In celebration of all things summer and the 4th of July, we are making a mixed-media American flag on a 9×12 piece of wood. I’ll be showing you how to create some texture to your wood using Matte Medium and a piece of tissue paper. This is so easy, fun, and festive, and anyone can make this wooden art piece in about 30 minutes! 

american flag mixed media art

First, apply a layer of DecoArt Chalky Gesso (White) to your wood to prep and prime it for your acrylic paint. Then, I will take a piece of white tissue paper and cut it to the size of my wood. Add a layer of DecoArt:  Matte Medium, which works like a decoupage, and we will lay the tissue paper on top. You want it to be imperfect and wrinkled. Then, add another layer of Matte Medium on top. Let dry or use a heat tool.

white gesso and tissue paper on piece of wood

Add a coat of white acrylic paint to your piece. I’ll sketch my square and then start adding my stripes with red paint – I am using Pyrrole Red. Then, I’ll add some more white paint to my white stripes.

red and white stripes with acrylic paint

Next, I’ll use Vivid Blue to paint my flag square. I’ll also add the tiniest bit of blue to my stripes to make it a colorful, rustic flag. To give my flag a little bit of definition, I’ll add some black acrylic paint to my art piece too. At this point, feel free to paint the edges of your piece of wood too. Let dry or dry with a heat tool.

painted flag with acrylic paint on wood

Cover the stripes area of your art piece with some pieces of paper or a towel. We will add some white splatters to our blue square to create our stars! Add some white paint to your palette and mix it with a bit of water, then load the paint onto a fan brush and tap it over your art piece to create a splatter effect. 

Finally, I’ll take my Ranger Archival Ink Black and rub it along the edges of my art piece to create a dark border.

star spangled flag on piece of wood

Watch the replay below!

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tracy weinzapfel with american flag art piece

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