Canvas Maps

 

       

 

These I made on a hot afternoon a couple of years ago after initially finding out I'd be graduating soon.  With the inevitable end of my 'Ottawa social life' and the impending doom of moving back home with my parents I realized I wanted something to symbolize all my experiences. While I have lots of little knick-knacks such as ticket stubs and .... Well it's mostly ticket stubs (and Facebook photos) I wanted something a little more general and all-inclusive. 

 

I'm not sure where I got the idea of the canvas maps but the project was very easy and I'm proud to say of how happy I am of how they turned out. Here's the directions below: 

What you need: 

- 3 blank canvases (found at Dollarama) 

- a general road map of Ottawa (Staples or Wal Mart) 

- white liquid glue (not glue sticks) I bought a 3 pack from Dollarama

- water (check your kitchen) 

- whisk 

- mixing bowl 

- paper towel 

- scissors 

- painting brush (basic from Dollarama)

- pencil and ruler 

What you need to do: 

Step 1: Choose the three sections you want and trace the canvas on top with a pencil. Do this lightly so the pencil markings won't show up on your finished product. Make sure you put paper towel down around you so as to not get glue on the floor. 

Step 2: Take your ruler and measure 1/2 inch (depending on the thickness of the canvas) around your outlined area. This will allow you to wrap your sections around the canvas so the sides aren't bare. 

Step 3: Cut out each section and place them over each canvas to make sure they fit and placed properly. Now take each section and crumple them up like a bad draft of an essay. This creates the 3D look. 

Step 4: Create your glue paste with a 1:1 ratio of glue and water. So for every amount of glue there needs to be the same amount for water. Example: 1/2 cup of glue = 1/2 cup of water. Mix with the  whisk until completely mixed with no clumps.

Step 5: Position your canvases with your mapped out sections.  Now take the paintbrush and slather your 1:1 glue ratio onto the canvas. Really the more the better. Now quickly take the map and place it on top in all its crunchy glory. Take more glue ratio and slather some more on top of the map for a shiny effect and extra hold. So basically it's the hairspray of your project.  

Step 6: Repeat step 5 for the rest of the canvases. Make sure you glue down the sides of the canvas as we'll so the entire canvas is covered. Allow to dry. 

To hang: Initially I used thumbtacks to hang my canvasses because it allowed me the freedom to easily move them wherever I wanted. But when I moved home I used 3M's with the Velcro (Home Depot) so as to not damage the walls. Their final placement is one inch apart roughly. Voila! Beautiful canvas maps to represent the city I'll never forget.