5 Crafts You Can Create With a Canvas

We are all getting a little bored these days while we are waiting for quarantine restrictions to be lifted. While it may feel like there is very little left to do, we can still make use of the remaining time and our creativity to create beautiful artwork to put up in our rooms at home or our dorm rooms away at college. Many people only think of painting when they consider crafting with a canvas but there are a plethora of crafts you can complete on a canvas that do not involve paint. Read on to find out some of the best birthday presents you can create for your friends or family and make your canvas a functional piece in your dorm room or bedroom.

1. A Painting (The Obvious)

This may sound like the obvious choice but painting on a canvas can be very therapeutic and the output is a beautiful decoration for your living space. Buy a larger canvas and paint something meaningful to you like your school mascot or an outdoor space or scene with lots of great memories. You can also invest in a set of smaller canvases and create a series of paintings like your favorite pictures, logos, mascots or the letters of your name and display these individually throughout your household or dorm room or individually.

2. A Magazine Collage

A magazine collage is another way to make use of a collage and put your creative mind to the test, placing and positioning different photographs and cutouts how you see fit. Start by collecting a group of newer or vintage magazines and flip through the pages to gather some inspiration for your collage. Depending on the dimensions of your collage, cut out roughly 10-15 photographs that fit your theme with a straight edge (cleaner lines and easier to pop out). The next step is to position your images on the canvas and move them around to feel out how you want your final product to turn out. Next, begin applying gloss Mod Podge to your base images and apply them to your canvas. Continue to layer the images until you like how your collage looks. Next, decorate you collage with additional smaller images or other cutouts that lay flat. Apply a thick layer of the gloss Mod Podge over your entire canvas once you have completed your decorating. Let this dry and continue to doctorate with rhinestones, other jewels or 3D objects as you please.

3. Create a Series of Your favorite Logos or Meaningful Images

Another way to get creative with canvases is to buy a pack of 3”x5” of small canvases and create a series that you can display in you room at home or for dorm room decor at college. Begin by conceptualizing your idea. For example, you can decorate your canvases to display your favorite logos or clothing brands like a canvas dedicated to a Louis Vuitton logo, one for Chanel, YSL or whatever speaks true to you and your style. You can also dedicate each small canvas to a letter in your first name and decorate them each differently. Get creative with paint and color. Blend and create an ombre effect or swirl to create a tie dye look. Add some glitter, feathers or splatter some paint to make the canvas edgy and more your style. There are many ways to create a series of small canvases which can be displayed throughout your living space or all together.

4. Use Markers to Draw/Create a Powerful Message

Many people do not know this but markers can also be used on canvas in addition to paint to create a colorful and fine-lined look. Grab your everyday makers and create a pattern on your canvas that you may have not been able to accomplish with paint. On top, use the fine point tip of markers to your advantage to write a meaningful message to you or your family with beautifully-dedicated calligraphy. Keep in mind that markers will still bleed on canvas so be careful not to press too hard!

5. Get Creative With Stencils and Press-Ons

Another way you can use a canvas in a not-so-traditional way is by using stencils to create a visually appealing piece if you are not the best sketcher. Collect some stencils that you have laying around from your kindergarten crafting days or purchase some newer, edgier ones from Amazon.com and begin to loosely sketch out how you want your canvas to look on a piece of paper. After this, lie your stencils on your canvas one by one and trace your designs with a pencil. Once you have finished tracing, use colored pencils, markers or paint to fill in the line marks. Let this dry and begin to decorate your canvas with rhinestones, buttons, other fabric or however you want your canvas to display. One way to make a canvas functional is to use it as a jewelry holder. You will need a pretty sizable and durable canvas to hold these up but there are only a few simple steps to this project before it is ready to be hung on the wall for display. First, paint or decorate your blank canvas however you please. You may not want to use many 3D objects before just so you can create enough space for your press-ons. Next, press on or glue gun about two or three metal or strong plastic rods onto your canvas and let this dry. Hang up your canvas on your wall and layer a few necklaces or bracelets over the rods. Now you have the perfect wall jewelry holder!

The Bottom Line

Many of these projects are some you would never consider using on a canvas but because of this, can be a unique decoration to your dorm room or living room. Many of these crafts can also serve as the perfect birthday presents for your friends and family like the wall jewelry holder. Essentially, there are so many projects you can complete with just a simple canvas; use your imagination and use them however you see fit!