Canvas Prints are big business at the moment, with thousands being sold for gifts in the UK every day. Recent increase in popularity towards artists such as Andy Warhol and street artist Banksy have greatly influenced design and fashion trends, with many top interior designers using Canvas Prints in their designs. This increase in popularity has spurred many on to get creative and try their hand at creating their own personalized Canvas Wall Art.
This article will guide you through 4 simple steps so that you too can create fantastic canvas prints and will explain how to make it for public display:
Step 1: Choose and Image
Possibly the most important step when creating your very own personalized Canvas Print is to choose the right image. When selecting your photograph to transform into a Canvas Print you should ask yourself a few questions. Is your photo one that you will be happy to see every day? Will it fit in with your home’s decor? Is it of a high enough quality to justify spending money on it, in order to transform it into a wonderful canvas print? If the answer to these questions are all “Yes!” then move on to step 2. If you are struggling for ideas, but really wish to add a canvas print to your home, then popular ideas include; family photos, pets, landscape photos, hobbies and interests. You can easily check how will your canvas look like by canvasprints.com. They provide an online tool to check your image online on canvas. Once you have an image or photograph you can further personalize it by customizing and editing it using that tool. By being creative you can end up with some amazing results, and the best part is, it will be completely unique!
Step 2: Print Image
Your next step is obviously to have your photo or image printed onto canvas. The easiest way to do this is to take your image down to your nearest specialist printing company, who will have your image printed onto high quality canvas within a couple of hours. However, depending on the size of the canvas, it is possible to complete this step at home but you will need to own a printer capable of printing onto canvas. You can check this by referring to your printers Manufactures Manual. You will also need to purchase some canvas or poly canvas sheets to print onto. Read your printers manual carefully and follow the steps that guide you through the set up for printing onto canvas. Once your print is complete you must wait for the ink to completely dry before continuing to step 3.
Step 3: Stretch and Frame Canvas
Now for the technical bit, once your canvas prints are dry you need to stretch and frame them. Canvas Prints are traditionally stretched over a wooden frame, this keeps the canvas tight and makes for a smooth and professional looking finish. The key to stretching a canvas is to keep the canvas tight, you can buy tool that will assist in this. As a benchmark, when properly stretched a canvas print should sound like a drum when tapped. Again, you can take your Canvas to a professional who will be able to do this for you. However, if you are feeling creative and wish to do this by yourself it is possible, but may take practice. Neatly fold the canvas around your wooden frame, using a staple gun secure one side of the canvas to the frame. Then, using special canvas pliers, pull the canvas tight, and secure again using the staple gun. Once secured on all sides, and the canvas is tight, cover the staples with a strong masking tape for a neat finish. You can then opt to frame your canvas or leave it as it is and hang it up. Framing looks great if your image is of an artistic nature, but many prefer the modern look of an unframed canvas print.
Step 4: Hang Canvas
Finally, it is time to hang your new canvas photo print. Hanging your finished Canvas Wall Art is easy, it is just like hanging any other painting or mirror. There are many effective methods. You can use a painting hanging set, mirror plates, or 3M Command Strips, all are readily available at any respectable D.I.Y shop. The hardest part of hanging your canvas print will be choosing the perfect place to show off your new, fantastic Canvas Wall Art!
How to Make It for Public Display
Proud parents often want to have their children’s photos enlarged onto canvas prints to create beautiful display stands to place prominently around their homes. While this is definitely a wonderful way to retain memories and provide a joy for years to come, canvas prints can be a little expensive. This makes it important to choose the best photos for the enlargements.
Before placing pictures on display stands, consider how a small photo will appear on a 210 mm by 297 mm frame. Some pictures are great in a photo size presentation, but lose quality when enlarged. The best preparation for converting images to canvas prints starts before the snap of the camera.
How pictures look on display stands has much to do with how the subject of the canvas prints is represented. A good photo does not necessarily have a central point of interest, but that depends on what is represented in the shot. A landscape shot can have a great many features, while a personal photo should focus on a person or persons.
A good case for a bad display would be a picture of someone involved in a sporting event. If the person is pictured from a distance, certain elements may catch the eye instead of the individual. It would be a waste to put these types of photos on canvas prints because the casual observer would probably not recognize the intended subject of the picture.
Focusing on the primary object is the objective for most photographs. Background items might be in soft focus or even blurred, but the person in the shot should be well detailed. Cameras with auto focus can pick up the wrong central figure and may not make the best separation for definition.
When a digital image is viewed on a computer monitor, imperfections of the shot become evident. If a person has software to manipulate the data, some corrections can be made to improve the printed image. This has rescued many photos and allowed them positions on display stands.
Another reason for altering a photo might have nothing to do with cleaning up the picture. Instead, adding a filter to give a dramatic effect or even incorporating other images to add other dimensions can transform a good photo into one that absorbs the viewer. The sought-after result of a “doctored” picture is to make it more pleasing or interesting to those who see it.
No matter how well you may love a photo of someone, it does not always make the best display. An out of focus and/or dimly lit picture of a dear friend or family member can have very special meaning to you, but it might be a total loss for most other people who might see it or similar pictures on display stands. It is always important to pick the photos with the truest colors and proper lighting for canvas prints.
You should consider what the majority of other viewers will think when they see your displayed images. Art appreciation is best when it comes from places other than just from the artist.
