Photo canvases are a bit of a newish trend. They are beautiful, and if you can catch them on sale then they’re a decent deal, but if you want to do a dozen to fill up a wall… well let’s just say that the total would be close to that of my 1st car.
There are tons of tutorials all over the interwebs on how to do it with gel medium, but I didn’t have any of that… and you know I’m a use what you have girl. So, what I had was DecoArt Decoupage. And I had to try to see if it would work – and it did! Wanna make one? Well alrighty, then!
Before you get your hands dirty, you’ll need a canvas (I used a 10×10) your print out (make sure that you print it in reverse), Decoupage, a brush, an old gift card or brayer, a wet cloth, and digital finish spray. Another tip: If you are using a black & white photo, set your printer to only use black ink – you’ll get much better results.
First you need to put a thin layer of decoupage onto your canvas. You don’t want the layer too thick, just a good solid coat. Place images onto the canvas print side down, while the medium is still wet.
My piece took 2 pages, one with the photo, then a separate strip that was all grey, with the words “one year” at the end. This was Brady’s 1 year old photo, so it worked. You could also do a wedding date, favorite song lyric, name, the sky’s the limit! Once your paper is down, take your card or brayer and smush it all down into the glue. Just make sure that everything is flat.
Now you have two options: Set it aside and let it dry or take a blow dryer to it. (I’m an impatient girl.)
Once your canvas is dry, take a fairly wet cloth and lay it on top of the paper. Now comes the tricky part. When the paper is wet, take your finger and start to rub up the back of the paper. Don’t work in one spot too long, just work a bit here, then move to another spot for a bit – it’s and ADD crafter’s dream…
Some spots will peel up like old wall paper. Once you get that layer off, you’ll need to gingerly rub off the fuzzy layer underneath, while leaving the ink intact. Start on the edges because it takes some work to get it just right. Some bits will peel up no matter how careful you are. Just know that this will look distressed – so don’t stress over it. Enjoy the imperfections!
After you have all the fuzzy off, you can slightly rewet the print with your wet cloth. You will be able to see where you might need to take off a little more to get the best results. Your finished piece will pretty much look like it does when wet. When you’re happy with it, then let it dry (or use the blow dryer again.)
All dry, it will look milky and kinda weird, but don’t fret. Just spray on 3-4 coats of digital sealer or other sealant made for paper. Do NOT use the Decoupage again. You will not get good result. You can use a clear paint or sealer, but digital finish is the very best option. Let it dry (I did let time take it’s course on this step.)
I think every woman in my family might get one of these for Christmas… shhh… don’t tell my momma!
And, bonus – I found a spot for the abstract canvas….
Like this post? Check out more of my 31 days of Unlocking Creativity
Disclaimer: DecoArt supplied me with Decoupage for this project
Laurel says
I LOVE it!
Peggy says
Lovely! And thank you so very much as I have been wanting to do this but just wasn’t sure how to go about it! Will it work with a color print?
(and me thinks I’ve seen this sweet little one somewhere else just recently! truly precious!)
Gina @ The Shabby Creek Cottage says
Hi Peggy,
Yes, you can do it with color! It smudges the colors just a bit here and there – but I did Brady’s mom one with a color print and it looks amazing 🙂
Yeah, there was an ulterior motive to that photo shoot – haha!
Laurel – THANKS ♥
Amanda @ Serenity Now says
Great project, Gina! 🙂 Such a cute photo, and the canvas itself turned out so nicely!
Mel @ junkinjunky.blogspot.com/ says
What a truly precious gift.
Will a laser print work, or does it have to be an ink jet print?
Dawn says
I love it I love it I love it!!!! So doing this!
Gina @ The Shabby Creek Cottage says
Hi Mel,
I think it would – it’s just the decoupage capturing the ink, so you should try it. If it doesn’t work, then just paint over it and try again… mine were all trial and error, so I know for SURE that you can paint over and try again 🙂
Jenny@daysofchalkandchocolate says
Very cool! It looks perfect. Thanks for the easy and clear tutorial!
craftedniche says
Can’t wait to try this!
Dana @ CraftedNiche.wordpress.com
Patricia Ann says
Wow! I love this!! You are so talented!!
Sarah says
That’s great!
NanaDiana says
Gina- What a cute idea. I love the vintage feel to the project. Love it-gotta love that little face! xo Diana
Gwen @ The Bold Abode says
Slap me Silly! Wait. No..don’t slap me…that would hurt… Plus, I’m probably already silly enough and then my husband would have to hunt you down and threaten you with living with me for a day and then you’d have to run and hide…or maybe we’d be BFF’s cuz we like to make stuff so much…Whew! Sorry fo da long comment.. All I really meant to say before writing this novel was:
That’s really awesome…
Cindy Rippe says
I’m working on a project using this technique as a background. Love the baby picture! What a great idea for Christmas gifts.
Kerryanne English says
Adorable!! My kind of art… quick, easy and cheap. A fantastic result.
♥ Kerryanne
areiasdejade says
Muito bacana, adoro!
Nely
Tarnished Rose says
Great project! Of course, you had the cutest picture too.
Can’t wait to try this.
Smiles~
Marilyn
Sue Frazier says
absolutely adorable…great Christmas idea! great tutorial!@
Liz @ Here's to Handy Andy says
This is fabulous! I might be trying this for Christmas gifts as well. Thanks for sharing! I’m your newest follower. 🙂
Allison says
Such a cute project! Did you use photo paper or printer paper?