Painting Over Printed Canvas

Painting Over Printed Canvas
Written By
Ryan Lawrence
Ryan Lawrence
Published: Mar 8, 2010
Updated: Nov 19, 2019
2 minute read

Things You'll Need:

Things You Will Need

  • Heavy-duty fabric drop cloth
  • Water-based acrylic spray paint
  • Craft brushes
  • Pints of water-based acrylic paint
  • Warnings:

    • The ink used during the printing process on canvas is water-based. So, you must use a water-based acrylic paint to coat the canvas. Oil-based paints won't bond well to printed canvas. in addition, they don't offer much flexibility and will crack and chip over time. Never paint printed canvas using oil-based paint or you will end up with disappointing results.

    Printed canvas is ordinary canvas with ink printed on it. Painting over printed canvas should never be a difficult task. You may be dumbfounded if paint applied over a printed canvas begins to bubble and peel soon after work is complete. Unfortunately, if you use the wrong type of paint on printed canvas, this will always be the case. If you need to paint over printed canvas, you must use a specific type of paint or you will see chipping and peeling.

    Lay the printed canvas on a heavy-duty fabric drop cloth. Do not use a plastic drop cloth as this will allow the paint to pool up and can create a mess.

    Apply a base coat by spraying the canvas with water-based acrylic spray paint. Spray in short intermittent bursts, rather than in one long stream to avoid runs in the finish.

    Allow the printed canvas to dry for at least two hours and then apply the design or art you wish, using craft or artists' brushes and water-based acrylic paints.

    Ryan Lawrence

    Ryan Lawrence is a freelance writer based in Boulder, Colorado. He has been writing professionally since 1999. He has 10 years of experience as a professional painting contractor. Lawrence writes for High Class Blogs and Yodle. He has a…

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