Tanya Powell, MLIS
A real artist struggle is becoming a better artist. One of the many things that artists with this goal face is a large inventory of paintings. In my own pursuit of improving my painting skills my finished paintings are taking over my art studio. Through the use of coupons at my local craft store several of my favorite paintings have been framed. The cost was lower but still not cheap. Now I have a new problem, limited wall space. My unframed paintings are stored in my over sized portfolio and boxes. My solution is to share my paintings with friends, family or even a customer.
Presenting a finished art project is the best gift. Due to personal preferences for framing options and the cost of such an endeavor limits my gifting a piece of art. A fellow artist suggested applying my watercolor paintings to canvases. I was intrigued with this idea but not enough to try this with one of my paintings. Recently, I have been experimenting with new painting techniques that have filled up my storage boxes. I thought these paintings would make excellent test subjects for this inexpensive framing method.
I was able to purchase 9 x 12 canvases from Michael's during a recent sale. 9 x 12 is also a standard size of watercolor paper, so this was a win win for me. No cutting. I applied Mod Podge with a chip brush to the canvas added my painting. The results were better than I expected and I had a presentable piece of art for a friend.
A few things that I learned doing my first canvas. 1. Even though the 9x12 paper should fit a 9x12 canvas, sometimes it just does not happen. You may have to trim the paper to fit onto the canvas. 2. If your painting was done on cheap paper (not cotton paper), do not apply too much glue, otherwise the painting will buckle, dry and stay that way. 3. Apply the glue all over the canvas first, apply some glue to the back of your painting, make sure you get the corners. 4. Once you apply your art to the canvas turn it over and press the canvas starting in the middle and work out to the corners to get the air bubbles out. 5. Use weights to make sure that the painting adheres to the canvas. In the photo below, I turned the canvas over, placed a book inside. Placed a board to distribute the weight through the boards. A trick I learned repairing library books. The glue sets up quickly. Check after 10 minutes to see if there are air bubbles or wrinkles that need to be fixed. After that time you may remove the weights and let it dry overnight.
A real artist struggle is becoming a better artist. One of the many things that artists with this goal face is a large inventory of paintings. In my own pursuit of improving my painting skills my finished paintings are taking over my art studio. Through the use of coupons at my local craft store several of my favorite paintings have been framed. The cost was lower but still not cheap. Now I have a new problem, limited wall space. My unframed paintings are stored in my over sized portfolio and boxes. My solution is to share my paintings with friends, family or even a customer.
Presenting a finished art project is the best gift. Due to personal preferences for framing options and the cost of such an endeavor limits my gifting a piece of art. A fellow artist suggested applying my watercolor paintings to canvases. I was intrigued with this idea but not enough to try this with one of my paintings. Recently, I have been experimenting with new painting techniques that have filled up my storage boxes. I thought these paintings would make excellent test subjects for this inexpensive framing method.
I was able to purchase 9 x 12 canvases from Michael's during a recent sale. 9 x 12 is also a standard size of watercolor paper, so this was a win win for me. No cutting. I applied Mod Podge with a chip brush to the canvas added my painting. The results were better than I expected and I had a presentable piece of art for a friend.
A few things that I learned doing my first canvas. 1. Even though the 9x12 paper should fit a 9x12 canvas, sometimes it just does not happen. You may have to trim the paper to fit onto the canvas. 2. If your painting was done on cheap paper (not cotton paper), do not apply too much glue, otherwise the painting will buckle, dry and stay that way. 3. Apply the glue all over the canvas first, apply some glue to the back of your painting, make sure you get the corners. 4. Once you apply your art to the canvas turn it over and press the canvas starting in the middle and work out to the corners to get the air bubbles out. 5. Use weights to make sure that the painting adheres to the canvas. In the photo below, I turned the canvas over, placed a book inside. Placed a board to distribute the weight through the boards. A trick I learned repairing library books. The glue sets up quickly. Check after 10 minutes to see if there are air bubbles or wrinkles that need to be fixed. After that time you may remove the weights and let it dry overnight.
The next day, apply a coat of Mod Podge to the front of the painting to protect it. The product I used has a matte finish. There is a high gloss version if you prefer that look. Use a good brush to apply this layer. Make sure there are no streaks, bristles or smudges.
Once the front is dry, add hanging hardware and wire to the back of the frame.
The cost of 8 canvases was $10, Mod Podge with a coupon $5.00 and the watercolor paper averages $1.50 per sheet. This project is well under the $5.00 budget, coming in around $3 each.
This process may not be the method used for all your paintings but for some it is a great option. Another bonus is that you will be able to share your art with friends and family.
This painting is applied to a 18 x 24 canvas, the larger size of this canvas is more expensive but still cheaper than using a frame and mat. The cost for this canvas was around $7.00.
The follow paintings were applied to a 9 x 12 canvases
Thanks for your continued support of this artist on my art journey. God Bless You all.
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Visit this blog posting for more ideas to save money framing your art:
Prints of my artwork available at Fine Art America, here is the link:
Original artwork available on my Artrepreneur page:
https://artrepreneur.com/p/tanyapowell
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