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Reality Daydream

The Dream is Free, The Hustle Sold Separately

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Posterized Art Portrait with Stain on a Wooden Canvas

January 24, 2017 by Bethany Sy

My little sister and I are 10 years apart. I endured a lot of BROTHERS before I finally got a sister, and I’ve always cherished her so much, despite our age difference. We didn’t fight much growing up, because we weren’t interested in the same things. I liked boys and cheerleading, and she liked dressing up her doll. And that was okay!

But my little sister Anna is alllll grown up now, at the ripe age of 24. And she’s darling.

Sister Anna {Reality Daydream}

She’s been living in Europe for the past two years. First Brussels, Belgium… and now Prague, Czech Republic; working as a teacher at the International Schools and just basically living THE DREAM.

Czech Republic {Reality Daydream}

When this picture (below) popped up as her FB profile pic awhile back, I loved how edgy and artsy it is. And it inspired a new project!

Anna

She’s very Audrey Hepburn meets Twiggy. Am I right?!

Conveniently, right around the same time, a new stain company called PureColor contacted me, and it was a match made in heaven! Their unique eco-friendly packaging, and unexpected color variety had me itching to play around and try some new techniques!

PureColor eco-friendly colorful wood stain {Reality Daydream}

*This post is sponsored by PureColor. Thank you for supporting the amazing brands that make Reality Daydream possible! This post contains affiliate links.*

Once I had finalized my idea, the first step was to make the image of Anna ‘Posterized’. This is a really simple photo-editing process that can be done on PicMonkey! I created this infographic below to help you make your image Posterized too! It’s simple!

How to make an image Posterized in PicMonkey ...a tutorial! {Reality Daydream}

Once your image is Posterized, print it on a piece of basic printer paper. Then trace the lines onto a transparency with a fine sharpie.

anna's postuerized watercolor

Nick glued a couple pine boards together to make me a wooden ‘canvas’, and I sanded it with my orbital sander until it was suuuper smooth. Then I used my overhead projector to project the image on the transparency onto the wood, and traced with a pencil.

Posterized image turned into stained art on wood! {Reality Daydream}

TIME TO STAIN! I squirted a tiny amount of stain (I chose the Cactus shade for my first layer) into a dixie cup, and I’m ready to go!

Posterized stained art with PureColor wood stain {Reality Daydream}

I kept the posterized image handy so I could reference which layers get which shades. So I started by doing the second-to-darkest shade on the posterized image.

Painting a posterized portrait using wood stain on a wooden canvas! {Reality Daydream}

Then I came in with red (Marsala) and then yellow (Lemon).

anna's postuerized watercolor1

I chose this moody gray with purple undertones for the darkest share on the posterized image. It’s called ‘Adega’, and it’s my absolute favorite! Don’t be creeped out by this next image… I’m going to do the eyes NEXT!

Posterized portrait art using wood stain on wooden canvas! {Reality Daydream}

Finally… the EYES. This part takes a steady hand, but I’m not saying a glass of wine won’t make it easier…. because it totally did for me. I used a teeny little brush, and did several coats of the Adega color, because I wanted the eyes to really pop!

Make a unique piece of wall art by posterizing an image and painting it onto a wooden canvas with stain {Reality Daydream}

After everything was good and dry, I took an eraser to all the pencil lines that were still visible, and they came off perfectly! Then I sealed using PureColor’s water-based sealant PureShield Protect. It’s amazing how this step truly deepens the color and makes the woodgrain pop through even more. You can see how one half of the face is raw wood, and the other half has a coat of sealer.

Use stain on a wooden canvas to create a posturized portrait wall art! {Reality Daydream}

I ordered a sleek black frame (and by ordered, I mean I asked Nick to build), and I love how it just adds to the artsy edgy-ness of this whole piece of art!

Posterized art portrait with stain on wood... a tutorial! {Reality Daydream}

The glossiness of the sealer makes it really hard to photograph, so you’ll just have to imagine it without the glare.

