Do you have any old black and white photos from your family and you don’t know what to do with them. Today I want to show you the easy steps I used to turn an old photographs into art. Here’s what you need for this project:
how to turn black and white photos into art
Photo enlargement from office supply store
The first step is to have your photo enlarged. I have a scanner, so I scanned the photos to my computer and saved them as jpeg files. However, if you just have your old photos and cannot save them as a jpeg on your computer, you can still do this project. You could also use your phone camera to take a picture of the old photo. Or, you can take the photo to your local office supply store and have them scan and save the image for you.
Choose the size canvas you will be using. For this project, I used an inexpensive 16″ x 20″ canvas. Now that you know the finished product size, you can order the appropriate size engineering print or smaller copy from the office supply store. I like to do as much at home and order my prints online from Office Max. Or, you can have them shipped to you or pick them up in store.
Now that you have your 18″ x 24″ enlargement, pour some Mod Podge into your mini roller tray. Start at the top of your canvas and apply an even layer of Mod Podge down about two inches from the top. Carefully place your print onto the Mod Podge and smooth out any air pockets. Once you have smoothed out any wrinkles and air pockets, you can apply two more inches of the Mod Podge to the canvas and continue slowly working your way down the canvas, smoothing and removing air pockets as you go. I learned by trial and error that you get way too many wrinkles and air pockets when you Mod Podge the entire canvas at once and then apply the print. It is nearly impossible to get out all the wrinkles and air pockets when you do it that way.
Next, apply some Mod Podge to the sides of the canvas and wrap the print up and over each side. For the top and bottom, I wrapped the print like a present by folding over the two sides and then wrapped the print over the canvas and used more Mod Podge to attach the wrapped print edge to the frame.
Next, I decided I wanted to give the front of my canvas some texture. I used the small paint roller again and applied a layer of Mod Podge on top of my print. I did one layer, but if you want more texture; you could apply a second or even third Mod Podge layer – letting the Mod Podge dry between each application.
how to display your art
Here’s one of the finished pieces that I have hanging in my home. I originally shared this project way back in 2013 and I still have this piece hanging in my home! The image above is from 2013 and I used a black ribbon to hang it in my living room! The image below is a more current shot of this canvas in a barnwood frame in my upstairs hallway. This is a photo of my mom with her parents and she’s holding a cat! Which is so appropriate, because she grew up to be a crazy cat lady! And, I think she passed that on to me!
I hope that you enjoyed this easy DIY. Of course, you could also order a photo canvas of an old black and white photo, but it wouldn’t include the texture and slight imperfections that this tutorial provides. For that reason, I like the finished product using this method over a printed canvas.
If you like this post, here are some other DIY projects with photos you might like!
Such a great idea–thanks for sharing how you did it!
That really is a neat project! I love your results! Hugs!
Beautiful job! They look great!
I love this project Doreen! It's beautiful and so personal! And I love that your projects are so doable and thrifty too! I can't wait to try this! Thanks for sharing!
This is a beautiful art project, full of love and heart. I love it! Blessings and joy to you and yours!
What a GREAT project! Everything you could want…inexpensive, easy, clever, and personal!! Also, what a great gift for a mom, memory of a loved one, etc. I'm going to use this idea as a wedding gift. You are so talented! Thanks for sharing.
Not really Anonymous…just don't have a blog.
Meri
Just made two for Christmas gifts and they turned out awesome!
This is awesome. I have made faux mirrors before, but this is even better. Love it. Don’t you love it when you put your heart and soul into a project and your husband has a comment like your did? Mine usually says “it’s nice”. Disappointing when you were hoping for a cartwheel or something like it. Haha
Great job. Sue
Doreen,
This is a really fabulous art idea! It gives vintage photos an even more special feel!
I love this!! I’ve already thought of some photos I want to try this with! What a great and thrifty way to add large photos! Thanks, Doreen!
What a great way to bring those old memories back to life. And hey, great family gifts.