Are you in need of a last minute gift idea? Here is a simple, yet creative tutorial to create a gift that will keep your family and friends asking, "How did you do that!?"
Supplies you will need :
Stretched Canvas (any size)
Liquidex Gel Medium (or other brand)
Paint Brush
Spray bottle with water
Reversed laser printed photo (b/w or color)
Directions (see image below):
- Get all of your supplies together!
- Apply a generous amount of the gel medium to the whole canvas.
- Place the reversed laser printed photo onto the canvas and smooth out any air bubbles. Let it fully dry.
- Once dry, spray the canvas with water and wet the paper of the picture.
- Start rubbing and removing the paper with your fingertips until the whole image can be seen. Be patient. This process will take the longest, but I promise the payout will be huge! Be careful not to rub off the transferred image! Your image will not come out perfectly, but that is ok! The imperfections give the final product a vintage, rugged look.
- Put a final coat of gel medium or modge podge to protect the image. Let it dry and voila, you are done ! How easy was that?
Photo from A Beautiful Mess Blog
Make this process cheap:
I prefer doing my own photo transfers over getting a printed photo canvas at a store. You can save up to hundreds of dollars with this method!
Stock up on canvases. I buy my canvases throughout the year when they are sale. Pair it with a 20% coupon and you can get a pack of five canvases for $15.
Use coupons! I used a 40% off coupon at Michael’s to get my gel medium for much cheaper than the normal price. Download an App to your favorite craft stores and use their weekly coupons every time you go shopping.
Print your photos off at the library or Wright Copy. I printed my photos at the Library for under $.10 a photo. Need a photo larger than a regular sheet of printer paper? Skip the library and get it done at Wright Copy. I have printed off poster sized pictures for $.50 cents and less, depending on the size and type of paper chosen.
Don’t feel like going through this process? Print some large pictures off at Wright Copy on their glossy poster paper and stick them in a frame! I have gifted many photos that have been printed on poster paper. Under a frame you can’t even tell the difference!
