Canvas Map Wall Art

For my first ever participation in the great Pinterest Challenge from Young House Love and Bower Power with guests Ten June and Centsational Girl, I decided to tackle a project I have been wanting to do for a while…creating a World Map art piece for our living room.  What better time than now, while we are in the midst of our living room makeover!  And here we are with a glimpse at the finished product:

Alex and I love traveling and have great pictures and memories from our trips; from backpacking Europe to weekend trips in California.  A few weeks ago we went to Yosemite National Park for a few days and hiked the Panorama Trail.  It was so awesome!  We like to utilize our travels in our home decor, like this Ticket Stub Album Cover, so what a better way than a world map surrounded by pictures from our travels. Going through my pinboards on Pinterest, I was able to draw inspiration from others as to how I wanted my map to look.

Here is my “Pinspiration” from my home decor pinboard….

1. How amazing is this 6 panel canvas world map from ModernCanvas on Etsy.  I love the simplicity of just using green and white. Sells for $185.

2. Also from ModernCanvas, I liked the idea of going horizontal on 3 canvas panels and adding in multiple bright colors. Currently selling for $200.

3. LOVE the rustic feel of this one from Picture Sensations. Framed Huge 3 Panel Modern Canvas Art World Map Giclee Canvas Print currently selling for $99 on Amazon.

4. And finally, a DIY option! This one is from the blog of Christy Wright.

5. World Map Accent wall!! I just love the idea of wallpapering a room with a world map, maybe for a playroom someday?!? From Maps International and selling at £325.00.

So, how was it made? Here is my World Map Canvas Tutorial

After seeing the price tag on most of those beautiful options, I opted to try and make a great DIY World Map art piece for our living room. I gathered my materials including 3- 12″ x 24″ canvas art boards, one 24″ x 36″ world map, assorted paint, spray adhesive, Mod Podge, scissors and a yard stick.

Next I took my 3 art canvasses and black fabric paint.  Using a paint brush, paint the edges of each canvas.  You can probably use basic acrylic paint if you have that laying around, but I opted to grab some fabric paint to make sure it went on smooth and thin and would dry well on fabric.

I made sure to overlap onto the front of the canvas by about 1/2 an inch. This way if my map poster was slightly smaller than the canvas I will not see a white line/gap of the blank canvas. Allow paint to dry (recommended 4 hours on the bottle).

While the paint was drying on my canvas, I prepared the map.  Using my yardstick (perfect size since my map was 24″ x 36″) to measure 3 segments of 12″ x  24″ to fit my 3 canvas panels.

To make sure my cuts were straight, I was used my yard stick and drew a light pencil line to cut along. Make sure to use good, sharp scissors to ensure a clean cut.

After checking my measurements twice, time to cut!

There we are; three even map pieces!

Next up, I grabbed my spray adhesive and gave each panel a quick coat to make them tacky.  This way I could position each map onto the canvas.

To make a nice antiqued look to our map art, I used black and metallic paint and dry brushed the edges of each canvas before coating them in mod podge.  It gives an aged almost burned look to the edges which I really love.

As the Mod Podge was drying I kept working the edges of the map to make sure it laid down and adhered.  My map came out with a few ripples in it, but Alex was nice enough to say it adds to the vintage feel

So, with the maps for purchase running anywhere from $99-$200, here is my breakdown on cost:

• 3 – 12×24″ Artist Canvas @ $6.49 (1/2 off at Joann’s) = $19.47 (or you can buy them on Amazon by clicking here: Winsor & Newton Stretched Cotton Art Canvas 12 inch x 24 inch Pack of 3
• World Map Poster $5.29 after tax & shipping ( I got mine from Amazon, click here to purchase it: World Map (Vintage Style) Art Poster Print – 24×36 Poster Print, 36×24 Collections Poster Print, 36×24)
• Black Fabric Paint $1.79 per 1 oz bottle (I used Tulip Soft Fabric Paint 1oz Velveteen Black (3 Pack))
• DecoArt Metallic Elegant Finish Paint in Worn Penny $1.99
• Mod Podge Matte Finish (I already had some, but if you need to you can buy it at any craft store or here: Mod Podge CS11302 Original 16-Ounce Glue, Matte Finish)
• Spray glue (I like using Elmer’s Craftbond 4-Ounce Adhesives Spray Glue, and already had some on hand)
• Grand Total = $28.54

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