Draw the eye with a stenciled canvas bag

Those looking for a way to dress up canvas totes need look no further. Add a little color to a plain canvas bag with a stencil. So many stencils exist that it might be hard to select just one. If that happens to be your scenario, choose one large stencil and a smaller one to use on other parts of the bag's front. Always use a clean, dry part of the paint sponge for each new color.

The featured design in the tutorial is a flower stencil about 6 to 8 inches long. Any floral design that has leaves, stems and petals will work for the color combination shown. If you choose a different pattern, use the same painting technique with whatever color combinations you want. You also don't have to stick with a natural-colored canvas, but paint colors show up best on lighter shades.

Materials
- Canvas bag, natural
- 6- to 8-inch long stencil
- Painter's tape
- Soft matte fabric paint: orange, bright pink, yellow, green
- Paint palette
- Paint sponge
- Flat artist's paintbrush
- Zipper tassel (optional)

1. Smooth out the bag on a flat surface. Place the stencil at an angle across the right bottom part of the bag. Tape down the stencil along the edges.

2. Add a squirt of each paint color to its own well in the palette.

3. Dip the sponge into the bright pink paint. (Do not overload the sponge; a little paint goes a long way.)

4. Dab the paint onto the stencil spaces for half the flower petals. Apply orange paint to the other half.

5. Dip the sponge into the yellow paint. Dab the paint onto the stencil spaces for the flower's centers, overlapping a bit onto the painted flower petals.

6. Mix yellow and green paint in a well. Paint the stems and leaves this color.

7. Remove the tape and stencil.

8. Let everything dry thoroughly before adding a zipper tassel.