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November 5, 2013 7:54 AM Subscribe
DIY help -- spray paint + canvas = art? My roommate and I are planning on making our own spray paint art wall hangings. Neither of us know how to use spray paint or if the kind of canvas matters. Please help us choose the right materials and give us other advice for a successful creative masterpiece!
I'm considering getting these canvases off Amazon (in 10x10 and 5x7) to have a total of 10 mix and match pieces, and possibly a couple 18x24s. I'm not sold on buying the supplies online, but it is easier. But if anyone has a recommendation for a store in Philly (Ucity/Center City/South Philly) that would be great too!
My construction plan is to put down a bunch of newspapers in my apartment building's basement, and have a spray party. The basement has some air flow, and connects to a couple hallways that lead outside. It's too cold to do this outside until next year, and I want to do it soon.
So questions:
1: Are those the right kind of canvases? If not, recommendations?
2: What kind of paint do I need and where can I get it cheap? I'd like a variety of colors to play with if possible.
3: Flaws in my basement art studio plan?
4: How long would these need to dry?
5: Will colors blend? How to make colors intentionally blend, and how to make sure they won't blend?
6: Anything else I haven't considered!!
I'm considering getting these canvases off Amazon (in 10x10 and 5x7) to have a total of 10 mix and match pieces, and possibly a couple 18x24s. I'm not sold on buying the supplies online, but it is easier. But if anyone has a recommendation for a store in Philly (Ucity/Center City/South Philly) that would be great too!
My construction plan is to put down a bunch of newspapers in my apartment building's basement, and have a spray party. The basement has some air flow, and connects to a couple hallways that lead outside. It's too cold to do this outside until next year, and I want to do it soon.
So questions:
1: Are those the right kind of canvases? If not, recommendations?
2: What kind of paint do I need and where can I get it cheap? I'd like a variety of colors to play with if possible.
3: Flaws in my basement art studio plan?
4: How long would these need to dry?
5: Will colors blend? How to make colors intentionally blend, and how to make sure they won't blend?
6: Anything else I haven't considered!!
Oh, and: wear nitrile gloves while you're working with it. Spray paint won't hurt your hands, per se, but it is a beast to scrub off.
posted by julthumbscrew at 8:07 AM on November 5, 2013
posted by julthumbscrew at 8:07 AM on November 5, 2013
Best answer: Nthing going outside. If you're in your apartment building's basement, the neighbors are going to be very cross with you when they start smelling the fumes.
posted by xingcat at 8:18 AM on November 5, 2013
posted by xingcat at 8:18 AM on November 5, 2013
Response by poster: Going outside: check. I read somewhere that spray paint should be applied in 60-80 degree temp, which was the only reason for doing this inside.
posted by DoubleLune at 8:25 AM on November 5, 2013
posted by DoubleLune at 8:25 AM on November 5, 2013
Best answer: This weekend it'll be in the 50s in Philly, that's not THAT cold. If you want to make it a party and you're worried people won't want to come because it's cold, just have hot chocolate waiting inside or something. But yeah, do not do this in a basement.
Put down more newspaper than you think you'll need.
I'm not sure what end effect you're going for, but if you want to make patterns with clear divisions between colors, you can put down masking tape on the canvas and then peel it up after you've sprayed. Or, if you want to get more elaborate, make stencils and cover the backs with spray adhesive.
As for supplies: any hobby shop like Michael's will have everything you need! I'm not sure how it is in Pennsylvania, but you may have to show ID to buy the paint.
posted by showbiz_liz at 8:25 AM on November 5, 2013 [1 favorite]
Put down more newspaper than you think you'll need.
I'm not sure what end effect you're going for, but if you want to make patterns with clear divisions between colors, you can put down masking tape on the canvas and then peel it up after you've sprayed. Or, if you want to get more elaborate, make stencils and cover the backs with spray adhesive.
As for supplies: any hobby shop like Michael's will have everything you need! I'm not sure how it is in Pennsylvania, but you may have to show ID to buy the paint.
posted by showbiz_liz at 8:25 AM on November 5, 2013 [1 favorite]
I've found that it isn't so much the canvas itself, but the sizing that matters. You can get away with a cheap unbleached muslin from any fabric store and make your own cheap sizing with a combination of white glue (eg Elmer's), white latex or casein paint, and water in about a 1:1:1 ratio. Stretch the cloth on the frame and then paint on the sizing with a house painting brush and let 'er dry. Muslin is going to shrink way more in the sizing, so you will need a strong frame, but with more glue and the paint in the ratio the end result is very much like tight canvas with a thin sizing and the cost is WAY lower than canvas and sizing from an art store.
