https://www.cutoutandkeep.net/projects/patriart • Posted by ohsosuite
gather your supplies in one clean workspace. first measure out your stripes onto your canvas. i made 8 stripes each 1" wide and my box of stars was 4 inches high by 5.5 inches wide.
go through your newspapers and rip out anything that is blue, red or white (I considered the color of the newspaper to be white, so I just tore around the edges for this.) make sure to get a variety of shades of both red and blue as it will add character to the final piece. I also included a few pieces of each with text on it as well. (tip: use the papertowels to keep your hands clean throughout... between the matte medium and the newspaper ink, it can be a little messy!)
now paint the matte medium onto the one stripe and begin filling in with the red paper. you'll want to rip it into different sizes to give the stripes texture and make sure to use all the different shades you gathered. continue to fill in all the red stripes before you move onto the white to save time. be sure to cover the sides of the canvas as well. (tip: use plenty of matte medium, you can paint over already laid pieces as well. the medium will dry clear.
once your done the red stripe do the same thing on the white stripes. make sure to include some white with text.
then fill in the blue square and add white pieces throughout for the stars. you don't need 50 pieces of paper... then should get the idea across.
once you've covered the entire canvas and are satisfied with your work give the entire canvas a good slathering of matte medium and let dry for about an hour. (Tip: you can layer each color stripe for more depth... just paint over each layer with a new coat of matte medium)