It is actually pretty easy and a great and inexpensive way of turning your own photography into a unique piece of artwork. The smudged ink creates a wonderful aquarelle look.
This photo of the star-spangled banner will be one in a series of gifts for my sister who had been to New York and Miami recently and now is a huge fan of both cities. Here is the original picture that i took at the Beach Patrol Headquarters in South Beach in 2009:
And this is what i want it to look like in the end. Nice pop of colors after playing around in Picasa:
However, the final result will be less colorful because most of the ink gets peeled off.
Now let's move on to the tutorial.
Materials:
- canvas ( who would have guessed?)
- photo ( obviously)
- inkjet printer and one sheet of regular printer paper ( copy paper)
- Mod Podge, or in my case the homemade equivalent. I simply call it glue.
- a good paintbrush. Don't take one that loses one of their hairs every three seconds or you will end up having those nasty little bristles all over your canvas
- a credit card or similar. I used my Ikea Family card and i'm pretty sure you have one, too!
- water, old towel and a cloth or sponge
Logically, the canvas should not be larger than your image section.
Instructions:
The most important step before you print the photo is to mirror it and adjust its size according to the measurements of the canvas. And i already mentioned that the colors will turn pale, so it makes sense to increase the saturation just a little bit. I use Picasa to edit and Irfan View to print my pictures, both are free and easy!
So, print the photo and cut off the white margin.
Apply a blob of glue and generously cover the entire surface of the canvas.
Place your photo on the canvas with the print side facing down.
Now carefully straighten the surface with your credit card or use your finger or paintbrush to smoothen any bumps and wrinkles. I actually liked them in this case and thought they might add an interesting touch. It's a distressed style after all.
So i pressed them down just a little bit but did not flatten the paper completely.
Up next cover the entire canvas with another coat of glue ( again, carefully or the paper will rip as you can see in my photo above) and let it dry over night. It dries faster if you put it on or near a radiator.
Once the glue is dry, wet and dab the surface with a cloth or sponge, let it soak up the water, then start rubbing the corners of the canvas. It can take a few minutes before the paper begins to peel off but once it does you can easily rub it down and even pull off larger fractions. Continue until the entire canvas is paper-free and don't hesitate to damp it again should it become to dry.
This step takes approximately 30 minutes, depending on how well the paper sticks to the canvas.
Now wipe away all those tiny paper shreds with a towel or your hand, let the canvas dry again completely and scrape off any remaining paper crumbs with your fingernail.
Lastly, apply a thin coat of ( matte) Diamond Paint Finish or Crystal Clear Spray ( e.g. Krylon) to seal the ink, intensify the colors and protect your artwork from yellowing.
And that's it!
This project is linked up to my favorite Linky Parties