DIY Chunky Art Panel

If you have ever priced the popular chunky style blank canvas in an art suppy store you know that these can be pricey little guys! Yet, I love the look of the thicker canvas and the way you can either hang it on a wall, or sit it on a shelf. As I was putting away used shipping boxes to reuse in shipping items sold in my etsy shops, I realized that some of them had the same square shape and depth as those expensive panels. Hmmm….

I set some aside, and enlisted my daughters help in taping them closed, then covering them with book pages. You could also use newspaper, wrapping paper, a retired road map…

I used Mod Podge to stick the pages down smooth onto the box, and then covered with another coat to make a nice finished surface. On the ends fit the paper to the box just as if you were wrapping a present!

The result was a stack of “canvas” ready for my artwork. I use these just as I would a regular canvas, but it is fun to leave some of the words showing through here and there. Seal your artwork well on all sides. To hang, attach hooks or sawtooth hanger of your choice with a strong adhesive. These panels are also lighter than the ones you would purchase.