Edit: One more thing - the sizing also protects the fabrics from the solvents and oils in the paint. Otherwise it can rot the threads. A thick sizing would be more prudent with solvent-heavy spray paints.
posted by The 10th Regiment of Foot at 8:46 AM on November 5, 2013
Edit: One more thing - the sizing also protects the fabrics from the solvents and oils in the paint. Otherwise it can rot the threads. A thick sizing would be more prudent with solvent-heavy spray paints.
posted by The 10th Regiment of Foot at 8:46 AM on November 5, 2013
Getting sharp edges and clear non-drippy non-smeary lines out of spray paint is very difficult. You can buy non-standard caps to put on the paint cans, and this helps a bit, but even still it takes some technique.
Unless you're going to spend some time practicing, for best results don't even try to imitate the way graffiti artists work. (After all, you're doing something legal, so you've got the luxury of taking your time!) Lay the canvas flat on the ground, use stencils and masking tape, and work slowly and deliberately. Think of it less like graffiti, and more like a screenprint design for a poster or a T-shirt.
posted by Now there are two. There are two _______. at 8:46 AM on November 5, 2013
Unless you're going to spend some time practicing, for best results don't even try to imitate the way graffiti artists work. (After all, you're doing something legal, so you've got the luxury of taking your time!) Lay the canvas flat on the ground, use stencils and masking tape, and work slowly and deliberately. Think of it less like graffiti, and more like a screenprint design for a poster or a T-shirt.
posted by Now there are two. There are two _______. at 8:46 AM on November 5, 2013
Best answer: I love this kind of thing, but...please please don't have an indoor spray party without respirators. Maybe you can find a backyard or a courtyard or a vacant lot? A patch of sidewalk out of the wind (my default solution)? Wherever you do it, you'll probably find it hard to control the paint on 10-inch canvases. I suggest you practice on white posterboard (or even newsprint) first. Montana spray paint is great, but I'd probably be lazy and get Krylon or Rustoleum or whatever's cheapest at the hardware store. Also you'll want some cardboard, blue painter tape, and box cutters for masking/stenciling. Cut stencils if you're using them, stake out your area, lay the canvas/boards flat, and practice. Start with thin even coats, which should dry in 15 minutes or more depending on brand, temperature and humidity. Blend colors by spraying thin coats one atop the other. Prevent blending by masking/stenciling or just choosing colors that don't bleed through. If you put a light color over a dark color the dark base may show through - prevent this by laying down the light color first and filling in the dark colors after. Alternately, use a white spray primer (Kilz) on top of dark color, let dry, and then apply light color. Experiment. Allow to dry for at least an hour before taking indoors/on subway, etc. Have fun, but please don't expose yourself and your friends to concentrated organic solvents.
posted by jcrcarter at 9:21 AM on November 5, 2013
posted by jcrcarter at 9:21 AM on November 5, 2013
Outside for sure, but please, stay away from cars, even if you think there's no breeze at all. (You should stay away from lots of things, really, but cars especially.) Consider screening off the work area with cardboard, sheets, tarps, etc. if only to prevent blowback. And cover your hair. It sucks trying to get minuscule droplets of spray paint out of your hair.
Also, whenever possible, start before the actual starting point. In other words, if you wanted to start a line at the top of the canvas, start a few inches off the edge. This will give you more control.
posted by Room 641-A at 11:15 AM on November 5, 2013 [2 favorites]
Also, whenever possible, start before the actual starting point. In other words, if you wanted to start a line at the top of the canvas, start a few inches off the edge. This will give you more control.
posted by Room 641-A at 11:15 AM on November 5, 2013 [2 favorites]
Best answer: Avoid the super-generic, bottom-shelf kind:
Seconding this. Some of them don't even dry to the point of no-longer being soft and sticky! Anything US3.99 and up I'd expect to dry properly. So either avoid anything under $3, or go nuts on a shitload of sub-$3 cans, but know that it might stay sticky, and after a few days, spray it with a non-cheap clearcoat.
