Photo and Song Canvas Art

My sweet youngest sister graduated from college with her MBA recently.  That is such an awesome accomplishment!  And definitely worthy of celebrating!  But, I didn’t want to get her the typical graduation gift….money, gift cards, etc.  Although those would come in handy, I really wanted to make it personal.  And, since she has a talent and love for photography, I knew a photo gift would be perfect.  So, I made her this Black and White Photo Quote Canvas using a picture of her and my children from her wedding day-and her favorite quote!  She, and my mom, have both taught our children the lyrics to the refrain of  “I Love You, a Bushel and a Peck”.   This project was so easy!  But, it turned out so cute!

Supplies:

8×10 black and white photo

12×12 canvas

Black acrylic paint

Vinyl or ABC stickers

Silhouette, Cricut, etc.  {any machine that will cut vinyl}

Paint brush

Mod Podge

Directions:

1.  Center your photo on your canvas-but don’t glue it down yet!  This will help you decide how big to make your letters, and how you’ll position your vinyl.

2.  Set up your file on your Silhouette, using the text function.  Type your quote, sizing it so it’s about 11 inches long, and the letters are about two inches high or so.  You’ll just have to play with it and see how it will look based on the font you choose.

3.  After you have cut your vinyl, apply the quote to the canvas. Or, if you are using ABC stickers, this is when you want to apply them directly to the canvas.  Make sure they are stuck on there really well.  Remember, some of your paint is going to seep through a bit, which sort of gives it a distressed look.

4.  After your vinyl is on the canvas, give it a nice coat of acrylic paint.  Go lightly over the letters, but get the rest of the canvas pretty good.  If you go over the letters too much, the paint will really seep through.

5.  Let it dry for about 20 minutes.  Then, gently peel the letters off one by one.  You’ll be left with your quote on your canvas-with the letters white.  Set the canvas aside, and let it dry thoroughly.

6.  When your canvas is dry, it’s time to add the photo.  Lightly brush the back of the photo with mod podge and apply it to the canvas.  Then, go over the top of the photo with a good coat of Mod Podge.  Let it dry thoroughly before adding another coat. I coated mine twice.  For a more detailed tutorial on canvasing photos, click HERE.

What I really love about this is the letters.  It looks almost vintage or distressed, doesn’t it?  I wasn’t too thrilled at first, when my letters didn’t have clean lines around them.  But, when I saw that ALL the letters had turned out that way, I was so happy with it!  I love giving photos as gifts-especially when I get to be creative with them!

Sharing HERE