Turn Your Favourite Quote into DIY Wall Art with Canva—Budget Décor Tutorial

This website may earn commissions from purchases made through links in this post.

Turn your favourite quote into stunning DIY wall art! Design for free in Canva, print, frame, and hang your quote with this easy tutorial.

DIY Wall art quote

Do you have a favourite quote that inspires you?

Why not showcase it in your home as DIY wall art? That way, your favourite quote can inspire you daily.

With Canva, you can design your custom artwork for free, then print, frame, and hang it to create a personal statement piece.

Whether you’re sprucing up a living space or creating a heartfelt gift, this project is perfect for adding a touch of personality to any room.

Below, you’ll find a step-by-step tutorial with all the instructions and visuals to guide you through the process. But first, let’s dive into some tips and ideas to help you get the most out of your DIY project!

What You’ll Need

You don’t need much to create your own quote art.

You will need:

  • a favourite quote
  • a picture frame
  • a free Canva account
  • a printer or print-on-demand service

I got a poster-size frame from Kmart, but you can make smaller quotes (cheaper) or find second-hand frames.

Save money by upcycling an old frame from the charity store. Remove the current picture (if there is one) to measure the size you need to create your Canva design. Don’t forget to add a margin for printing and the mat (paper border) if the frame has one.

Choosing the Perfect Quote

The beauty of this project lies in its customisation.

You may already have a favourite quote in mind—mine is the one pictured. If not, Pinterest is a treasure trove of quotes to browse from.

Here are some ideas to help you pick the right quote:

  • Inspirational: Choose something that motivates you, like ‘Be the change you wish to see in the world.’
  • Humorous: Add a playful vibe with a funny saying, like, ‘Coffee first, adulting later.’
  • Personal: Use a quote from a favourite book, movie, or even a family saying that holds special meaning.
  • Seasonal or Thematic: Reflect the current season or a specific theme, like ‘Let it snow’ for winter (for those in cold climates) or ‘Home is where the heart is’ for a cosy touch.

Design Tips for Canva

wall art quote mockup in frame with blocks and flowers

To make your wall art look polished and professional, keep these tips in mind:

1. Font Pairing

Depending on the quote, you can mix and match 1-2 fonts for an artistic look. Pair a bold script font or a handwritten font with a clean sans-serif font to create contrast.

For inspiration, search for ‘free Canva font pairings’ on Pinterest or Google, and you’ll find a whole heap of inspiring font pairings.

2. Colour Scheme

Choose your favourite colours or colours that match your room’s décor.

If you want to use colours that match something in your room, you can take a photo of it and upload it to Canva’s Colour Palette Generator. Maybe you want to match the quote text to your favourite lounge cushions or a piece of artwork in the same room.

It won’t be a perfect match, but it will be pretty close.

creating a colour palette with Canva
The numbers with the # can be added to the Canva colour palette selector for an exact match.

Alternatively, if you’re just looking for random colour inspiration, I love Design Seeds colour palettes. There’s almost an infinite number of stunning colour palettes to choose from; use the search function to browse by colour, season or keyword.

3. Layouts

I personally started with a black canvas, and that’s what I’ll walk you through in the tutorial below. However, you can also use a template for inspiration or as a springboard for your own design.

Also, try experimenting with centred text or layered graphics (see tips below).

using a template in Canva
Start from scratch or select a ‘poster’ template from the lefthand side under the Design menu.

4. Graphics and Backgrounds

I kept my Pablo quote plain and text-only, but you can add an appropriate graphic to your quote or a subtle background—like watercolours—to make your design pop without overpowering it. Less is usually more when it comes to graphics.

To add a graphic, select Elements > Graphics on the lefthand sidebar and search for an appropriate graphic. The free graphics have no crown next to them.

You can change the size of the graphic using the handles on the box and the colour of some graphics (not all) by clicking the coloured dot on the menu bar at the top of the canvas.

adding a graphic to your quote in Canva

Graphic designers use what’s known as a ‘swipe file.’ It’s a file of other people’s work to inspire (not copy). Browse quotes on Pinterest or Etsy for inspiration for your personal quote art in terms of layout, colour, fonts, graphics, etc., without directly copying.

Making Your Quote Art

This tutorial is based on A2 poster size measurements, but you can easily adjust the canvas size in Canva. Just be sure to select the correct size when printing.

If your picture frame is a non-standard size, you may have to print on a larger piece of paper than the frame size and trim the paper to fit.

The cheapest size to print is A4 (or letter) and this can then be framed in a simple document frame (check the dollar store for inexpensive document frames). This makes a meaningful, inexpensive gift or décor that you can easily swap out with your mood or season, especially if you have your own printer.

Step 1 – Creating a Blank Canvas is Canva

To get started, after signing up, either start by creating a custom size design and make it A2 size (420mm x 594mm) or use the Poster (Portrait) option in the pre-made templates.

create a custom canva design

Either option will get you to the same place, a blank canvas for you to add your quote.

