Make It: Canvas Photo Transfer

Lately, some of my favorite pictures have been on Instagram and I've been looking for creative ways to display them.  Turns out that transferring them onto canvas and wood is easy and gives the images a cool weathered touch that I really love.



You can find canvas or wood blocks that are square which is perfect for Instagram photos.  I've put together a tutorial showing how I made the canvas photo transfer.  The process is exactly the same for making a wood photo transfer.

Canvas Photo Transfer Tutorial / Wood Photo Transfer Tutorial

Supplies needed: 
Canvas or Wood Block
Image printed from an inkjet printer on regular printer paper (not photo paper).  Also, print your image in reverse if possible.  This is especially important if your image has words on it.
Gel Medium
Sponge
Mod Podge
Water and wet sponge or rag (not shown)



Step 1) Spread a nice, even, thin coating of gel medium on your canvas or wood block.  Do not let it get gloppy or thick in any spots or the paper will rip when you put the picture on.  Also, do not miss any spots or the ink will not transfer in that area.



Step 2) Carefully place your image face down on the canvas or wood block.  Make sure the image is straight and places where you want it because you will not be able to move it once it’s down.



Step 3) Use your hands to firmly press down and rub over your image.  Make sure not to miss any spots.  If you have any globs of gel medium underneath, try to push them out to the sides and wipe away any excess. 

Step 4)  Let your image dry over night.  You want it to dry for 8 – 24 hours.



Step 5) After the image has been sitting for at least 8 hours, use a wet sponge or rag and saturate the image.



Step 6)  Lightly rub and carefully begin removing the paper from the image.  I found using your hands instead of the sponge worked a little better.  The ink will be transferred to the canvas or wood.  When working with canvas, do not rub too aggressively or the ink will come off.  Alternately, if you want a weathered look in some areas or on the edges, rub aggressively in those spots and the ink will begin to pull away.



Step 7)  Once the image is how you want it, let it dry.  After it is dry, spread an even coating of Mod Podge over your canvas or wood block to seal the image.



That’s it!  Now you have a cool image to place in your home or give as a gift.

Happy DIY’ing!

~julee~

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