DIY Canvas Sign

 

I seriously love subway art signs.  I think they are so fun and cute! A few weeks back I was browsing around on Pinterest (of course!) and etsy, when I came across this sign which I LOVED!

View this item in the owner's etsy shop

The saying is so true, and I loved the combination of small/large/print/cursive letters.  I knew I had to find a way to do this myself!  I had recently acquired a used canvas that someone was getting rid of and had saved it for such a time as this.  I also remembered a technique called "glue art" that I had read about here.  The glue art was interesting because it left a raised, textured look on the canvas.

After deciding on what I wanted, I gathered my materials.  Here is what I used:

• Canvas
• Pencil
• Ruler
• Elmer's Glue or Glue Gun
• Acrylic Paint
• Sponge or Paint Brush

To begin with, I carefully penciled the words onto the canvas, drawing lines with my ruler to keep the text straight.

Next, I slowly traced over the letters with Elmer's glue.  The trick here was to squeeze out the glue slowly and consistently so the line wouldn't "break."

I then set the canvas aside to dry.  Unfortunately, the Elmer's glue had a tendency to spread a little when it dried.  I really wanted those letters to be raised, so I ended up going over them again with a glue gun instead.  This technique worked much better, so I would recommend using a glue gun to begin with.

Once the letters were dry and I was satisfied with their height and texture, I painted over the entire canvas with acrylic paint and one of those sponge brushes.  Because the canvas had been previously painted, it took me 3 or 4 coats to cover it well.  The glue from the glue gun covered pretty well, but showed through in some places. I decided I liked it because it gives it a little bit of contrast.

And that is all folks! The entire project cost me $1.00--the cost of the paint and brush.  I love this sign and currently have it sitting on the floor against a wall in my living room.

What projects have you worked on lately?