OH so many things to write, oh so little time

I am popping in for a quick tutorial on something I have been wanting to try but I haven't had the walls to hang them on... DIY canvas prints.

I cannot fathom spending the money on real "canvas prints" the ones that look professional and are actually printed on canvas and stretched around a frame... SO of course Pinterest inspired me to try my own. I found numerous tutorials on how to do it myself. All of which made it seem SO easy and quick and offered very limited guidelines or tips but I figured I got the jest of it so why not give it a whirl.

Gather all of your supplies first, I recommend doing one at a time until you get it the way you want it though... so keep that in mind before you go buy a billion different canvases and prints.

Here is a run down of what I used :

8 x 10 print ($1.49 at Sams club)
8 x 10 canvas (2 pk at $3.99 hobby lobby w 40% off coupon = $2.40 for 2.. so $1.20 for one)
Modge Podge, Matte finish (I already had this on hand but you can find it at a local craft store for about $7.99.. try to use a coupon with it)
black acrylic paint (already had on hand but usually runs around $2)
paint brush or sponge (already had on hand also but super cheap for a set $1)
exacto knife/razor blade
baggie (x2 to store paint brushes in)
paper plate (so you are not double dipping in modge podge or paint)

just some of the supplies ... and yes I had to do mine standing at the counter
because sitting with his big ol' 9 month prego belly is just too tough!

Ok so to begin, cover your work area well. You will need to leave it set up for around a day or two (depending on how much time throughout the day you have to dedicate to stopping whatever you are doing for a coat or two)

Go ahead and paint around your canvas. You do not need to limit yourself to just black. Depending on the tone of the photo in which you are using, you can leave it white or even change it up and use a color out of the photo. I chose black. I like the shadow effect it offers. With the black, I chose to do two coats, but I did them in stages. So to begin... just do a good coat of black. Make sure you paint all edges and about an inch into the canvas too.

Once the paint is COMPLETELY DRY... Now listen.. I don't mean dry so it doesn't come off your fingers, I mean completely dry. I made this mistake and ended up with the modge podge pulling the paint off the edges.. a MESS, completely fixable but still a mess! Ended up having to repaint it all again! So don't be like me.. start the project at night maybe and then in the morning when it is really dry continue. (also quick easy tip for overall painting... when you know you are going to working with the same color and paint brush again, simply seal the wet paint brush in a ziplock baggie until you need to use it again. It keeps it from drying out and keeps you from the headache of washing it all the time in between coats... Same goes for painting a room, store the wet roller in a bag!)

Once it is dry, go ahead and glue on your picture. Now Modge Podge was the way everyone was telling me to go. There are other options. There is a spray glue you can use too that will adhere easily to the canvas. But since you will need modge podge for the "sealer" and "finish" might as well use the miracle stuff for the glue too!.. Now tip on this.. spread it well and even, ALL THE WAY TO THE EDGES. When you place the picture on there, you will have a few moments to move it and mess with it before you press and let it dry. More than likely it will overlap over the edges, no worries, that is what the razor is for!  (oh and guess what.. the baggie trick works for the modge podge brush too!)

FYI... if you knick the canvas (don't go all killer on it) you will have that second
chance with the black paint to cover over any imperfections left by the razor blade!

Push the "bubbles out" and firmly press down on the canvas to adhere all the glue to the photo flip over to dry

So let that dry for probably about 30 minutes. Modge Podge works quick so it dries pretty well (as long as you didn't go all crazy and use tons of it) Once it is dry, turn canvas picture side down, on a very clean surface (I use a clean cutting board/plastic, that I use for alot of my crafting). Use the razor to cut the excess around the canvas.

Now here is where I got frustrated. One of the tutorials I read told me to just cut and then modge podge over... well once I cut the excess around the print, I discovered the white of the photo paper showed quite drastically against the black border. So I was left with a bit of a dilemma... I knew I didn't like how it looked, but I was a bit terrified to paint the edges again. But I decided it really needed it because on my first one I didn't let dry all the way and I needed to cover the spots where the modge podge and paint didn't agree... So I took out my sponge brush and just lightly brushed on another coat, making sure to also hit the edges of the photo paper.... and guess what.. I LOVED IT! It sort of "set" the photo to the canvas where I had painted it black. SO this is where that second coat of black for the edges of the canvas comes into play.

no black - white photo paper showing through, with some modge podge 

clean black surface, tying the picture into the canvas with the black!

Now once all that is dried well, grab your baggied modge podge brush and now comes the scary part.. modge podge OVER the print! Take your brush, start with the edges, go around the print brushing towards the edge to "seal" the edge of the print to the canvas. Do not freak out like I did when you can obviously see the modge podge as you are brushing. It truly does dry clear. And infact, those brush marks you are seeing, you want them! When it does dry completely the brush strokes give the photo character to make it seem more like a real canvas print not the smooth glass of photo paper. Now once you have completed the edges, go ahead and modge podge starting from the top all the way down to the bottom in a thin layer. Leave it to dry..

you want that random brush marks! Believe me it dries clear!

Tip - smooth out the modge podge around the picture well! 

You don't want clumps!

When you come back you will see the white has disappeared and you are left with your canvas! Neat huh  And super easy. So far I have only done these 8 x 10 ones. I am itching to try larger prints but the larger you go the more expensive the canvas and the photo print so I wanted to try these first. Also after doing color vs black and white I prefer the black and white. The color you can tell is a photo print onto a canvas upon closer inspection, but with the black and white it almost enhances the lighter tones of the photo.

Black and white canvas print finish -

*** Notice the black carrying from the print to the canvas..
 this is why I like the black and white print using this technique better***

** this is completely dry! See the awesome brush strokes the matte
Modge Podge leaves! Gives it that real canvas texture!  ***

So have fun you guys!