DIY

from Sioux Falls Woman Magazine - April/May 2021

Cover Story

DIY Reverse Canvas with “Hot Mess” Stencil Technique

Story & photos by Emily Olson

Hidden underneath a basic art canvas from any craft store is a classic beveled frame. This project “reverses” the frame and canvas to create framed art for just a few dollars. The frame is not perfect—there will be visible staples in the corners on the exposed front, and most canvas frames also have thin cuts along the inner edges where the wood intersects. So it is important to know this won’t be fine art. Once stain or paint is added to the wood and everything is assembled, those imperfections won’t be noticed!

This is a project that kids of all ages can help with too. You really can’t mess up this “hot mess” technique for stenciling onto the canvas. Give them a paintbrush and let them go.

SUPPLIES

• Mounted canvas • Stencil • Acrylic paint/brush • Staple gun • Screwdriver • Pliers • Scissors

DIRECTIONS

Remove staples from the back of the canvas by prying with a small flathead screwdriver and pliers.

Once the canvas is loose, trace an outline of the frame on the canvas to make a guide for cutting down the canvas. Cut the excess off well inside the traced line to give a margin of 1/4 inch of exposed frame on the back.

Begin to randomly add acrylic paint in multiple colors across the canvas. The example here only uses colored paint in the section where the stencil will be to avoid waste. Don’t worry about being perfect or too deliberate as it is supposed to be a “hot mess.” It will turn out great—don’t overthink it! This butterfly canvas used multiple shades of two colors and a flat sponge brush to create a watercolor effect, but the paint can go on with any kind of brush and in lots of different colors.

Let the canvas dry for several hours to ensure the stencil will not pull off the background paint.

Add the stencil and paint over the stencil and the entire canvas with white paint. It may take additional coats to cover the areas with the colored background.

Remove the stencil as soon as the paint is no longer wet. Leaving the stencil on too long increases the risk of pulling up the background paint layer with the stencil.

Attach the canvas to the back of the frame with a staple gun. Be sure to pull the canvas taught while stapling. n Listing, Buying or Building - You need

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