I’m sure you would agree with me that every single drawing that comes from little hands is precious! However some drawings are simply too beautiful to go on a refrigerator door – they will soon turn dusty and wrinkled and will eventually be thrown away. For those very special ones, here is an easy way to transfer your kids’ best drawings on canvas and cherish them for years to come, as a real piece of art!
This aquarelle of the Bay Bridge with the San Francisco sky scrapers in the background came home the other day after art class in school ~ it was simply too well done to be forgotten it in a drawer or to be temporarily taped on a wall. Instead, I transferred it on canvas.
Here is how I did it. I used:
You can use a regular canvas or even better you can buy this new type of canvas (photo above) that come with a thick wooden frame; I found them at the craft store and they were 60% off, about $ 7 for a 11 x 14 inches size, a great price for both a canvas and a frame!
The instructions are super easy: First, make a photocopy of the drawing – you absolutely need to do this otherwise the image will not transfer on the canvas. With a foam brush, apply a thick coat of photo transfer medium onto the image side. Reverse the photocopy onto the canvas and press well. Let dry for 24 hours and then rub a wet sponge all over the top of the canvas (on what used to be the backside of the photocopy), until the paper is completely removed and the image appears on the canvas. Here is a video with more details on the process.
When reversing the image on the canvas, make sure to center it well. I did not, so I used the extra space on the right and had the artist add his signature.
It’s now ready to go on the wall!
Whether you use a plain canvas or one with a frame, always get the thicker type of canvas. This one is about 2¼ inches thick, twice as thick as a regular canvas and twice as beautiful.
Here is a close up; the image is perfectly transferred on the canvas. You can use this technique for any kind of drawing, whether it is made with markers, crayons, watercolors or pencils – everything works as long as you use a photocopy of the original drawing.
Don’t let a beautiful drawing slip away in a drawer! It’s not everyday that a young artist gets inspired!
