosy glow. Dry with a heat tool.

Step 2: Adding Blades of Grass

Next, use a long liner brush ...

This mixed-media Bunny Cross canvas brings together painting, glass, and resin to create a beautiful spring scene filled with charm and sparkle! Follow along as we transform an 8x10 canvas into an Easter art piece featuring a fluffy bunny, hand-painted eggs, and a shimmering purple glass cross nestled in a bed of grass and florals.

Start with a layer of white paint across your entire canvas. Blend in soft colors: Buttercream Yellow in a circular “halo” at the center, Wisteria Purple on each side, and Hauser Light Green at the bottom for grass. Keep it light and dreamy! Use a heat tool to dry the background thoroughly.

Grab your tracer, tape it to your canvas, place graphite paper underneath, and trace the bunny with a stylus. Trace it slightly off-center so you have room for the cross. Paint the bunny white, then add gentle gray shading along the edges and in the ears to give depth. Layer two coats if needed for full coverage. Dry...

If you’ve been itching to try your hand at a resin project that’s equal parts fun and functional, a resin cheese board is the perfect place to start. Whether you call it a charcuterie board, snack board, or just a pretty piece of art for your kitchen, this project brings color, texture, and a bit of shimmer to your space. I'm walking you through the exact steps I used to create a gorgeous, layered resin look using just a few supplies and some acrylic paint.

Before anything else, make sure your work surface is completely level. Resin is a self-leveling medium, which means if your table is even slightly tilted, it can cause the resin to pool or run off one side. I used a few popsicle sticks under the legs of my tray to adjust things until it was perfectly level.

With the setup ready, it’s time to mix the resin. For this board, I used a total of 4 ounces—2 ounces of resin and 2 ounces of hardener. Be sure to measure carefully and stir for a full three minutes to ...

If you’ve been itching to create something playful and springy, the Bunny Eyes project might be just what your creative heart needs! This 8x10 canvas artwork combines simple painting, seed beads, and the cutest sticker glasses – all finished off with resin.

Grab your tracer, tape it to your canvas, place graphite paper underneath, and trace your bunny with a stylus. Leave off the eyes and mouth for now. 

Load up your plate with white and just a touch of gray paint (I used Slate Gray, but you can mix white and black too). Start painting your bunny! White can be tricky on white canvas, so the gray helps define shapes like the ears and face. Use an angled brush and blend in tiny hints of gray for shading and movement.

Next, use shades like Poodleskirt Pink, Dragonfruit Pink, and white to paint the inside of the ears and nose. Blend lighter toward the center and darker on the outer edges for a little dimension. Paint the nose with Poodleskirt Pink, adding white to the top and Dragonfr...

There’s something about sunflowers that feels like instant joy - and when you bring one to life using layers of colored glass and shiny resin, it’s pure magic! In this project, I created a sunflower using glass-on-glass techniques, meaning everything is built directly on a piece of clear glass. I'm sharing how to build your flower from cut yellow glass petals, copper glass, mosaic pieces, and a chunky vitrigraph stem.

I started with a piece of found glass that likely came from a light fixture, but you can use any piece you have on hand. A frame from the dollar store works just fine - just pop the glass out, and you’re good to go. First things first: clean the glass thoroughly to remove dust and fingerprints. Then, wearing gloves to avoid smudging the surface, flip it over and tape off the back. Taping isn’t essential, but it does make cleanup easier if resin drips. If you skip this step, no worries - a razor blade will scrape it right off once it cures.

Once the base is ready, prep...

Join me to create this magical and shimmering piece of mermaid art! Using a stencil, acrylic paint, Dragonfly Glaze paint, and crushed glass, you'll create an iridescent masterpiece that glows with color and texture. Follow along with this step-by-step tutorial to bring your own artwork to life!

I am using a wooden 9xa2 canvas for this art project. Start by painting the entire canvas (along with the edges) with one coat of black acrylic paint. Once dry, apply two coats of gold paint over the black. This gold layer will show through the stencil design. Let the paint dry completely before moving on to the stenciling process.

Secure your mermaid scale stencil onto the canvas using painter’s tape. Since the stencil is slightly larger than the canvas, you’ll need to stencil in sections.

Using a dauber or stencil brush, lightly dab black acrylic paint over the stencil. Be careful not to overload the brush - offloading excess paint onto a paper towel will help prevent seepage under the s...