How to Make a Canvas Print with Text Words
by Cody Johnson | Sep 11, 2012 | Art & Decor
Is there a certain quote, bible verse or song lyric that you absolutely love? Maybe it applies to your family or just your personal outlook on life so perfectly that you find yourself referring to it over and over again. Well, why not make a canvas print with these words? Word art can create a fun and unique impact on your home's decor and what is even better is that this is something that is coming directly from you and your family. Printing words on canvas gives this project a special meaning...it isn't something you picked up in a store...this is something you can create and it is easier than you think. We are here to show you how to make a canvas print with text words too. There are a few things to consider when making your word art canvas print.
- The words you are putting on the canvas. What kind of emotion do the words convey? Love, laughter, joy, romance, silly...answering this question can help you with the next step.
- The font of choice...I have posted on here before of my addiction to fonts. Yes, I have a problem...they say the first step is admitting you have a problem. Your font choice is key to making this something that will stand out and make an impact. My web site of choice to find that perfect font is dafont.com. I will go over what different styles of fonts there are and what they communicate.
- Color...Choosing a background color and a color for your font is a personal choice. When printing words on canvas, you definitely want to choose colors that will go with your décor or maybe add a little splash of color to an area that needs it. You can head over to Colourlovers.com for some great color palettes to be inspired.
Step 1 - The Words
Of course this is a completely personal choice. So it is completely up to you. There are no limitations on length. It can be as short as a 2-3 word phrase or as long as a favorite sonnet or soliloquy from a play or movie. My choice for this example are the lyrics to one of my favorite songs, "Do Wa Diddy Diddy Dum Diddy Do".
Step 2 - Choosing a Font
Probably the longest part of the project will be choosing a font. It is very important because the font has to convey the feeling you want the words to have. The font will make your canvas print noticed by everyone...they will all say, "That is so cool! Where did you get that?". And you can say, "I made it!"....and maybe you can mention us too, that would be very nice if you did :-D Sorry, back to choosing a font. There are several different classifications of fonts depending on what site you are on. I break them up by:
- Serif - Can give a feeling of tradition, news print, book printing and even typewriter printing. My favorite serif font right now is Modern No. 20 - it has that tradition feel with a little bit of flair
- Sans Serif - Can feel a little more modern. Helvetica, Century Gothic and Impact are all examples of Sans Serif fonts. Impact can be bold so I caution against using it for a longer quote on a canvas. I do love my Helvetica.
- Script (cursive fonts) - You will find several variations of cursive fonts, but generally they class up the joint. Also associated with script fonts is romance, and elegance. Lavanderia is my fave script font at the moment.
- Handwritten - Comes in both print and cursive. For a more informal feel to your words this may be the way to go. Try to find one that matches what your writing style might be (or hope to be if you have chicken scratch).
- Decorative - Pretty much everything in between. Can include: fancy, retro, curly, medieval, stencil, western...the list can go on and on. If you like the decorative option that is great. The key is to pick something that you will love and is readable. These are great for simple phrases like mine.
I chose a font called
Romantiques that I downloaded off of dafont.com. It is a decorative font that I think conveys the fun of the lyrics that I chose for my canvas.
Step 3 - Color choice
Again, this is totally up to you. I am choosing to go with a little funky color scheme: Greenish blue, gray and yellow. Oh and don't be afraid to include a photo in this too. You can overlay text on top of a photo in Photoshop or Photoshop Express. Or you can give us a call and we can do it for you.
I am going to add one more step - Layout
I am taking the easy road here and going with a centered layout. But I could have tried to do a block layout where all my lines are the same length. If you include a photograph you can overlay your text right over your photo or set it off to the side. There are so many options that you can really let your creativity run wild with your design.
Here we go. This is my finished canvas print with text. If you like this piece and would like it for your own email me at support@canvaspress.com. Or if you want help learning how to make a canvas print with words, email us or give us a call at 888.784.5553.
