Painted Poster

How to Make a Printed Poster Look Like an Oil Painting

I want to make a poster look like a painting, by adding acrylic paints to the poster.

Then after it dries I would like to seal it with a water-based varnish.

I need help from start to finish.

Thanks,

Sallie

How to Turn a Poster into a Faux Oil Painting

Project Materials

• Poster of your choice
• Best-Test Repositionable Spray Adhesive - for mounting and stabilizing the poster (optional)
• Economy chipboard - for mounting and stabilizing the poster (optional)
• DecoArt Americana Acrylic Dimensional Paints - your choice of colors
• DecoArt Canvas Gel Medium
• Krylon Crystal Clear Sealer
• Synthetic Bristle Oil/Acrylic Brushes - two or three of different widths.

Make Sure the Poster Paper Will Accept the Paint

You want to be sure you can paint over the poster without any ink bleed or paper warp. Either test in an inconspicuous spot or be safe and take these two prep steps:

1. Cut a piece of chipboard the size of your poster. Lay on newspaper (preferably outdoors). Apply spray adhesive. Position your poster atop the chipboard. Smooth out any bubbles and let dry.

2. Spray two coats of Krylon Crystal Clear over the entire poster and let dry.

The Fun Part - Paint

Acrylic paints are great for their ease of clean-up but, by themselves, they don't look or work like oils.

If you want an oil-painted look, you'll love DecoArt's Canvas Gel medium. Canvas Gel mixed with acrylic paint gives a more dimensional look and enables layering of paint.

It slows drying time for maximum workability, and enhances blendability.

Have fun here. Use different brush widths and strokes to mimic the look of an oil painting.

If you've never painted before, study some oil paintings before you begin. Think of this as advanced paint-by-numbers.

The Finish

Allow your work of art to dry for four to five days before sealing.

If you have used the Canvas Gel medium, you must seal; but you'll probably want to anyway. The finish coat protects your poster.

Krylon Crystal Clear's gloss finish does not yellow with age yet imparts a nice professional glow to your work. Two or three coats should do.