DIY Canvas Photos

Did you catch our TV segment on Fox 13 ‘The Place’ last week?  Our segment was called “DIY or BUY.”  We talked about 3 projects to DIY and 3 projects we would rather buy.  (*Update* Click HERE to see the full TV segment.)  One of the most surprising projects we talked about was DIY Canvas Photos!  Did you know you can make your photos look like canvas for a fraction of the price?!  It’s true! We are all about finding the least expensive way to get what we want.  Of course, we want it to look like we paid top dollar- this technique is totally cheap but definitely doesn’t look cheap.  Steff and I have done this over and over and worked out all the possible mistakes.  We’ll show exactly how to do it!  You’ll want to canvas-ify every photo you have! 😉

Here’s what you need:

• Blank white canvas (use a coupon at Hobby Lobby or Michaels)
• Matte (NOT glossy) printed photo - the same size of your canvas
• Wood glue (from the Wood Connection)
• Texture cream (from the Wood Connection)
• Foam brush
• Foam roller brush

You have probably noticed we do a lot with The Wood Connection products.  There’s a really good reason for that…..they have AMAZING products.  This wood glue is the best for gluing paper to wood, and in this case gluing photos to canvas.  Their texture cream is the secret weapon for making photos look like canvas.  You can find it HERE.  There may be other ways out there to get the canvas look, but we think this way is the best way. 🙂

Okay, now that you know what to use, lets get to the step by step.

Step 1:  Trim your photo.  Trim about an 1/8 inch on all sides so it fits just barely inside the canvas.  Remember the photo has to be MATTE finish, not glossy.  The texture cream will not adhere properly to glossy finished photos.

Step 2:  Glue the photo to the canvas.  Use a foam brush to spread wood glue all over the canvas in a thin, even layer.  Be sure to focus on the edges and corners.  

Place the photo on the glue (canvas) and press from the middle to the all the edges to smooth out any bubbles.

Step 3:   Turn the canvas over and continue to press from the middle out.

Place something on top if you can while it dries.  This will help ensure there are no bubbles.  A book or box is great!

Step 4:  Apply texture cream.  Use the foam brush to paint a layer of the texture cream all over the photo.  It will look white and foggy.  Then use the foam roller to smooth it all out.  The foam roller is CRITICAL to get that canvas texture.  You can see the left side has been rolled, the right side has not.   

Here’s a closer look.  It looks white and foggy when wet, but it dries clear and has the exact texture of canvas!

Let it dry for a few hours and it’s ready to display!

Can you see the canvas like texture?  I tried to capture it the best I could with the camera.  It looks and feels just like canvas!  It’s amazing!  I can see all the $$ savings already.

Another finishing option is to paint the edges of the canvas as in the example below.  

For this look, use a foam brush and dab black paint on all the sides of the canvas BEFORE applying the texture cream.  Dab the paint on the edges of the actual photo just a bit too to blend it all together.  I love both looks!  

What do you think?  Are you ready to rock your photos?  This DIY canvas technique is definitely on my favorites list of projects we have DIY’ed.   I will never pay for canvas photos again.

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