Double-check that the dimensions are correct by clicking on the File menu.

checking canvas size in Canva

At this point, you can browse the templates and see if one takes your fancy or continue with your own design.

Step 2 – Adding Text

Assuming you are starting from scratch, go to the Text menu and click the button that says Add Text. Change the size of the font so you can read it, and type or copy and paste your text into the text box.

adding text to Canva

If you’re using multiple font types, then it’s easier if each font is in its own box.

So duplicate the text box a few times using the menu that appears above the box and delete some of the text in each so you have the one quote over multiple text boxes.

duplicate text in Canva
I’ve selected multiple text boxes in the example only to show you that there is more than one.

You may have to click out and back into the text box to get the duplicate option.

  • Don’t forget to add who originally said the quote at the bottom!

Once you have the quote in Canva, the next step is to play around with the font style, size, capitalisation, and colour using the menu at the top of the screen until you have a design you like.

Changing the font style in Canva
  • Did you use a colour palette from Canva Colour Palette Generator or Design Seeds for colour ideas? The number with the hash in front (i.e. #5E17EB) can be typed directly into the Canva colour palette (rainbow colour dot with a +) for an exact match.
specifying the exact colour in Canva

As you change the size of the text, arrange it in the way you like by dragging the text boxes around. You can use the guides that appear as you drag the box around to help you line everything up.

using guides in Canva
  • Don’t forget to leave a margin around the edge for printing.

Step 3 – Adding Graphics, Fancy Font Effects, Tips, etc. (Optional)

In my quote, I didn’t want to add graphics, but you might.

Canva has a ton of free graphics that you can use. If there is no crown next to it, then it’s free to use.

To add a graphic, simply click on the Elements menu on the left-hand side of the page, search for the type of graphic you’re looking for, and click Graphics to browse what is available. Again, if there is no crown, it’s free to use.

adding graphics in canva

You can change the position of the graphic by clicking and dragging the box around.

Change the size of the graphic by clicking the box and using the circles in the corners to click, drag, and enlarge.

Change the rotation of the graphic by clicking the box, then clicking on the circle with the arrows in it somewhere on the outside of the box (see image below).

Finally, you can flip the image using the menu at the top of the screen.

Not all graphics allow you to change the colours, but if you can, it will show you in the menu at the top of the page as in the picture below.

flip and reshape graphics in canva

Font Effects

Add drop shadows, outlines, and other font effects by clicking on the font and choosing Effects on the menu at the top of the page.

In the giraffe quote, I added an outline to the text to make it stand out.

Font effects in Canva
I adjusted the transparency of the graphic (next to the Effects button on the top menu bar) to make the text stand out more.

Colour Picker

If you want your font to match a colour in a graphic, click the font, then the colour option on the top menu, then the rainbow colour option on the side menu.

Click once on the eyedropper in the menu, hover over the colour you want, and click again to select it.

Matching Colours in Canva

Working with Layers and Locking Layers

With lots of boxes going on on the page, it can become difficult to select the right box or prevent boxes from moving. Here’s how to fix that.

Lock anything that’s in the correct place using the padlock at the top of an element, as shown below. You can always click the padlock a few times to unlock the graphic or text if you need to change it.

locking elements in Canva

You can also use the Position button on the top menu to bring up the layers menu. Click the layer you want to work with.

If you have layers on top of one and other (as in the giraffe quote), you can drag and drop the layers in this menu using the 6 dots on the left side of each item so they overlap correctly.

layers menu in Canva

This pretty much brings me to the end of everything I know about Canva.

The best thing to do is play around with all the buttons and see for yourself what each one does.

Step 4 – Downloading Your Completed Design

Once you’re happy with your design, it’s time to download it.

To download, click the Share button in the top right corner, then Download.

Choose the file type PDF Print and then Download.

Download options Canva

Step 5 – Print-on-Demand Printing

I got my wall quote printed at Officeworks Australia (no affiliation). It’s a simple process to upload and then pick up at the store. The process will be similar for whatever printer you use.

Because my original one is A2 poster size, I chose to print a poster, but if you’re printing smaller sizes, you can print coloured documents, which is also cheaper.

Officeworks poster printing

Upload your document, check that it fits in the printing area (you may need to go back to Canva and adjust if it doesn’t), then pay and collect.

upload to officeworks page

Creative Variations

Want to put a unique spin on your wall art? Try these ideas:

  • Collage Style: Add multiple quotes in one frame for a layered effect.
  • Themed Sets: Create a series of framed quotes to display together – great for a baby nursery!
  • Mixed Media: Combine your printed quote with physical embellishments like pressed flowers, scrapbooking embellishments, or textured paper.

With these tips and ideas, you’re ready to make your favourite quote a custom piece of wall art.

Happy creating!

You might also like:

Similar Posts

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *