DIY Hand-painted Canvas Backdrop
DIY Hand-painted Canvas Backdrop Double-sided
I have been thinking about doing this project for quite a while. I have been searching, reading and watching YouTube videos on how to do it. My biggest question was, how would a professional do it? What technique do they use? What materials do they use?
I have never owned a hand-painted canvas of any kind, so it was hard for me to even imagine what a canvas backdrop would feel like.
The most useful information I found here:
http://vukelichphoto.com/blog/2015/11/30/how-to-make-an-oliphant-style-canvas-backdrop
(And I would like to thank Philip Vukelich for such detailed information about his technique.)
Even though I could follow his directions 100%, I still decided to add some other things that might help a canvas backdrop have a longer life. This was one of my main concerns.
A regular canvas must be mounted on a wood frame before it’s painted on. And it will probably never get rolled afterwards, so there is less chance of the paint cracking.
So, what can I use on my huge canvas to prevent the paint from cracking with time?
I found out that some people use acrylic paint for painting fabric sofas or couches, but to make that fabric usable and naturally soft, they HAVE to use a Fabric Medium.
*** Fabric/Textile Medium is white, so it will thin your paint and will also change your color to a lighter shade ***
My canvas wasn’t primed and instead of using dilated gesso, as it was done by Mr. Vukelich, I used Mod Podge Sealer to prevent the paint from leaking through to the other side of the canvas.
Why? Well, I think gesso will give your backdrop more texture and will add more weight to your backdrop. Also, I wanted the other side of my backdrop to simply be white, so I used Mod Podge to seal the canvas.
Also, if you seal the canvas, then you will use less paint and it will be a much smoother painting process.
I couldn’t find Mod Podge Flat/Matte Finish in the large bottle, so I thought if it were gloss, it wouldn’t make any difference since I would be covering it with flat white paint anyway.
Oh, yea, the BIGGEST challenge was to stretch this huge piece of canvas and remove all wrinkles.
My canvas was 96” x 6 yards. I cut it in half - 2.66 yards x
3 yards/each.
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MISTAKE #1: My canvas is heavy-duty so ironing it didn’t help. I tried to sprinkle it with water and iron it and the canvas started to shrink!!! OMG!!! I guess because it is cotton!
I remembered watching a video where a guy was using a sponge
and warm water to remove the wrinkles before priming the canvas. The canvas was
already mounted on a frame. So, I decided to stretch the canvas first.
I have a hardwood floor stage that is about 10 ft x 10 ft
and it’s mounted on plywood because I still have carpet underneath it.
MISTAKE #2: I decided to tape the canvas to my hardwood floor. I might have chosen the wrong tape, but I was afraid to leave any glue residue on my floor. It worked just fine in the beginning but once I applied warm water on the canvas, my tape loosened up and even pins didn’t help. Double and triple tapes layers didn’t help either.
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I wish I could build up a wooden frame but there were too many extra things to buy and no way to bring it home unless I rented a trailer. And I would have needed more time to build it as well.
I found my way out by nailing the canvas to the plywood base that is underneath my hardwood floor.
The canvas was a rectangular shape, so on the 2 opposite shorter sides, I used cotton fabric strips and pins to stretch the canvas.
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Materials for painting:
1) Artist Canvas - #12 Unprimed Cotton Duck/Canvas Blanket (I bought 96” x 6 yards)
2) Plastic Sheeting to protect the floor
3) Mod Podge Sealer and Finish – Gloss - 1 Gallon Jug – I used about ¼ of the jug
4) 2 quarts - Valspar Signature, Latex White Paint Flat. For good even coverage*.
5) 32 oz Ceramcoat Textile Medium (also called Fabric Medium).
You will Mix 1-part Fabric Medium to 2-parts Paint
6) 1 cup of water to dilute the 2 quarts of paint
7) 1 cup of water to dilute the Mod Podge
8) Mixing Bucket**
9) Paint Roller with Pole ***
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*I think if you want to make you backdrop multi-color, 1 quart of base color would be enough, but I would buy 2 quarts or 1 gallon so you have extra if you need it.
**I used a glass jar to mix my paint. I wasn’t sure how much l needed, so I mixed the paint in batches as I went along using the same 2:1 ratio of Paint to Fabric Medium, plus a little bit of water).
***If you don’t want a textured background, this should be the only thing you need.
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Image 4
Directions:
Working time: 3 Hours Waiting Time: 4 hours
1) Lay the Plastic Sheet under the Canvas
2) Stretch and secure your Canvas (Image 1)
3) Use a big sponge or fabric to apply warm water to the canvas surface. Let it dry for 1-1.5 hours (Image 2)
4) Ensure all wrinkles are gone before applying Mod Podge Sealer.
5) Mix 1 cup water with 4 cups Mod Podge Sealer and ¼ cup Textile Medium (Image 3)
6) Use a Painting tray and roller to apply the Mod Podge Mixture
7) Let it dry for 40 minutes to 1 hour
8) Color Paint: I mixed 16 oz of paint + 8 oz of Textile Medium + ¼ cup water (I mixed 4 batches total) (Image 4)
9) After the first layer, I let it dry for about 30 min before adding additional coats.I
1 Hand Painted White Canvas cost me roughly $100.00 in materials
½ Canvas - $27.50. It was on a discount for $55 for the piece (free shipping).
2 quarts of paint - $17/each -$34 at Lowes - https://www.lowes.com/pd/Valspar-Signature-Satin-Latex-Paint-Actual-Net-Contents-31-fl-oz/999989920
32 Oz Fabric Medium - 8 oz for $5.99/each at Hobby Lobby. So, $24 for all. It was the best price I could find) - https://www.hobbylobby.com/Wearable-Art/Paints-Dyes-Adhesives/Adhesives-Tools/Ceramcoat-Textile-Medium/p/20661
Mod Podge – I used about 4 cups - $6.25 from eBay (1 gallon for $25.49)
I had the other items already: pins, cotton fabric (old sheet), nails and hammer, vinyl brush, paint roller, painter pole, and plastic sheeting. I am sure most of the people might have those things in their household already.
Blue - Grey Textured Side of the same Canvas
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border: 2px solid #cfcfcf;
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#gallery-18 .gallery-caption {
margin-left: 0;
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Pictures on white backdrop are coming soon...
If you have any questions? Ask me.
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