Easy Art Ideas Using Canvas
Canvas material (made of cotton, linen or other synthetic fiber) can be bought in craft stores by the yard. Available in a variety of colors, it can be used in many craft projects, and can provide a fun pastime for all ages. You can create projects with inexpensive materials and can recycle old items using canvas.
Turn an Old Picture Frame Into a New Art Canvas
Canvas bought in neutral, white, or off-white pigments can be made into paintable or mixed media art canvases. You can do this easily by recycling an old wooden picture frame. First remove the glass and any old pictures from the wooden frame (keeping the cardboard inside). Cut the canvas two inches inches larger than the picture frame, so if your frame is an 8 inches by 10 inches, cut the canvas into 10 inches by 12 inches. Stretch the canvas over the old picture frame, and using a staple gun (or a hot glue gun) affix the fabric tautly to the underside/inside of the old picture frame. The canvas is ready for paint, mixed media design, or the like.
Make a Canvas-Covered Dream Journal From an Old School Binder
Find a common three-ring school binder. Measure the binder and cut your canvas (suggest dark blue or medium blue) fabric large enough to cover the binder outside. You should measure it so you will have enough leftover to "gift wrap" and tuck the extra inside the inside covers. You will need a hot glue gun or brush-on craft glue to do this; it may require some drying time. After the material dries, measure the inside flaps and cut more canvas to cover the inside flaps and glue this down.
Once dry, the canvas will allow you a nice paintable surface to paint. You can use nontoxic white, yellow, black, and gray paints to compose a cloud and moon theme. Make billowy clouds with gray and black outlines, and a big yellow moon. Choose three abstract paint colors, perhaps hot pink, neon green, and orange, and paint your name somewhere on the journal along with the word, "DREAM."
The journal can be used to keep notes of your dreams with easy-to-refill binder paper.
Make a Mixed Media Canvas Scrapbook from an old Binder
You will need a light-colored piece of canvas and a common three-ring school binder. Refer to Section 2 and follow instructions for covering it with the canvas fabric using a hot glue gun or craft glue.
Once this is covered in a light color canvas, it is now ready to paint or use in mixed media design. Some people like to attach foam letters, pictures from magazines, glitter, or simply paint it with a picture.
You may also want to have this scrapbook for a special reason, say your boyfriend or your first baby. For a boyfriend, paint a big heart on the front and attach a photo of both of you inside, painting your names around it . For your new baby, draw a huge stork, and paint it with non-toxic paints, and have the stork holding a photo of your baby in its beak.
Holiday or Special Occasion Canvas Doorstop Using Old Brick
Find an old brick laying around and cover it with canvas. Gift wrap the brick with canvas, so that your brick lays horizontal, and the excess has been tucked and hot glued neatly underneath. If you do not have a hot glue gun you can use craft glue but it may require more drying time. Since canvas is easily paintable, decorate using nontoxic craft paints. Use a holiday theme and give to someone in honor of the special holiday. Use a nautical theme to prop open the door on your summer cottage. Decorate with a car and give to Dad to hold open his workshop door.
