This is a very simple and fun way to make a regular canvas painting a bit more interactive. I recently moved to a small town in Scotland with my wife for educational reasons, and was getting a little bored in the evenings (everything is closed at 5, and I mean everything, hospital, police station, you name it). I was working on a painting for a friend who is a saxophone enthusiast and thought it would be cool if I could incorporate some of his music into it. This is a cheap project, about $20-$25 per painting. I apologize if this is not up to standards as other intstructables, since this is my first.

Step 1: Materials

These are the tools and materials I used for this project

Deep edge canvas ( deeper the better)
Paint (I like acrylic)
Paint brushes
Small portable speaker
Cheap MP3 player (I found one for about $12)
Screwdrivers
Glue
Exacto knife (or other small cutting tool)
Some artistic talent (lately I cant seem to find mine)

Step 2: Paint...

First step is to decide on a painting. Again, for this one I painted a "Saxamaphone" for my friend. The music part of this project will be Jazz related. This took about an hour to do, but you can do anything, let your imagination go wild. Some type of audio theme would be cool though.

Step 3: Dont Cut the Wires.....

Next. take apart the speaker casings. They came apart pretty easily, but I did have to use my trusty "cutco" knife to finish it off. Be careful not to cut the wires, which I did, and since they are such a small gauge, a pain to re-attach. You might be able to find flatter casings, that don't need to be taken apart.

Step 4: Assemble

Now, all you have to do is mount the speakers in the back of the painting. I used some scrap wood to hold them in place. This also allows me to remove the speakers if I want. There are many ways to attach them, but in my new place of living I am short on supplies. Next, just clean up the wires and attach the MP3 player. Voila....

Step 5: Improvements...

I am currently working on another one that will have several improvements. I plan on having the controls for the MP3 player on the outside of the painting, so you don't have to flip the painting every-time you want to listen to it. Also, I plan on adding some more powerful speakers, the ones used here are pretty good, but louder is always better. Also I have added a sound level meter that lights up to the music, just another way to make it more interactive. If any one has any suggestions, please let me know. Enjoy.