This (nearly) life size project involved taking my flash drive of grad pics to Staples and requesting Architects or Engineers prints (if you have a copyright on your pictures from the photographer, please don't ignore it...my pictures were all taken by a friend who gave me creative license to do what I wanted with them).

Engineering prints are usually about $3.50 but they were having a sale and they were $3, woohoo! The prints are 2' x 3'...very large...perfect for making a statement. They are printed onto regular copy-type paper and they are only available in black and white.

I was initially going to decoupage my pictures onto two canvases, but the price for that size of canvas was well over $30....so I sent Mr DIY to Home Depot to look for some thin, lightweight wood that we could use instead. We meaning I . Just being clear on that 😃

He came home with this weird wood that I'd never seen before called triply underlayment, with the pieces already cut to size. It's a nice thin wood. One 4' x 4' piece was enough for 2 canvases, and cost only $10, making each canvas only $5 each! And there's a nice strip leftover for another project (like a sign).

Supply List for Custom Canvas:

• engineering print
• canvas or wood, cut to size
• ModPodge
• foam brush
• black acrylic paint

(I made 2 canvases for about $26 including all the supplies)
I would highly recommend before you begin adhering your print to your surface with Mod Podge to go online and do a search on Mod Podge Tips. There are YouTube videos and other tutorials that will walk you through how to properly apply it so that you don't get wrinkles. I didn't know this and didn't do it, so my artwork is quite badly wrinkled. Thankfully my darling graduate likes the rather 'grunge' look of it and told me not to worry about it when I was fretting over all the unsightly wrinkles.

So I'll tell you what I did and then I'll show you a mess of pictures 🌝

I brushed on a layer of Mod Podge and laid my print on top and smoothed it out as best as I could and then left it alone to dry (when I make another one, I'll roll my print up from top to bottom and apply it a little at a time, unrolling as I go and pressing to get the bubbles out). Aren't you happy you can learn from my rookie mistakes?!
Once that dried I flipped it over and using a craft knife I cut off the excess paper that was hanging over the edges of my wood. The wood acted as a guide for cutting. Simple enough.

Then I turned it back over, front up, and brushed a layer of Mod Podge on top of the print. I was going for some texture and decided to try a technique for creating texture on canvas I read about on Designer Trapper in a Lawyer's Body by pressing a small canvas directly down onto the wet ModPodge. This did give it a unique look as it dried. The wrinkles interfered a little though.

After that was dry, I brushed black craft paint around the edges of the wood and up onto the print. When  I had it printed at Staples, three edges had a white border so I wanted to cover that up. I gave the whole portrait a hand-painted border of black. I wasn't going for perfection....remember the wrinkles?

Okay, here's some pictures of the process I just described:

You can see the texture that was created by pressing the canvas onto the wet Mod Podge in the picture in the top right hand corner.
This one looks great as the centerpiece of my Graduation Mantle...I mounted the other portrait on a tall display easel just inside the front door.

If you liked these projects, here are a few more thrifty DIY Graduation projects...
My Graduation Wreath has been featured at  Joann.com,  How Does She,  Fine Craft Guild,  A Little Craft in Your Day, Better Homes and Gardens,  Parenting.com