Stenciled Canvas Wall Art DIY

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Natural duck canvas swatch with an image of a bunny leaping through ferns and over mushrooms in black. The canvas swatch has frayed edge and it's on a rustic wood table with greenery at the sides. This linocut print design is an original image that can be purchase in my Etsy shop -- https://craftidlydesigns.etsy.com. This whimsical bunny design has a boho feel and the canvas art shown was made by cutting a stencil out of Cricut vinyl and applying black acrylic paint to the canvas.

Make your own unique stenciled canvas wall art with just a few supplies!

For this DIY, you’ll need 10 oz. natural duck canvas, acrylic paint, a precut stencil, or cut a stencil out of vinyl as I did here.

I will warn you, if you make a cut vinyl stencil, transferring the design to canvas is a bit tedious. Vinyl does not adhere well to canvas. I had to use my scraper every step of the way to hold the vinyl in place as I pulled the transfer tape away.

Although this project took time and patience, I love the result and plan to work on a few more stenciled canvas designs… so check back! I’ll post them here soon.

To check out the art used in this project, visit my Etsy shop, Craftidly Designs.

Supplies

  • Natural duck canvas – untreated (I’m using 10 oz. Canvas)
  • Acrylic paint
  • Paintbrushes or foam stencil applicator
  • A precut stencil OR
  • An SVG cut file design
  • A cutting machine (I’m using a Cricut Maker 3)
  • Vinyl (I’m using Cricut Permanent Value Vinyl)
  • Transfer tape
  • Weeding tools: a small scraper, hook weeding tool, and a standard grip mat
  • Scissors or a rotary blade
  • A ruler
  • Foam core board or something to protect your work surface
  • An iron (I used steam on a medium-high)

How to Make Stenciled Canvas Wall Art

STEP 1:

Cut your canvas to size. I’m using a swatch cut 12″ x 14″. Iron out any wrinkles before continuing.

STEP 2:

If you’re cutting a stencil, I recommend cutting it out of permanent vinyl and using a low or medium tack transfer tape to transfer your design to canvas.

Note: I didn’t use stencil vinyl here, the brand I have didn’t stick at all.

Supplies used to create a vinyl cut stencil for a duck canvas wall art project. There is a green Cricut mat, weeding tools, a roll of Cricut white premium vinyl, a roll of transfer tape and an already cut design rabbit leaping through ferns and over mushrooms design.
Cut vinyl rabbit design (white) with TeckWrap transfer tape (clear) in place over top.

Here I’m removing the backing from my cut vinyl layer with transfer tape in place over top.

With transfer tape in place over a vinyl cut design, I am removing the backing to transfer the cut design to canvas.
Removing the backing from the cut vinyl layer.

STEP 3:

Transfer your vinyl stencil design to canvas using a small scraper.

This process will take time– vinyl does not stick well to canvas. Work slowly and use your scraper to release the vinyl and smooth it to the canvas as you go.

The small spots in my design were the hardest to transfer over. If you have a design with intricate details, you may want to consider weeding those out. I’m a little crazy so I worked to keep the tiny spots but I’m sure a few went missing along the way.

Using a small scraper to to release and transfer a vinyl cut stencil to canvas.

STEP 4:

With your stencil in place, use a stencil brush or foam applicator to apply acrylic paint. Remember to protect your work surface before applying paint. Paint may bleed through the canvas.

Using black acrylic paint and a foam stencil applicator to fill in a vinyl cut stencil.

STEP 5:

Peel away the stencil. Use your weeding hook tool to remove small vinyl pieces and let dry completely.

STEP 6:

Once dry, fray the edges of your canvas by pulling out a few strings.

Here I used an old wood hanger as a hook. Not to worry if you don’t have one… you can hot glue a wood dowel to the back (or a branch from outside for a rustic look). A magnetic wood poster hanger would also look great.

If you love this DIY, check out related ideas in the links below!

Natural duck canvas swatch with an image of a bunny leaping through ferns and over mushrooms in black. The canvas swatch has frayed edge and is hanging by a vintage pant hanger on a cream wall with a table beneath with an aqua and green muted book stack, a candle and succulent plant. Learn how to cut a stencil out of vinyl to make similar wall art with a linocut feel.

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MORE HANDMADE CRAFT IDEAS:

Photo showing four snippet photos of wine corks projects and in process photos. One shows succulents planted in a wine cork surrounded holder, boiling wine corks, a patriotic star made from wine corks with little red beads between and a block photo holder.

Learn how to make hand-painted tea towels! These beautifully decorated towels make great gifts.

Read More: Hand-Painted Tea Towels DIY – Free SVG Stencil Art

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