Our Hopeful Home: How To Make An Art Print Look Like An Oil Painting

As a hardcore thrift store shopper, I've been known to purchase vintage wall art on more than one occasion. Sometimes I do it for the art and sometimes I do it for the frame.

And while prints can certainly look lovely displayed in your home, sometimes actual oil paintings can look even better. But what do you do if it's only a print -- and you want an oil painting?

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vintage brown resin fame art still life print

I picked up this vintage resin-framed fruit print for 99 cents at Goodwill. While I thought it had potential, I didn't like the plastic looking frame.

vintage fruit still life in brown resin frame

While the fruit print still life was colorful and somewhat 1970's kitschy, it was lacking something. So I attempted to elevate it to the level of an oil painting. Was that even possible?

I've read many blog posts that say it's possible. So I thought I'd give it a try with this vintage fruity art print.

The only supplies you'll need are a jar of matte Mod Podge and a paintbrush. (And some paint if you want to change the look of the frame. See my paint of choice below.)

I really hoped this trick would work. I applied not one, not two, but three thick coats of matte Mod Podge on top of the fruit still life print. I let each coat dry for a few hours before adding another coat.

vintage fruit still life in plastic frame covered in Mod Podge

As you can see, I layered it on pretty thick. I did not smooth it out. NOTE: I left the print inside the frame rather than taking it out to do this since Mod Podge dries clear.

Once the Mod Podge dried I painted the frame with two coats of Deco Art Americana Decor Metallics in 24 Karat Gold. While I wasn't thrilled with the gold color, I did like it much better than the original plastic-y brown resin.

gold frame art print still fruit still life gold frame

pears apples lemons art print thrift store art

I'm not sure that the Mod Podge method worked really well here; however, I've seen examples where it absolutely DID work like a charm.

If you look at the still life from the side you can see some 3-D texture, but from straight on you can't really tell. Maybe it had to do with the type of paper the print was on, or maybe I needed to use more than 3 coats of Mod Podge.

Either way, I do think the overall look has been elevated, and I'm definitely going to try it again with another thrift store print sometime soon. Have you ever tried this Mod Podge method to create a faux oil painting?

Well, that's it for today, friends!

I hope you enjoyed reading about

How To Make An Art Print

Look Like An Oil Painting

and that I've inspired you in some way.

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