DIY Storybook Canvas Art

When the kids were growing up reading stories was always part of our night time routine; we usually had new books to choose from but there were a few favourite storybooks that were read often.  In preparation for our newest addition I wanted to create something meaningful to display in the nursery using something that had meant so much to me as a parent and fond memories attached to it.  I chose to create Storybook Canvas Wall Art with pages out of one of the older kids favourite books from when they were growing up. You can use anything you want but the stiffer the paper, the better your canvas art will turn out.

Materials

• Blank canvas in the sizes you prefer – the dollar store sells canvas but usually only in small sizes; I bought mine from Michael’s
• Images you will use for your art – I chose two pages out of a favourite storybook.
• Scissors or paper cutter
• Modge Podge
• Paint for the background
• Paint brushes – two larger one for the background and one for smoothing; one smaller one for the modge podge application
• Small sponge for blending
• Picture hanging hooks – if your canvas does not already have hooks

Instructions

• Paint the canvas – Using the larger paint brush, paint the entire canvas background. I used leftover latex indoor house paint but your could purchase and use any colour of choice for this project.

• Cut and crop your images – I prefer to use a paper cutter to ensure exact measurements and straight lines but if you have a steady hand, you can use scissors to trim the images to fit the canvas. If you are using more than one image canvas in the same size, you will want to make sure they are cropped the same size.

• Modge Podge your images to the canvas – After you let the background paint on your canvas dry completely (I recommend waiting at least 24 hours), use your smaller paint brush and paint a thin layer of Modge Podge on the back of the image, quickly flip the image over and place it centered on the canvas. Smooth out any bubbles using a dry paint brush and let set for about 10 minutes to allow the image time to stick to the canvas. Next, paint Modge Podge over the entire surface of the image and smooth out any bubbles with the same brush(not the dry brush). Do not over brush the image or the wet paper may start to tear.  If you see any bubbles forming underneath the image and the modge podge is still wet, you can use a small pin to puncture the holes and smooth again with your brush. The single puncture will not be noticeable when it dries.

• Blend the images to the canvas – After the Modge Podge has dried completely, gently sponge dab some paint that you used for the canvas background around the edges of the image to blend. You may want to dab the excess paint onto a paper towel before blending, you can always add more if you don’t have enough to blend. Allow to dry completely before you place the hooks on the back of the images.

•  Hang your new storybook wall art – Attach the hooks centered at the top of the back of the canvas to hang.  If you prefer not to hang these, they would look great arranged on a shelf with some other ornaments and decor.

I chose pages out of the kids favourite storybook but you could really use anything to match this canvas art to any decor, decorated scrapbook paper, designer fabric and photography book images are only a few ideas.  Have fun with it. Leave a comment with your link to your finishes projects; I’d love to see them.

If you enjoyed this DIY project or are planning on trying it, please share it on your social media networks and pin the finished project image.