Botanical Canvas Wall Art

Irma | mycreativekneads
by Irma | mycreativekneads
6 Materials
$25
1 Day
Medium

Before you get rid of that old wall art, why don’t you consider refreshing it by painting and giving it a new look. I turned this old Tuscan styled canvas frame into a French country inspired botanical wall art.

The before

I purchased this about 17 years ago when my home decor was very Tuscan inspired. I loved it then but it no longer fit into my new look. If you’ve seen some of my other DIY projects you’ve probably read that before I get rid of anything I try to refresh it and give it a new look so I can use it one last time. This canvas frame is very large, about 58 in X 44 in. I first thought of a light application of joint compound to cover the dark colors but I opted to go straight into painting it.

The paint

After painting a sample swatch, I decided to not apply Joint compound because I loved the texture the paint took on after it was applied directly to the canvas. It immediately took on a cracked aged look, which I loved 😍 I gave it 2 light coats of Burnished Clay by Behr paint. I love this color and use it as a base coat for most of my neutral colored projects. I then applied a very light coat of dark wax by American Paint Company. I applied it using a brush and then rubbing it using a lint free cloth.

The borders

Before I started painting, I taped the existing yellow border because I knew I’d want to use that to frame my botanical plant. After I applied the paint and while it was still a little damp, I removed the tape and allowed the paint to fully dry.

The border

I painted the border Jet Black by Behr paint using a thin brush to make sure I stayed in between the lines.

Banana Leaf

Before I begin with what I did, let me explain what my initial plan was. I was going to tack this banana leaf directly onto the canvas and that would’ve been the end of my project 💁🏻‍♀️ However, after placing the leaf on the canvas, I just wasn’t feeling it! It looked too predictable, I wasn’t feeling the color of the leaf and it felt very fake, if you know what I mean. I decided to sleep on it and start with a fresh mind the following day. So, the next morning, I decided I’d use the leaf as a stencil by applying paint to the back of the leaf and pressing it onto the canvas. I used Fresh Mint chalk paint by American Paint Company as my base color. I won’t lie, I was a bit nervous but thought the worse that can happen is I’d have to paint over it.

Stenciling the leaf

I painted the back side of the leaf instead of the the front because I liked the veins on the back side more than the front. After lightly painting it, I applied it onto the canvas and pressed gently to ensure I didn’t smudge the paint

The stencil

This is what I was left with after removing the leaf. I didn’t think it was bad. It was a great starting point but I knew I would be shading it and adding some dimension using various other colors.

Shading

I first combined 2 colors by American Paint Company, Fresh Mint and Freedom Road. I mixed both together and began shading near the stem. I also used a little of the dark wax over both colors, not too much though. I still wanted more dimension so I headed over to hobby lobby to purchase some acrylic paints.

The color palate

Besides using the dark wax, these were all the colors I used to create dimension to the leaf.

Banana Leaf in French Script

I’m a lover of French Country decor so I decided to write “banana leaf” in French. I was out of ink and didn’t feel like going to the store so I decided to make due with what I had on hand. My PC, paper and a pencil. I used the reverse method of stenciling the words onto the canvas. I first traced the words onto the paper by placing the paper on my PC screen...

Reverse transfer

Then with a pencil on the back of each letter, I scribbled and shaded over the letters. This kind of creates a carbon like paper so you can then trace it on the right side of the paper, transferring the lead/writing onto the canvas. I will show you in the next photo.

Tracing the letters

So, now the scribbled/shaded side is facing down and you then trace your letters onto the canvas...make sure to secure it with tape so it doesn’t move and smudge.

Voila

Next, remove the paper and voila, that’s how you transfer the letters over to your canvas or any surface you want to write on. I like using this method because you can customize any font and any size you want for your project. Typically though I just print the wording using my printer and then shade and trace...

More paint

I then painted my letters. I chose gold so it stands out because my walls are very high 15 to 18 feet in some areas.

Refreshed

Here is the completed project, I love how it turned out! I know some will think I was crazy to paint over the existing photo but after having it for so many years, I thought it was time for a change 💁🏻‍♀️ this way I can still enjoy it.

In its place

Hung and ready to be displayed 🙂 I really love it! Now off to do the same with the second Tuscan canvas 💁🏻‍♀️Happy DIYing and if you want to see more of what I do, please come visit me on Instagram at  https://www.instagram.com/mycreativekneads/

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