Get lots of stencils and shapes and card/scissors that can be cut/ripped into mask shapes. Sponges, paper towels, etc. And also - lots of materials. Spray art is very use-whatever-is-at-hand. Maybe someone wants to dump dirt or glitter into their wet overspray and then scratch a texture into that using a stick. Maybe someone wants to make a valley of glued-in ticket stubs and nightclub security paper bracelets?
While you're buying the spray paint, drop into the kitchen department and get some shelf-liner. This is a roll of paper-thin light-adhesive backed soft plastic. So you can cut it into shapes, stick it down as a mask - and the adhesive will keep it in place - spray, then pull it off. (Caveat - if you stuck it onto cheap paints that don't dry properly, it will pull up their surface)
The canvas matters mostly because of its texture. If you spray lightly from a harsh angle, the spray will highlight the texture. If you spray from above it will be more like paper. I think the texture can also help retain slightly more overspray before it runs. Card will warp as the fibres expand on the wet side, but the canvas will keep its shape because it's stretched over a wood frame.
To make colors blend, one way is to spray solidly with one color, let it dry then spray lightly from a distance with the other color so you get a fading-in of particulate.
Another way is to hold a mask some distance from the canvas. Eg if your hand is 5 inches above the canvas and you spray over it from 12 inches away, you'll get a soft hand-outline that fades into the underlying color. Put the hand directly on the canvas instead and you'll get a sharper outline.
You can also spray them both wet and mix them with a stick or brush, but that's probably not the kind of blending you have in mind. Some paints of different types wont mix well, but again that just produces more potentially useful effects.
Drying time with spray paint (enough to spray more layers) is pretty quick, but in the cold it will be much slower, you will want hair-dryers - these provide the two things you need to accelerate drying time; heat and airflow. Also, hairdryers will get things down to seconds, which is much better for keeping up a working pace.
Yeah, do it outdoors. I've done it inside and even with good ventilation, I had to take it REALLY slow, that's just not going to work for multiple people.
For a couple of bucks at most stores that sell spray paint, you can get snap on pistol-grips that allow you to operate the can with more ease and precision. Get several of these - they're great for certain sorts of things. They snap on and off and between cans easily, but they might be popular (and they're cheap) so you might as well aim to get 2 per 3 active people spraying.
Have plenty of sheets of paper so you can experiment with an idea before committing spray to canvas. You could have plenty of spare canvases, but that's expensive - better to buy more/better paints.
Whenever you're nearly done using a color, turn the can upside-down and spray until paint stops coming out - just propellant alone. This clears the paint out of the spray caps, which means it doesn't dry inside them and clog them. If you don't do this, you'll end up with a box full of wasted still-mostly-full cans of spray paint that you can't use.
posted by anonymisc at 11:52 AM on November 5, 2013 [2 favorites]
Seconding this. Some of them don't even dry to the point of no-longer being soft and sticky! Anything US3.99 and up I'd expect to dry properly. So either avoid anything under $3, or go nuts on a shitload of sub-$3 cans, but know that it might stay sticky, and after a few days, spray it with a non-cheap clearcoat.
Get lots of stencils and shapes and card/scissors that can be cut/ripped into mask shapes. Sponges, paper towels, etc. And also - lots of materials. Spray art is very use-whatever-is-at-hand. Maybe someone wants to dump dirt or glitter into their wet overspray and then scratch a texture into that using a stick. Maybe someone wants to make a valley of glued-in ticket stubs and nightclub security paper bracelets?
While you're buying the spray paint, drop into the kitchen department and get some shelf-liner. This is a roll of paper-thin light-adhesive backed soft plastic. So you can cut it into shapes, stick it down as a mask - and the adhesive will keep it in place - spray, then pull it off. (Caveat - if you stuck it onto cheap paints that don't dry properly, it will pull up their surface)
The canvas matters mostly because of its texture. If you spray lightly from a harsh angle, the spray will highlight the texture. If you spray from above it will be more like paper. I think the texture can also help retain slightly more overspray before it runs. Card will warp as the fibres expand on the wet side, but the canvas will keep its shape because it's stretched over a wood frame.
To make colors blend, one way is to spray solidly with one color, let it dry then spray lightly from a distance with the other color so you get a fading-in of particulate.
