DIY: Burned Canvas Photo Transfer Tutorial

By: Kacie McClusky

The Author of L Town Nation.com

~Note to the Hillcrest Reader:

I admit that I originally wrote this tutorial for my own Blog, but  my next image transfer project is going to come from something I find at Hillcrest Thriftstore in Lee’s Summit. So, I wanted to get the creative juices flowing for everyone by posting this tutorial now!  When I was looking around their giant store, I noticed plenty of framed and unframed images that were very inexpensive and very interesting. I love vintage images, so look out for my next tutorial! To make this tutorial work for Hillcrest, I would just make a photo copy of something I found there, then follow the steps below! Thanks and Enjoy! Let’s Get Crafty Together!

~My Photo Story:

I took this photo while on Vacation in New Orleans. I  loved the Irony of the “You Are Beautiful” Written on the ugly old abandoned Factory. I did the cool Instragram filters on it, and it has lived only in my Instagram Account ever since…Until Now! I looked into getting this treasured Instagram image professionally made into a canvas, but it would cost me nearly $100! So, I decided it was time to get crafty.This whole project cost me only $15!!

Because of  the overall mood of the image, I knew I wanted it to look and feel Vintage and Rustic, but I also wanted it to be ORIGINAL. By transferring my own photo to the canvas myself, and finishing it off with this Canvas Burning/Smoke art effect, I effectively turned my instagram photo into a one of a kind, personal, piece of art!

Materials Needed:

• Canvas
• Laser printer Image
• Mod Podge or Gel Medium
• Grill Lighter
• Optional: Foam Roller
• Optional: Paint
• Optional: Spray Sealant

Lets Get Started!

~Print out your image using a laser jet printer. I went to Kinkos for mine. (the Laser jet keeps the ink from running and smudging)

Step 1:

• Use a Gel medium or Mod Podge as an adhesive. Using a Foam Roller or Paint Brush, Apply a Thick Even coat on the Canvas.

**Note:

• Try to apply the adhesive only where the photo is being applied to the canvas, because the adhesive is a little more difficult to burn. But its ok if some gets outside the lines, because you can remove it with a q-tip before it dries.

Step 1 Continued:

•  Using a Foam Roller or your hands, apply the image to the adhesive and try to remove any air bubbles. 
• If you want to achieve the burned edges effect that I did, leave some of the corner edges loose. 
• Let the image dry for several hours or over night.

Step 2:

• Using a Grill lighter, begin to burn the canvas. 
• ** Obviously you should be careful working with an open flame!
• Slow Even Lighter Strokes will “brown” The canvas, while leaving the lighter in one spot will begin to melt the canvas and create some kind of cool holes and “deformities”. 
• It is up to you, how much you want to distress the canvas. Play around with it!
• Burn the edges of the paper that you left loose, letting them burn naturally, so that the effect looks real and natural.

**Important Tip:

• By putting the Canvas at an angle to the flame, this will allow the smoke to saturate the canvas material, making the beautiful “burned” effect, without having to burn all the way through the canvas. Let the smoke do the work!

Step 3:

• Make sure to wipe the extra smoke off with a paper towel or cloth, as only some will soak into the canvas. Repeat the burning process as many times as you want to get the look you are going for. 
• I repeated the burning process twice to get the canvas dark enough that the edges of the photo were well blended.

Step 4 (Optional):

•  You can also do additional painting to blend the edges of the paper so the canvas/image looks like one uniform piece.

 Step 5 (Optional):

• To preserve the Canvas Image, use a spray Finish so as not to smudge your beautiful smoke art. Please note that using a brush to apply a finishing layer may distort the smoke art.

The Finished Product!!

I hope you enjoyed my tutorial. If you have any questions, please leave a comment!

This Tutorial was shared with love by Kacie M, The Author of L Town Nation.

The Housewares Department at Hillcrest Thrift Store in Lee’s Summit has a large variety of glassware including unique bottles and vases that are perfect for this simple craft project. So head on down to the thrift store, grab your hot glue gun, start getting crafty!

1. Get a plain glass or plastic bottle or jug. (these are usually really cheap).
2. Use a hot glue gun to put your custom image, words, or design on it.
3. Use spray paint, in a color of your choice, to spray over it in long even strokes.
4. YOUR DONE! Just let it dry..repeat with another coat of paint if desired.

This Fun Crafty Idea was shared courtesy of: LTownNation.com

DIY Thrift Store Mugs!!

Hillcrest Thrift Store in Lee’s Summit, is a perfect place to find inexpensive gifts that you can personalize, and give for the Holidays. I found this tutorial on DIY Sharpie mugs while surfing the internet and thought I would share it with you all! As you may know, there is a HUGE selection of inexpensive dishes of all kinds in our massive Housewares section! Check it out! This seems like a lot of fun.

 This Tutorial is courtesy of LTown Nation.com. Enjoy

 Materials:

First we went to a thrift store to pick up some inexpensive ceramic mugs. We found that this works better with “non Polished or non Glossy” Mugs. We then picked up some Sharpies and Paint Pens, and some fun stencils ( because we have pretty limited drawing skills..haha).

Draw and Bake:

The basic idea is that you draw your design in sharpie on the mug in whatever way you like. Then you bake the mug(s) at 350 degrees for 30 minutes in the oven to “set” the design.

 The Tutorials:

We bought a total of 5 mugs ( 1 extra than we thought we needed in case we screwed up), and we will take you through the process of a few of them so you can get some ideas, and learn from our process.

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