Canvas prints are a delightful inclusion in any home. And while they are pretty and can make a home look more beautiful, they can be costly at times. In addition, you may end up disliking the final product that you get from the canvas printing company that you opt for. But all hope isn’t lost. If you desire to learn how to make canvas prints, then you are in luck.
Making your own canvas prints will not only save you both money and time, but it’ll give you an opportunity to practice the craft and get better at it. There are different options when it comes to making canvas prints. These could range anywhere from just mounting an old photo to a canvas to transferring an image to canvas or better still, to reproduce canvas texture.
Any method you choose, you’ll need to ensure that you have the right materials, and you create time to get the project done. Below, we’ll look at how to mount photos on canvas.
Supplies for Mounting Photos on Canvas
The first step on creating a canvas print is to make a list of the supplies you need and then purchase them. Most of the supplies needed to make a canvas print can be found in craft stores, department stores, or bought from online stores. When you want to create canvas prints, you will need to get the photo that you will mount. You can choose to print it on a normal photo paper.
A pre-made customized canvas panel that’s blank that you will use to mount the photo. Ensure that the blank canvas panel measures the same size as the photo or print you want to mount. In case you get a smaller canvas panel, you will be forced to cut your print to fit the panel or then use a stapler or glue to wrap the edges.
Besides the canvas panel, you will also need to get a decoupage glue or a gel medium glue for mounting the photo to the panel. You will also need rollers or foal brushes as well as acrylic paint which is optional. If you are keen on adding some texture to your canvas print, consider adding some canvas fabric to your purchase list.
Mounting the Photo on Canvas
Paint the canvas panel edges
While some people may opt to use their purchased pre-made canvas panel as is, some would want to add a little bit of color to it to make it stand out. This is especially important if you want a panel that has a different color. Remember that when you mount your print, it’ll only cover the front of the select canvas panel and not the edges.
While you have the option of leaving the sides unpainted, getting it to look as close to a professional job as you can will make a whole difference, especially if you are considering becoming a full-time crafter. You can paint the edges with a dark color or better still, choose a color that complements or matches any of the colors on your canvas print.
Once the color selection is done, you can use the foam brush that you got to paint the edges or sides of the panel and leave it to dry before you jump to the next step.
Coat the front surface of the canvas
Once the paint has dried on the panel, the next step will be for you to paint a very thick coat of the medium you opted for. This needs to be done on the front surface where the photo will be mounted on. When coating the canvas panel, ensure that you do it fast so that it doesn’t dry before you can paint the whole front surface area.
If you don’t have a gel medium or the Mod Podge as suggested, you can easily buy a white wood glue or any regular white glue. The downside to you getting the glue, however, is that it tends to dry pretty quick, which means you won’t be able to get the mounting done in time.
Placing the canvas print on the canvas panel
Unlike the pain that has to dry, you don’t want the glue or medium used to paint the front surface to dry. While it’s still wet, pick up the photo print and carefully place it on top of the canvas panel with the side of the image being up. Ensure that the print fits properly on the canvas panel. If you got both the same size of the canvas panel and photo, you can be rest assured that it’ll fit perfectly.
If you think you might end up messing the photo placement, you have the option of laying the printed photo down on a table or any other hard surface and then place the wet canvas panel front on top of it. If you end up messing up, quickly remove the photo as long as the medium or glue used is still wet, and make another attempt. In case your print is bigger than the canvas panel, don’t sweat it. Just wrap the edges on the sides and staple or glue them.
Press the print
Once you have successfully managed to place the print properly on the canvas print, ensure you press it down firmly. This way, one can be sure that the photo will stick to the medium beneath it. All areas should be pressed down and in case of any air bubbles, push them gently to the panel’s edges and continue pressing the photo.
To be sure that the print is intact, you can overturn it and place it on a surface that’s hard and then press it down gently. You can also coat the final product using the medium you opted for just to create a little shine on your canvas print. Once you are done and the paint and medium painted is dry, you can happily hang your DIY canvas print. You can create a wire or use a nail to hang it on the wall.