Materials:
Canvas:
I like the presence of a canvas that stands further off the wall, so I went with an 8" x 8" gallery canvas with a 1 1/2" depth. I ordered canvases form Dick Blick. Because I was ordering 30 (26 letters, 2 more to make an even grid and a few in case of mistakes) I was able to get a nice price per canvas.
Papers: handmade, scrapbook, tissue
After choosing the cities and symbols, I thought about what color and pattern might best show off the symbol or further represent the city/country. I ended up with a few kinds of papers - lotka papers, Japanese papers and scrapbook paper.
Glue:
I decided to use PVA bookbinding glue to adhere my papers to the canvases. Mine is from Paper Source. It is ph neutral, flexible and allowed for some repositioning. The best part is it easily cleans up with water. (Clean off the rim and the lid of the jar after each use so it will easily open the next time you want to use it.)
Brush:
I used a number 10 bristle brush to apply the glue to the back of the papers (except in the case of the tissue paper when it was applied to the canvas).
Ruler:
In addition to measuring, I used the ruler as a straight edge to tear the handmade papers against.
Paper cutter / trimmer
Wax paper or other surface protection
Process:
1) I started by measuring out my paper and cutting it to size. Being an artsy person, I did not bother with actual measuring so much as ensuring I had enough paper to cover the canvas - much in the way I measure wrapping paper for a present. I laid the canvas on the paper, giving it enough buffer to cover the sides. Since my handmade papers were flat sheets 20" x 30" I placed a ruler along the line where I wanted to cut, and tore the paper along the straight edge of the ruler. For my 12" x 12" scrapbook papers, I trimmed off a 1/2" of length and 1/2" of width (making it 11 1/2" x 11 1/2") to get rid of some of the excess.
2) I placed the paper face down in front of me and brushed on 2-3 inches of glue at one end of the paper. Right now, it does not matter which direction the paper is facing - I can rotate the canvas later as needed.
These 2-3 inches are enough to get the paper stuck to the canvas.
3) I lined up the glued edge of the paper with one side of the canvas. I also left about 1/4" to wrap over to the back edge of the canvas. I a couple of cases, I had placed the paper such that the right or left side was a bit short to completely cover when folded over - no problem, I carefully peeled the paper up and readjusted. The I smoothed out the side panel and folded the paper over to the front. Note: some papers stretch more than others and take the moisture of the glue better than others. This will affect the appearance of "wrinkles" and "bubbles." I found that the higher quality papers (lotka and Japanese) took the glue better and created a better final surface.
4) I continued applying glue to the back of the paper in 2" sections by lifting it up and lightly brushing the paper. I smoothed it out after each section, pressing it to the canvas.
5) After working all the way across the front surface, I moved to the sides. I applied glue to the corners and folded them flat against the side of the canvas. Then I applied glue to the remaining flap and pressed it flat against the side of the canvas, similar to wrapping a present.
Here is a finished canvas. This one was covered in scrapbook paper, and you can see some "bubbles." Since I am painting over portions of this surface, I am not worried about the bubbles being obvious later.
The next step is drawing the outlines on the canvases and painting out the shapes with white. This will give me a "blank" canvas on which to paint my symbols.
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