A Lighthouse at Dusk: Mixed Media Canvas with Perfect Paints
- walterz74
- Jun 17
- 4 min read
Hi, friends! It's Walter on the blog with you today with a project that I had a lot of fun creating. The warming temps here in New England have my thoughts turning to summer and the ocean. I'm not your typical beach goer as I don't enjoy sitting out in the hot sun or hours. However, I do really love being by the ocean and enjoying its beauty either in the morning or at night. Dusk is my favorite time because I find sunsets so beautiful, which is what I wanted to capture in today's project. I thought it would be fun to create a mixed media canvas that depicts a lighthouse as the sun sets. Let's dive in!
I used the Perfect Paint products that I used to create it:
5"x7" Canvas Board
Silicone moulds from Stamperia
Moldable Foam Clay
Super Glue
Here's how I made it:
I started by taking some foam clay and pressing it into the moulds to form the shapes that I wanted to use. If you haven't worked with foam clay, it's very much like regular clay but much lighter and similar in texture to silly puddy. It takes at least 24 hours to dry. I wait until the pieces are dry and then flex the mould to remove the shapes.
The next step was to paint my canvas. I started with the ocean, which I created using Sea Glass Shimmering Matte Acrylic. Once dry, I painted some wave-like forms using Halo Shimmering Matte Acrylic. These do not have to perfect waves as there will be paint added over them. The purpose is just to get some lighter shades added in to give the notion of movement.
I then moved on to painting the sky: the first section at the horizon line with Afterglow Shimmering Matte Acrylic, then Sangria Shimmering Matte Acrylic, and finally Bohemian Blue Shimmering Matte Acrylic. I painted each section by overlapping a bit to blend one into the next.
My design included a cliff that overlooked the ocean and provided the land base for the lighthouse. I created the cliff by using a palette knife and spreading Clover Honey Polishing plaster into place. I chose this color so that I could later paint over it with darker shades to give it some depth. I made sure to use the palette knife to add indentations and texture so that the cliff wouldn't be so one dimensional. Make sure that you use enough of the polishing plaster to give it a good amount of shape and depth.
As the cliff dried, I used a palette knife to finish the ocean. I loaded the knife with Sea Glass Shimmering Matte Acrylic and spread it across the canvas from left to right. I repeated this a few times and it adds a top layer that brings the ocean to life. Once that was dry, I used a brush and Barely There Shimmering Matte Acrylic to add a breaking wave against the cliff.
When the cliff was dry, I finished it by painting it with Espresso and Barely There Shimmering Matte Acrylics mixed together and then followed up by adding highlights with Shadow Shimmering Matte Acrylic.
The next day my foam shapes were dry. I took them out of the moulds and painted them with various shades of Shimmering Matte Acrylics. I find it easiest to use a smaller tipped paint brush (such as a larger sized detail brush) for the smaller shapes. The paint dries very quickly, which allows you to add layers and additional details without it taking too much time.
It was time to assemble the canvas! I decided where I wanted the light from the lighthouse to shine and added it into the sky using Halo Shimmering Matte Acrylic. My preference is to use super glue to adhere the shapes to the canvas. It provides a tight bond and dries very quickly. I placed super glue onto the back of a piece, pressed it down to the canvas, and repeated until all shapes were in place. The final step was to place water current marks around the ships using a small detail paint brush and Barely There Shimmering Matte Acrylic.
I am so happy with how this piece turned out! The Polishing Plaster was the perfect medium for sculpting the cliff, and the Shimmering Matte Acrylics provide so much rich color and luster to the project.
I hope that you enjoyed reading about how I created this scene and that it inspires you to create one! I'll see you again soon when I share another project. Until then . . . be well!
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