Reverse Canvas Father’s Day Fishing Art [Free Cricut SVG file]
Are you looking for the perfect gift for Dad? I’ve got you covered.
This reverse canvas fishing art is unique and can be customized from one to five names. It is so easy to customize to suit your family size and style.
This craft is the first of a few Father’s Day tutorials that I will be sharing. I am so excited to share and create these with you!
This tutorial is using a technique called reverse canvas.
Basically this just means you are taking a canvas and switching which side the canvas is on – thereby having a nice wood frame that you can stain to give an open-picture effect.
This makes for a cost-effective gift and can be fully customized to ensure that the gift is unique!
If you like this tutorial, join our Facebook community where I post my free SVG files and resources! I look forward to crafting with you!
This post contains some affiliate links for your convenience (which means if you make a purchase after clicking a link I will earn a small commission but it won’t cost you a penny more)! Read my full disclosure policy.
MATERIALS TO MAKE A REVERSE CANVAS FISHING ART PIECE
- Standard Grip Cutting Mat (the 12″x 12″ size)
- Canvas (I’m using 9×12)
- Wood Stain (I’m using Ebony)
- Stapler (my favourite stapler)
- Staple remover or Flat Phillips Head Screwdriver + Pliers
- My free SVG design file (available in my free resource library – get the password by filling out the form on the sidebar or below).
- Note: If you are using the for small business commercial use, you can grab the commercial license in my shop.
Not subscribed? Get access to the free resource library below!
HOW TO MAKE THE REVERSE CANVAS FATHER’S DAY ART PIECE
If you’d rather watch a video on how to make it step by step, take a look at this video here (highly recommended!):
STEP 1: DOWNLOAD THE FONT AND SVG FILE
The font used in this project is:
Arkina Commercial ($15 – includes swashes and two font types!) |Arkina (personal use only – no swashes)
Alternative font: I Love Glitter (FREE – personal use only) | I Love Glitter ($8 – Commercial licence)
You need to purchase a commercial licence if you plan on selling these in any capacity.
Download your font.
Unzip your font and install it. (Usually just by double-clicking the zip file to unzip and double click your font to install it).
If you do not have a program installed on your computer to unzip, I recommend 7-zip. (It’s free! Windows only)
Don’t forget to grab your SVG file from the free resource library. Unzip this as well.
STEP 2: DESIGN IN CRICUT DESIGN SPACE
If your Cricut Design Space was already open when you installed your font, EXIT OUT of the program and re-open it. This will update the font library.
Upload your SVG file.
In Cricut Design Space, make note of your guidelines.
With a 9×12 canvas, you will lose a bit of space since you are flipping your frame on the other side. My guidelines were 7×10.
Before you can move anything around, you need to Ungroup the layers.
Select which size fishing rod you want to use (three different sizes: 2-3 names, 4 names, 5 names). Delete the ones you are not using. This will make it easier for you to work with.
Ungroup again so you can move around the fishing lures and splash graphic.
Start typing out your names.
Find the swash ends in Fontbook (Mac) or in the Character Map (Windows).
Copy (CMD+C (Mac) / CTRL+C (Windows)) and Paste (CMD+V (Mac) / CTRL+V (Windows))
Weld the font together.
If this step is giving you trouble (e.g. if you have filled in letters, watch my Youtube video where I talk about troubleshooting this).
Rotate the font and add it to your fishing line.
Add a fishing lure.
Weld it all together.
Attach everything together. If you do not attach it, you will notice that Cricut Design Space will rearrange things randomly on the cutting mat. We do not want this!
STEP 3: CUT IT OUT
Mirror the cut file before you go to cut.
Place your Iron-on/Heat Transfer Vinyl (HTV) shiny side down on the mat.
Cut it out.
STEP 4: WEED
Now we need to weed our vinyl. (This basically means removing the parts we don’t want to use.)
I liked to start from the corner to get the bigger piece off and then use my weeding tools to get the smaller bits.
STEP 5: PREPARE YOUR CANVAS
Remove all of the staples in your canvas. I didn’t have a staple remover on hand so I used a flat Phillips head screwdriver and pliers to remove them.
Stain your wood. This is easy to do with a brush. Read the instructions on your wood stain as they do vary.
I had to let my wood frame dry overnight.
STEP 6: IRON ON
Check the Cricut Heat Guide for your settings.
For Everyday Iron-On and my Easy-Press with Easy-Press Mat, these were the settings:
I warmed up the mat for about 30s. Then I actually did these settings twice to get the iron on the canvas really well.
Once it’s cooled, you can peel off the protective sheet.
STEP 7: ATTACH THE FRAME
Attach the canvas back on the frame.
First measure out how much of the canvas to remove. I did this by wrapping the canvas around the edges and used a pencil to draw cut lines.
Then I stapled it with my favourite stapler.
CONGRATULATIONS
That’s all! Doesn’t it look great?
Keep your eyes peeled for more Father’s Day tutorials and let me know in the comments what you’d like to see next.
If you liked this tutorial, head over to my Youtube channel and give the video a thumbs up or leave a comment below so I can make more projects like this in the future.