Making Your Own Lightweight
Painting Panels
For Less $$$$
by Brian Blood
I make my own paint panels and save big
money in the process.
It's easy…and fun, too!
You only need a few simple supplies to get started.
Here are 8 simple steps to get you off and running….
Step 1: Supplies
• Elmers Wood Glue
• Throwaway Brushes
• Roller
• Canvas (pre-primed) cut to size
• 1/4" Birch Sheets, cut
to size
• Masonite Sheets
• Razor Blade
• Table saw (optional)
• Weights
Find a spot where you can easily lay out all supplies
and allows an ample work area. Pre-cut your canvases and
panels to the size you wish. Birch sheets come in 4’
x 8' lengths. Any lumberyard will have them. If you don't
have a table saw, have the lumberyard cut them for you.
There will be an additional cost, but obviously necessary.
Cut your pre-primed canvas to size, giving yourself about
an extra inch around so wood panel will float inside.
Step 2: Gluing
Apply the wood glue to the board. Don't apply too much,
as you'll have problems later.
Step 3: Spreading the Glue
Using your throwaway brush and a small container of
water, add a generous amount of water to the surface
and begin to spread the glue around the board. A swirling
motion will easily dissolve the glue and make it very
spreadable. With the same brush load of glue, apply
it to the backside of the canvas as well.
Step 4: “Evening” the Glue
After dissolving the glue, makes sure it is evenly spread
to both the board and backside of the canvas.
Step 5: Aligning
Sandwich the two surfaces together, centering the board
and allowing the canvas to overlap.
Step 6: Burnishing
Using your roller, start in the center and roll out
to the edges to burnish out any air bubbles. Check the
surface for any imperfections. It should be completely
smooth.
Step 7: Covering
I then take some oversized, smooth sheets of Masonite
and use those to lie over the canvas. Have many of these
sheets available because you’ll need one for each
board you make. The idea is to stack them up---board,
Masonite, board, Masonite, etc.
Step 8: Applying Weight
When you’re done stacking all your boards, put
some heavy weights on top of them to apply pressure
while the boards are drying. I used to use a lot of
books or anything heavy to accomplish this. Now, I use
an old weight set and it works great. Let dry overnight
and then take a razor blade and trim off the excess
canvas… and you’re ready to go!
Brian Blood is an award-winning artist residing
in the Monterey Bay area of California.
See information and paintings by Brian on his website:
www.brianblood.com