Another way is to hold a mask some distance from the canvas. Eg if your hand is 5 inches above the canvas and you spray over it from 12 inches away, you'll get a soft hand-outline that fades into the underlying color. Put the hand directly on the canvas instead and you'll get a sharper outline.
You can also spray them both wet and mix them with a stick or brush, but that's probably not the kind of blending you have in mind. Some paints of different types wont mix well, but again that just produces more potentially useful effects.
Drying time with spray paint (enough to spray more layers) is pretty quick, but in the cold it will be much slower, you will want hair-dryers - these provide the two things you need to accelerate drying time; heat and airflow. Also, hairdryers will get things down to seconds, which is much better for keeping up a working pace.
Yeah, do it outdoors. I've done it inside and even with good ventilation, I had to take it REALLY slow, that's just not going to work for multiple people.
For a couple of bucks at most stores that sell spray paint, you can get snap on pistol-grips that allow you to operate the can with more ease and precision. Get several of these - they're great for certain sorts of things. They snap on and off and between cans easily, but they might be popular (and they're cheap) so you might as well aim to get 2 per 3 active people spraying.
Have plenty of sheets of paper so you can experiment with an idea before committing spray to canvas. You could have plenty of spare canvases, but that's expensive - better to buy more/better paints.
Whenever you're nearly done using a color, turn the can upside-down and spray until paint stops coming out - just propellant alone. This clears the paint out of the spray caps, which means it doesn't dry inside them and clog them. If you don't do this, you'll end up with a box full of wasted still-mostly-full cans of spray paint that you can't use.
posted by anonymisc at 11:52 AM on November 5, 2013 [2 favorites]
(When you throw out an empty can, keep the spray cap/nozzle as a spare, in case another can gets a paint-clogged nozzle)
posted by anonymisc at 11:58 AM on November 5, 2013
posted by anonymisc at 11:58 AM on November 5, 2013
When you throw out an empty can, keep the spray cap/nozzle as a spare, in case another can gets a paint-clogged nozzle
Keep them in a baby food jar with a little paint thinner to keep them funky fresh and the paint residue from drying up inside and clogging it.
posted by The 10th Regiment of Foot at 12:18 PM on November 5, 2013
Keep them in a baby food jar with a little paint thinner to keep them funky fresh and the paint residue from drying up inside and clogging it.
posted by The 10th Regiment of Foot at 12:18 PM on November 5, 2013
Response by poster: Finally got around to doing this project... in September! We had a blast, and I'm really happy with the results. I got 3 sizes of 1" deep canvases, several colors of mid-shelf paints, and we went to town. I had some painter's tape on hand, and that worked really well for sharp edges and lines.
Here's some pics of the process and of the final, hung-up, results. We did the work in a friend's yard, and had a BBQ after!
posted by DoubleLune at 10:22 AM on October 16, 2014 [2 favorites]
Here's some pics of the process and of the final, hung-up, results. We did the work in a friend's yard, and had a BBQ after!
posted by DoubleLune at 10:22 AM on October 16, 2014 [2 favorites]
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- The type of canvas doesn't matter. If you're ambitious, you can hit them with a coat of primer first, but I REALLY doubt this will matter much.
- In terms of type of paints: ideally, you want stuff that you CANNOT buy at Wal-Mart or Target, but I myself have used Rustoleum and Krylon to good effect. Avoid the super-generic, bottom-shelf kind: the colors, coverage, and performance are all abysmal.
- Drying time depends on the thickness of the layers you spray. A thin, even coat will be dry to the touch within 15 minutes. If you really blast it, it'll still be sticky/drippy hours later. Many thin coats are preferable to one thick, gloppy coat.
- AFAIK, there's no easy way to intentionally blend it. To avoid unintentional blending/bleeding, do thin layers and let them dry thoroughly between blasts of paint.
- Your #1 concern when working with spray paint will be drippiness. That stuff is INSANELY drippy, especially if you spray a thick coat. Make sure you have a nice, very-flat area on which to lay your canvases unless you're purposefully going for the "Aaaagh, I'm melting!" look.
- Again, I implore you: DO IT OUTSIDE! And good luck!
posted by julthumbscrew at 8:06 AM on November 5, 2013 [2 favorites]