Painted Floor Cloth

Materials

primed canvas
electric stencil cutter or craft knife
mylar
piece of glass
stencil brushes
acrylic paint: caramel, charcoal, cream, tan, misty grey, moss green, avocado, black, raw umber,
mini rollers and foam brushes
measuring tape or yard stick
pencil
scissors
painter's tape
thick white glue or heavy-duty tape
acrylic sealer
craft paper

1. To determine the layout of your overlapping floor cloth, cut three pieces of craft paper the size you want each floor cloth to be (figure A). Ours were 20" x 30" each.

2. Measure and mark canvas (figure B). Draw a 1-1/2-inch hemline around the outside of the floor cloth. Cut out the floor cloth on the outside line (figure C).

3. Mark 3-1/2-inch borders around all floor cloths. Tape off the inside and outside edges of the borders using painter's tape (figure D).

4. Base paint the three borders in caramel, tan and cream paint using mini rollers or foam brushes.

5. When the paint has dried, tape around the borders on the inside edges. Paint in these areas (we used persimmon inside the caramel border, and mist green and light avocado inside the tan border (figure E).

6. To paint the multicolored center in the cream-bordered section, first paint center in raw umber. While the paint is tacky, squeeze drops of caramel, tan and cream randomly over the center. Use a mini roller to roll all over the drops of paint until desired look is achieved (figure F).

7. To make stencils: Make a paper pattern of one border corner. Draw a zebra design in the corner (figure G). Place the pattern face up on a flat work surface. Place glass over the pattern and secure it to the work surface with a few pieces of tape. Place mylar (shiny side up) on top of the glass. Align mylar over designs, allowing for at least a 1-inch border around the designs. Secure the mylar with a few pieces of tape. Cut out all areas (windows) to be stenciled with the stencil cutting pen or craft knife (figure H). Apply only a light pressure and keep the pen tip on the mylar surface. Repeat this process when making crocodile and bamboo stencils (figure I).

8. Use charcoal and caramel paints and stencil brushes to stencil the zebra design on the cream border.

9. Stencil bamboo with cream paint (figure J). Let dry. Then stencil over the top using avocado and moss green. Let dry. Slightly offset the stencil and lightly add misty grey shadows (figure K).

10. Use misty grey to stencil edges of the floor cloths where one overlaps the other (figure L). This adds the shadow.

11. When dry, clear coat the entire surface with several coats of satin or glass acrylic finish. Let dry.

12. Fold under the hemline. Clip with scissors where needed to reduce bulk. Crease with the backside of a dull knife. Glue the hem down.