Valentines DIY Project: Canvas Art

Here's a little Valentines project I dreamed up for you! These were inspired by the LOVE canvases I designed for my master bedroom. The canvases used in my master bedroom I designed on the computer & had gallery wrapped. I wanted to find a way to recreate the same look with basic craft supplies... so voila, here it is. Enjoy this tutorial & make some of your own expressions of love this Valentines Day!

Supplies:

• blank canvases (any size)
• spray paint or acrylic paint
• painters tape
• chipboard letters (choose size according to your canvas size)
• solid piece of chipboard or thick pressed cardboard (if you want to cut your own shapes-- like I did with the heart)
• loose glitter or glitter spray (the loose glitter has a much more dense effect, whereas the spray glitter is just more subtle)
• round stickers (I used the cheap garage sale labels)
• modge podge, spray adhesive or other glue for making glitter stick to chipboard
• glue gun (for attaching completed chipboard pieces to canvas)

Step 1:

Choose the patterns you would like to use on each canvas. If doing stripes you can use the tape as a guide for how thick to make each stripe. On the horizontal stripe pattern, I wrapped a piece of tape around the canvas & then added another stripe of tape right below it-- so they were perfectly lined up. The bottom of the first piece of tape was touching the top of the second piece of tape placed right below it. Then the third piece of tape is placed directly below the second-- bottom of second piece touching the top of the third piece. Then once the third piece is securely attached, you can remove the second (middle) piece and you have your first perfectly spaced stripe! I love this method because as I've mentioned before... I HATE MEASURING.  You can continue using the second piece of tape you removed as a spacer between the stripes. If this step is confusing, I hope the photos will help!

If you're doing a polka dot background, you will attach the round stickers however you'd like them spaced. They can be kind of random. I did mine in a loose pattern-- it only took a few minutes because I didn't care if they were perfectly spaced.

With the diagonal stripes, you follow the same method as with the horizontal stripes. I just did them double thick (so two pieces of tape for each stripe-- you can do the horizontal stripes double thick too if you'd prefer them that way.

** NOTE: you will also want to make sure & lay out each canvas with the chipboard letters or shapes you'd like to use once the taping has been done-- it will give you an idea of how the completed piece will look.Step 2:

Once all the taping has been done. Firmly press the tape/stickers down to make sure no paint can get beneath them. Then paint the canvas whatever color you'd like the background to be. Spray paint may be easiest, but for mine I used a gold metallic acrylic paint (as shown in the photo) and I brushed it on. I had to do 2 coats to make it cover well. Make sure the paint is dry before removing tape and/or stickers-- you can do step #3 while they are drying. The photo below shows how the stripes should look after removing tape & the polka dot one shows part of the stickers removed.

NOTE: if there are any places where the paint seeped through where it shouldn't be-- you can always use white paint to touch up.Step 3:

While your canvases are drying, paint the chipboard letters. If you want to make your own shapes, just trace them onto the plain chipboard piece & cut out with scissors or exacto knife. I drew & cut out the large heart that is used on the horizontal stripe canvas. Don't stress about it being too perfect-- glitter & paint hide lots of imperfections!

Step 4:

Let letters & canvases dry. Once the letters are dry to the touch, you can use your modge podge or other adhesive to attach the glitter. I just brushed on the glue (on the front side only-- on top of the dry paint) then laid the letters/shapes in a pan & sprinkled them with glitter. Make sure you thoroughly coat each piece so that your glitter is even.** NOTE: using a nicer/fine glitter, like the one shown (which was purchased from Hobby Lobby) will give your project a more upscale look. Sometimes the cheap kids craft glitter can look a bit tacky.Step 5:

After allowing the chipboard pieces to thoroughly dry (at least 20 minutes+) gently shake off excess glitter. The pieces can then be attached to the canvases with a glue gun. Again, lay them out where you want them & glue one at a time until finished. Press the letters down carefully-- you may want to place one hand on the back side of the canvas to help press the canvas up against the letter & to avoid indenting the canvas from pressing too hard from the front side. Once the glue is set, you're all done-- Now hang those beautiful babies up!!** NOTE: you'll notice the LOVE canvas has letters painted in the metallic gold paint, but with no glitter. I liked the idea of switching it up. If you're not a glitter person, you can definitely skip that step & just used painted letters/shapes or even keep the raw feel of the chipboard if you'd rather. Endless options!