Instructions from Dr. O'Malley on how to make your own mixed media art:

The most important thing is to be patient and trust that it will turn out beautifully no matter what!

1. Start with your heart, do your own reflection and write it on a heart that you cut out or have received through the heART in medicine project.
2. Type your words:  You may consider downloading a fun font from dafont( I use “lucky typewriter” for most projects) but your standard fonts are fine too.  Just print and then cut out the text in one line strips so that it will fit on the canvas. This is the list of all of the comments that our residents, faculty and staff wrote on their hearts and were typed heart of medicine font3.
3. Paint canvas (for this project, I used 3X3 stretched) face and sides with any kind of acrylic paint in any pattern. Let dry.
4. Stamp with permanent ink.  I mainly use ranger ink pads but any permanent are fine and I use old flip flops as my actual stamp but you can also buy  a stamp or use an interesting pattern from home. You are looking for something that has more “texture” as a stamp rather than a specific shape/design).
5. Add any kind of washi tape (no preference really  in any pattern.
6. Add Spray paint of any kind (I like the rustoleum in black, gold, or dark brown metallics) using a small craft stencil (some examples are dylusions or folkart). Watch for “over spray” and just do short and small squirts of paint.  Taping down your stencil is one option if you are worried about this step.  If you overspray or don't like it, go back to step 1 and add some acrylic paint or washi tape.  It will be great!
7. Put decoupage glue all over the canvas (Note: it will dry clear so don't worry about it!).  Once it has covered the canvas, lay down your heart and then go over the heart with glue to seal. You can add the printed words on top then or wait for it to dry and do it with a second coat.
8. Once it is dry, use a grey pen to outline (I use Faber Castle in warm grey because it is not permanent until it is dried)and then smudge to blend while wet.
9. Once that is dry, use a fine tip permanent black marker to outline the words slightly inside your cut paper.
10. Finish edges of the canvas by rubbing it with a brown ink pad (I use one of the Tim Holtz distress ink but any will do)
11. Sign it and enjoy!!

If you do multiple, then you can put them together on a board and use a nail gun to go through the wood frame of the canvas onto the board.