Want to learn how to put your printed photo on canvas? Read on and learn how to DIY your printed photo onto canvas and display your unforgettable moment in your wall for a lasting impression.

DIY Printed Photo On Canvas Project

In a generation, so photo obsessed, snapping pictures of almost everything, it is amazing how often we don’t end up doing anything with all of these photos. Some get posted online to social media accounts, but even then, most aren’t accessible offline and adorning the real walls of your apartment. I recently mentioned how much an afternoon of cookies and tea meant to me and since the photos of this afternoon were immediately printed – taken via a polaroid camera – I had access to them and could frame them in a unique way. I’m so happy that I did this, but it got me thinking of other possibilities to put my prized photographs on display in creative and unique ways. I came across one idea that I fell in love with long ago – I finally tried a DIY version of transferring a photo print to canvas.

Of course, the condition of your photo to canvas project will depend a lot on the quality of the photo that you use. You can manage to snap some photos that look professional, regardless of the technology used, by following some of the tips and tricks outlined by professional photographers. And then with a little editing – such as increasing the brightness of colors and making the subjects more clear, especially their faces – you can end up with a good quality canvas print in the end. This doesn’t mean that you need to go out and buy Adobe Photoshop in order to get canvas quality photos; any of these alternatives will do the job just as well. Find something that is easy and works for you and get editing!

Materials You'll Need to Make Printed Photo On Canvas:

A canvas the size of the photograph printout that you will be using

Mod Podge or photo‐transfer glue

Sandpaper
A sponge paint brush

A spray bottle for water
Hand towel

Get more mod podge crafts here!

These are the cutest #DIY Mod Podge crafts around! #18 is PERFECT for summer. http://t.co/vfQecgSmuC

— DIY Projects (@DIY Projects) June 4, 2014

Instructions:

Once you have your photo chosen and edited, you will need to print it. Believe it or not, all you need is a print of the picture on regular printer paper – although the thinner the better – printed on a laser printer! Once you have your printed photo and the above materials, follow these simple steps.

Step 1: Lightly sand down the canvas with the sandpaper in order to take off any imperfections or debris.

Step 2: Cover the canvas liberally with Mod Podge or photo‐transfer glue.

Step 3: With the photo print lying face down on a hand towel, spray the back of the photo with the water spray bottle until the paper is dark and thoroughly wetted.

Step 4: Lay the wetted photo face down on the glue‐prepared canvas.

Step 5: Delicately smooth out the photo so that it has no bubbles or creases. Take extra care to press down on the subjects of the photo, particularly where their faces would be.

Step 6: Leave the canvas to sit and dry completely (this can be only a few hours, but letting it sit overnight brings better results).

Step 7: After sitting, take the water spray bottle and spray the paper on the canvas to wet it again.

Step 8: Very lightly with your fingers begin rubbing the paper away from the canvas to reveal the photo underneath. This step needs to be done very delicately, as you can easily rub off the transferred photo if you rub too hard. This will be a slow process, but you want to remove as much of the paper as possible from the canvas.

Step 9: Once dry again, coat the canvas with glue or Mod Podge to protect the photo and give it a nice shine; it should also erase minor traces of left behind paper as well.

The paper will likely not come off smoothly and perfectly the first few times that you try this, so embrace the distressed look and make your first few attempts “vintage” canvas prints. Also keep in mind that the photo will end up in reverse order on the canvas. For pictures this isn’t usually a problem, but if you are trying to transfer a quote you will need to print as a mirror image and then follow all of the same steps as above. Happy crafting everyone!

Want to see how you can transfer photo with mod podge? Then check out this video from Plaid Crafts:

Thanks for checking our DIY Printed Photo On Canvas Project post! Will you try to do it in your next DIY weekend? Let us know in the comments section below.

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