You’ve probably seen loads of sites that promote their services of turning your digital photos into works of art. While they do come out beautiful and make for amazing décor additions, you can easily create your own photo canvas prints from scratch! All you need is a bit of time, patience and the right tools to create your own beautiful canvas with your favourite digital pictures for under £7. And the best part is you don’t even have to be Martha Stewart to create one! They’re super easy to create and won’t take up a lot of your time. So if you’ve been coveting your own photo art, but are strapped for funds, here is exactly how to create your own DIY photo canvas prints from home:
Materials You’ll Need:
6×6” square canvas from a local art or hobby shop
Sandpaper
A foam brush
Some Mod Podge – basically white glue for adults
A paintbrush
Square picture from Online – This doesn’t have to be anything fancy; just a basic printer paper of a photo will work great!
Black acrylic paint
Scrap paper
Paper cutter/scissors
How To Do It:
Once you have all your materials and a clean work space, grab the picture that you’d like to use for the canvas and then use your computer to make sure it’s 6×6” to fit the canvas. It is probably better to print the picture a little smaller so that it doesn’t go over the edges. You can either use one picture or create a collage using numerous photos. You can do this by using your printer’s settings to size or even by using Picasa, which allows you to organize, edit and share your photos. If you are going to create a montage using lots of small photos make sure that you print them at a smaller size so that they can be scattered over the canvas.
Using scissors or a paper cutter you can cut the image to create a perfect square. Here’s a tip – position the picture over the canvas and then trim as needed to get it perfectly cut. A scalpel and a steel ruler on a cutting mat is also a good option to get the picture perfectly square.
Sand down the front of the canvas using the fine sandpaper. This will help the Mod Podge adhere to the canvas and print. It makes a key in the canvas material that assists with the bonding.
Using a foam brush or smooth haired decorators brush, coat the front of the canvas with one layer of Mode Podge and then position the photo print on top of it. Make sure to smooth it down gently to release any air pockets, but don’t worry if you still see bumps since they’ll get smoothed out once it’s all dry. Now it’s time to rest up for an hour while the canvas dries and the photo bonds itself to the material.
After it’s entirely dry, it’s time to coat the print with a layer of Mod Podge. First work it horizontally using your foam brush and then finish by doing the same thing vertically. Again, any bumps will go away once the canvas dries. The canvas will look “milky” at this point as you can see at the bottom of ours. It will dry clear like it is at the top.
Get that piece of scrap paper out and place it under the canvas. Using the black acrylic paint, coat the sides of the canvas to give it a professional look. Touch up any missed spots so that it looks even.
Let it all dry. While it’s drying, try to find the perfect spot for your new DIY photo canvas or place aside to wrap to give as a unique gift!
And there you have it – the easiest DIY project you’ll ever do!
This 6×6 personalised photo canvas print probably cost around £15 to make with all the raw materials. The problem is, if you are not doing this sort of thing on a daily basis, you will not have a lot of the materials to hand so buying them becomes very expensive.
If you do not feel confident to attempt this DIY project or the price is still too much, you can still order an Custom Photo Canvas Print from CanvasDesign.co.uk . The same 6×6 canvas can be ordered, from the site for as little as £6.99 if you want it framing. The price for just the canvas on a roll and not framed is only £4.99.
It really is pointless to go out and buy all these raw materials to make the perfect custom photo canvas when you can just order one ready made from us for just £6.99. If you order before 12 noon you will get the print delivered to you the very next day. All our Bespoke Canvas Prints come with a Free Hanging kit and delivery is charged at just £2.99 and is FREE if you spend over £50 at CanvasDesign UK.
