Faux Pallet Christmas Canvas

This is a sponsored post on behalf of DecoArt. As always, all ideas and opinions are my own. This post contains affiliate links.

I have such a fun project to share today! This little canvas art can be completed in about an hour, and that includes drying time. Pretty awesome, right? And it’s a look I’ve been wanting to try for a while: creating a faux pallet look on a piece of canvas! What do you think? I’m loving it! And did I mention that it lights up??

With Christmas around the corner I decided to set my sights on some new holiday art and with deer being all the rage… I had to include Rudolf. Do you see his little nose all lit up?

Supplies:
Stretched canvas (12×12)
Americana Acrylic Paint – Lamp Black
Americana Acrylic Paint – Cool White
Americana Acrylic Paint – Primary Red
Assorted paintbrushes
Stencil brush
Contact paper (Dollar Store!)
Transfer paper
Painter’s tape
Clear packing tape
Short strand of LED lights
Merry Christmas Deer SVG file

Give the entire canvas a quick coat of white paint, just to get rid of the canvas sheen. Allow about 10 minutes to dry.

Tape off the lines between the “pallets” including around the sides with the Painter’s tape. I marked off every 3 inches down the canvas to create the look of 4 pallets. The width of the lines is variable. Fill in the lines with the black paint. Allow about 10 minutes to dry then remove the tape.

Mix a little of the black and white paints together to create a dark gray. Use a thin pointed paintbrush to lightly paint wood grain lines between the “wood slats” with the wood grain. Don’t forget the sides of the canvas. Allow a couple minutes to dry then go back over with another coat of the white paint to mute the wood grain.

Download and cut my Merry Christmas Deer SVG file (for Silhouette users) on contact paper to create a stencil. Use transfer paper to lift the contact paper from the backing and center on the canvas. SLOWLY peel back the transfer paper to leave the contact paper on the canvas. Smooth flat.

Use a stencil brush to pounce red paint onto the pattern. Always pounce with a stencil brush and never brush! This will keep the paint from getting under the stencil.

Since I have zero patience for waiting for paint to dry, I immediately peeled up the contact paper once I was done painting to see the final result. Allow about 10-15 more minutes to dry then mix up some more white and black paint to create a gray then use a flat brush to go back over the slat lines between the pallets.

Arrange LED lights behind the canvas. Tape off the ones you do not want seen by wrapping them with pieces of the Painter’s tape. Keep the lights in place with clear packing tape. I added twinkling stars above the trees and a bright little nose for Rudolf.

I think I accomplished the look I was going for! And I love the little extra twinkle the LED lights bring to it.