Scavenger Chic

Seed Catalog Canvas DIY

• By Joan
• March 24, 2019
• 8 Comments

A while back when I was painting vintage seed packets, think pumpkins, sunflowers and carrots, I came across this beautiful image is from the Smithsonian Library.  It’s the cover from a seed catalog from 1912.

While the seed packets were hand painted on pallet wood, I wanted a little different technique for this one,  I’m going to just print this picture out on the computer.  That’s right, my 29×42″ piece of art will be printed right from my home computer.   I want it to look like a handpainted canvas but I’m not actually painting anything.

First step is to find the artwork you want to enlarge.  I suggest trying a Google search for this one.  If you look up Vintage Tulip Seed Catalogs you’ll find my picture, but narrow your search a bit more.  You want to find a picture that if you enlarge it still looks crisp and clean, one with a high dpi, dots per inch.  Click on Images, Tools, Size Large.

You could buy a premade canvas frame but did you know you can make your own homemade frame  and it will not only be the perfect size for your project but you can make it for a fraction of the cost of a store bought one.

These are the basic supplies for this project, white tissue paper, 2, 6 foot 1×2’s, some scrap wood and a canvas drop cloth.  I also used modpodge, vintage wax, white paint, a printer, staples and nails.

Each 1×2  was cut into two pieces, 26 and 42 inches long.

Use nails or screws to attach your frame.

Cut scrap wood corners to reinforce and attach with tacks, nails or staples.

The canvas dropcloth (you can actually use any canvas, but this is what I had on hand) is cut long enough and wide enough to be able to staple it to the back side of the frame.

Make sure you IRON the cloth before attaching.

Just like you would cover a chair seat, start stapling in the middle, alternate sides and work your way into the corners pulling tight as you go.

If I was doing an oil paint, I would seal the cloth with artists Gesso, here I’m just painting on flat white house paint.

To the computer.

Like all my overly enlarged projects, I’m once again using Microsoft Publisher.  Here I’ve created a new page size of 29 x 42.5″.  I hope you saved the Smithsonian picture from above, because now I want you to import the tulips to Publisher. Grab a corner of the newly imported picture and stretch it to fit your blank page.

Because of the size of the finished project not every picture will be able to stretch this far without getting super pixely.  The Smithsonian picture has a perfect dpi, dots per inch.

This is the print preview.  My tulips will print out on 16 sheets of paper.

Like my clock plates, I’m printing out on tissue paper.  I printed on tissue paper for the plates so that the tissue paper would bend around the contours of the plate.  This time I’m printing on tissue paper so that the tissue sinks into the crevasses of the canvas.

Cut a piece of tissue paper a couple inches wider and a couple inches longer than a standard piece of copy paper. Iron as many wrinkles out of the tissue as you can. Wrap a piece of copy paper with your tissue, taping in place. If your tissue paper has a shinier side and a flat side, make sure you print on the flat side, it will hold the ink better. It’s ready to use in your printer.

Print out your tulips and trim off any excess.  Be exact as possible.

One row at a time, paint on a light coat of modpodge and carefully lay on your tissue paper pieces butting up the edges with previous pieces.  If one of the pieces gets hopelessly crumpled, (don’t worry, it happens)  just print out that page again and start over.

Press out any air bubbles but be gentle, tissue paper tears easily.

Modpodge over the entire piece.

Every time I do one of these things one of seams just doesn’t come out right.  There is a fix for this without redoing the entire piece.

 Reprint out just the page that has gone askew.  With scissors, cut out just enough of the tissue paper to fit into your gap.  Remodpodge just that strip of tissue paper in place.

This was my fix after drying.

 If you want the  vibrant colors than you are finished at this point.  

I thought my 1912 print looked a little too new. 

I grabbed some vintage wax and painted it on just at the edges blurring it into the center.  The center got no wax at all.

This is that same section with most of the wax rubbed back off.  The wax settles nicely into the canvas crevasses.

While I had the wax out, I also rubbed it lightly over the canvas white painted edge.

Time to hit the computer and look for your perfect artwork.

Happy Spring, stay inspired.

Shared at Between Naps on the Porch

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