My daughter and I were at Crate & Barrel at the beginning of the summer and per usual I wanted everything and looked at most things, with the thought–I can make that. When I came across this beautiful canvas wall art and saw the outrageous price, I knew I could easily make it for not even a fraction of the cost.
The best part…I already had all of the supplies on hand (minus the frame). And chances are good, you do too! Over a year ago, I snatched this canvas out of someone’s trash, knowing it would come in handy at some point…..
I know! Isn’t she lovely?! Let’s change her up and make her beautiful!
DIY TEXTURED CANVAS WALL ART
(Instructions are based on the following dimensions: 31 1/4″ wide x 46 3/4″ long)
Materials Needed:
Amazon Affiliate Links Included
36×48″ Canvas (The least expensive way to go, is to find an old canvas….i.e.: at a thrift shop or even your own house-an old picture that you don’t like anymore). But if you don’t have any luck in either of those areas, here’s the cheapest one I was able to find on Amazon-Note: it does include two canvases).
Primer (I like this one)
Spackling (This one is my favorite)
White paint
Paintbrush
220-Grit Sandpaper
1″ x 1/4″ (thick) moulding (13 feet needed)
Tiny nails (1/2″ or smaller)
Hammer
Amazon Affiliate Links Included
Step One: Primer
Paint your canvas with primer and let dry.
Step Two: Spackle and Sand
Cover your canvas with spackle. Don’t worry about how thick you putty it on. You’re going to have different textures and depths of spackling and that is perfect….
Let dry completely. This can take a day or few-depending on the temperature it’s in. The key is, you want it completely dry. When dry, sand with a 220-grit sandpaper. Just smooth enough, that you still have texture. This is really personal preference on how much texture you want from the spackling.
Step Three: Paint/Baking Soda
Mix paint and baking soda together to get close to a peanut butter consistency. Do this, by pouring some paint into a bowl and adding baking soda, until you get the consistency you want.
Paint this concoction all over your canvas and let dry.
Step Four: Hot Glue Gun
When completely dry, you’re ready to add the final touch. But first, take a scrap piece of cardboard or wood and practice drawing your rectangles with your hot glue gun. I found it helpful to get a feel for what I was doing first with this extra step….
I noticed when I had the canvas on the table and tried to hot glue gun my rectangles, they started to go downhill. Therefore, I stood the canvas up and this helped tremendously….
Using your hot glue gun, and starting at the top (working left to right) make rectangles of different sizes. Some narrow, some wide. Some tall, some short. The best part is, you can’t mess it up. The less perfect, the better….
When finished, your canvas wall art should look something like this….
Step Five: Paint again
When completely dry, paint your canvas again. This time with just paint…not the baking soda mixture….
When finished, it will look like this…
Let it dry completely, and then add the frame.
Step Six: Add frame
I could have just left it as is, without the frame…
But, I love the texture and color the frame adds.
And because I was so excited to get it finished and onto my wall, I forgot to take pictures of adding the frame. BUT, it’s very simple. Stain your moulding strip first and let dry. Then cut your 1″ x 1/4″ thick moulding to fit. I added the side moulding pieces first. Glue them on with your hot glue gun and add a few nails in just for extra holding power. Then add the top and bottom moulding pieces (cut to fit). And that’s it! Your canvas wall art is now ready to be hung…..
I love the layered look and had a hard time deciding between this Juniper Print in front of my canvas wall art….Affiliate Link Included
Or this Highland Cow I snagged from my kitchen…Amazon Affiliate Link Included
In the end, I went with the Highland Cow. 🙂
But of course, she’s perfect by herself too….
Next week, I’ll share how I made that hemp wrapped console table! Perfect for this spot and for setting my new handbag I personally designed by The Sak. Quick shameless plug: 🙂 The Sak reached out to me a few weeks ago and asked me to share with you, this new feature they have. Through this link, you can design your own Sak handbag or tote. With so many styles and designs to choose from, it was so much fun designing this handbag. And the quality is exceptional! (Affiliate link included)
As always, if you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to comment below or send me an email. I love helping you guys with all of your building/DIY questions. 🙂
PIN IT FOR LATER….
Until next week,
Happy Building, Friend!!
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More Easy DIY Posts:
Easy How to Make a Picture Frame for a Printable
Easy DIY Anthropologie Mirror Dupe-Make it for a lot Less
Easy DIY Textured Vase with Baking Soda and Paint
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Just stumbled on this post through IG and love it! I’ve been hunting for just the right application for a DIY in a framed canvas I have and this is it. Opinion please? It’s going to hand horizontal over a bed so would you make your squares vertical still? Or turn them horizontal also? I wish I had a dark wall….may change that just for this artwork lol.
Hi Dianne,
I’m glad you found it! It really is a great piece and alot of fun to make too! I would probably still make my squares vertical. I like the idea of them stretching long when the piece is turned horizontal. I think that will look great.
Have fun on the project!
~Nicole