Photo Canvas Print

Guest Post by Tina Flores of Mamma Bellies Casting: 

Hi everyone!  Let me give a big thanks to Kim for letting me have the opportunity to share this with you.  This project is super easy, fairly inexpensive, and can make a great gift.

Having your favorite photos printed onto canvas results in a beautiful and timeless memory to display, but can be pricey.

For a fraction of that cost you can DIY and fill your walls and present boxes with the best photos you have. Preserve your photos on canvas for a truly artistic and vintage look.  

Bonus: Buy canvases and supplies in bulk at craft stores and save.  



What You Need:

• Photocopy of photo you would like to use (photocopy or printed from your printer on regular paper)
• Canvas (packs at Michaels or AC Moore)
• Gel medium (This is the most expensive part: small bottle for a little over 10 dollars-it goes a long way)
• Brush (foam brush is best, but regular bristle brush can be used)
• Spray bottle of water.
• Flat tool to get rid of bubbles (credit card)

Begin by choosing the picture you want to use.  You will need to flip this image in a program such as photoshop if it is important to you to have it look exact.  Otherwise you will see the mirror image when it is placed face down on the canvas. This would be very important if there are words on your photo.

Print or have a photocopy made of the picture on REGULAR paper. Nothing fancy! My canvas was 11X14, but the image was getting "stretched" when copied at that size. I settled for a smaller image with a white border. 
***in my opinion, these canvas prints look better when the image goes to the edge, but some prefer the border. 

Apply gel medium to the canvas.  A nice even layer is what you are looking for so that the paper sticks.  Avoid applying so much that there are globs on the canvas. 

Spray the picture (photocopy) with water so that it is nice and wet. 
Lay it FACE down on your canvas.
With credit card (or pampered chef pot scraper, lol) get out all air bubbles. Your best bet is to start from the middle working your way to the outside edges. Be careful remembering that the paper is very fragile and you don't want to rip it. 
When you are done, you need to wait for it to dry completely. I waited until the next day just to be sure. 

When it is completely dry, wet the paper with the spray bottle so that it is fairly wet.
Begin peeling up the paper if you have a loose corner.  You may be able to peel the entire page in one swipe. If not, peel up what you can and then use fingers in a circular motion to gently remove the paper. and you will start to see (and feel) the paper coming off. Dont press too hard, but some light pressure is definatly needed in this step. You may also need to re-wet the canvas (lightly mist) while you are working.

You will notice that the image looks cloudy at first. This is because there is still a layer of paper on top of it. Continue the process of allowing the canvas to dry, misting with water, and applying light pressure with your finger in a circular motion. The process may seem tedious, but the finished product looks great. I followed this three times until I reached the point of clarity I was looking for.  

*You can make the picture as vintage as you choose by removing as little paper as you would like, or only reworking the picture in certain areas.  

When you are satisfied with the result, let it dry thoroughly.
Apply a layer of gel medium over the top to seal (the white gel will dry clear.)

And that's it!! So easy and fun! Happy crafting ;)
-Tina Flores


Blessed are they who see beautiful things in humble places where other people see nothing. 
~Camille Pissarro