Decorating with Portraits at Infarrantly Creative

This Site is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com.

My name is Beckie, the tri blogger behind Infarrantly Creative, Knock off Décor and Roadkill Rescue.

 

Pop Art or Andy Warhol style paintings or posters are such a bright and fun way to add some color to a kid’s space or playroom. Today I wanted to show you a technique that makes it look like it is actually a painted picture rather than just a poster.

andy warhol pop art

Now I can’t do all the photoshop work so I had Johnnie from Saved By Love Creations do it for me.

I sent Johnnie these pictures of my kids…

IMG_0575

IMG_0595

and she worked her magic and they came out looking like this…

photo(8)

Aren’t they so awesome? I love how she took the picture of my daughter looking upward to look like the sun is shining in her face. We got them printed them out on 20” x 20” poster paper for me from.

IMG_0024

I got some 1” MDF cut to 19” x 19” and painted the edges white then I used some 3M 77 Spray Adhesive to adhere them to the MDF. I sprayed the MDF and the back of the print. It makes it SUPER sticky. Then I placed the MDF carefully on the back of the poster. You definitely want to get it right the first time, there is no replacing it once it is down.

IMG_0025

After it was dry I flipped it over and used an Exacto knife to cut away the excess. Then I used some sandpaper and sanded downward to make the edges look a little worn.

IMG_0026

Then I used the magic stuff. It is called Z-gel, it is a canvas texturizing medium If you google “canvas texturing medium” there are a few other brands, but I got the Z-gel from a local shop for free so I don’t have any secret sources. They use this stuff in frame shops to take $5 poster prints and transform them into what looks like an oil painting. Oh..yah…and then they sell them for $100. Using the lines the print already had, I took a one inch foam brush and “painted” the poster. I tried following the lines and curves that Johnnie created. I created texture where there was supposed to be some definition with simple brushstrokes.

IMG_0027IMG_0030

IMG_0029

Thin strokes are the best. The kind where you don’t even see the white of the glue. This stuff is photo safe and great on posters, prints and giclees. It dries super quick. So if you want to go back and highlight areas later you can. After it as all dry I used screws and wire to create a hangar on the back. It is very important to use screws and not nails when you work with MDF.

IMG_0032

IMG_0033

Now it looks like I painted these myself with oil paints. They have a neat shiny texture to them. I love the way they look hanging in my playroom. It adds some charm and whimsy to my otherwise messy playroom.

IMG_0037 IMG_0038

pop art

 

Privacy Policy