Posterized stained art portrait on a wooden canvas {Reality Daydream}

make a posterized portrait 'paint by number' artwork with stain on wood! {Reality Daydream}

Even though it’s not perfect,  love how it turned out and that it’s something different than what my normal design tastes lean towards. The abstract nature of this artsy look is such that you can screw up and nobody will ever know! My mom is an art teacher, and loves weird art (and she loves Anna), so I think I’ll give this portrait to her. I imagine she misses Anna a lot! Just like us <3

~Bethany

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Thanks for pinning! <3

Learn how to turn any portrait into a work of posterized art with stain on a wooden canvas {Reality Daydream}

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About Bethany Sy

Nick and Bethany Sy are the creative free-spirits behind DIY/Lifestyle blog, Reality Daydream. They recently purchased a historic mansion and have been documenting the ups and downs of renovation and making this home their own... all while sharing tips and tutorials along the way! When they found themselves in the trenches of infertility, they started a journey that would prove to be their most important DIY project ever, and have 3 beautiful girls to show for it. <3

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Comments

  1. 13

    Lynne McNabb says

    April 15, 2020 at 5:13 am

    All are amazing… Thanks for your greatest contribution to the world of art…!! Please continue this service forever.

    Reply
  2. 14

    Mindy says

    October 29, 2019 at 4:46 am

    Ok, this look totally amazing and I have to do it.

    Reply
  3. 15

    That Sassy Life coach says

    April 10, 2019 at 7:02 pm

    amazing – thanks for sharing

    Reply
  4. 16

    Ehsan says

    August 7, 2018 at 4:49 am

    Her paint very nice

    Reply
  5. 17

    JT gOdown says

    October 15, 2017 at 2:25 pm

    Just stumbled upon this post and thus your site and extremely creative projects. This artwork of your sister is truely amazing. Thank you for sharing your unique talents. (First time I’ve ever posted on a site. I was just so impressed by this piece).

    Reply
  6. 18

    VikkiB says

    January 27, 2017 at 3:44 am

    So here you go again…just amazing talent. That is so unique and I’m sure your mom will be in love with it. I love all your posts. Vikki in VA

    Reply
  7. 19

    bjnew says

    January 26, 2017 at 8:09 pm

    Can you suggest how to find a projector like the one you have? I would really like to try doing this on my own. You are very talented, and I look forward to your blogs all the time!

    Reply
  8. 20

    NoWay 1960 says

    January 26, 2017 at 2:56 am

    You are constantly amazing! Such talent – your home must be filled with gorgeous works of art.

    Reply
  9. 21

    revital mitchell says

    January 24, 2017 at 11:53 pm

    You are CRAZY TALENTED!!!!!

    Reply
  10. 22

    Robin Frank says

    January 24, 2017 at 10:09 pm

    That is incredible! Your mother will LOVE it!

    Reply
  11. 23

    msbill says

    January 24, 2017 at 9:54 pm

    You are freaking amazing!!! Is there any thing you can’t do. Let’s us know what Mom says.

    Reply
  12. 24

    Holly McAnlis says

    January 24, 2017 at 7:21 pm

    You are amazing! Love this!! Is this stain easy to move around and blend?? I would love to order some.

    Reply
  13. 25

    Courtney Madden says

    January 24, 2017 at 7:07 pm

    WOW!! That’s really all I have to say…this is truly great.

    Reply

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We are Nick and Bethany! Welcome to our blog, Reality Daydream where we share our DIY adventures!

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Still can’t get over these shelves. 😍 These Still can’t get over these shelves. 😍

These Aksel Radius Floating Shelves by @shelfology are the perfect finishing touch to this wall in our kitchen. 🙌

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I needed an instant-gratification project today fo I needed an instant-gratification project today for my well-being, and this little wooden stand was so fun and fast!

Details and links to everything in this pic in Stories!
If ya just need a slab of wood, grab a cutting boa If ya just need a slab of wood, grab a cutting board when you’re at Target or Walmart! They’re made of hard wood!

I used this cutting board to experiment and make some prototypes for a large-scale piece of art I’m doing for our church. It’s got me EXCITED!

Follow along for that project- happening soooon!

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You’ve all seen the video, but here’s some sti You’ve all seen the video, but here’s some still shots of the kitchen wall in all its glory!! 

The Aksel Radius Floating Shelves by @shelfology were the perfect finishing touch! 

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View of our entryway of our historic mansion that we're slowly renovating and making our own.
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