I, like a lot of others, love the idea of wall art but, even more the idea of being able to make it myself. So, I decided to give it a try. I searched a few places like Pinterest for some inspiration and helpful hints but found that most of the tutorials were a little vague. With all that said I gave it a try, loved it and have put this tutorial together on how I did mine, to help and hopefully inspire someone else!
First, I went on a hunt for some thin timber for my slats.
I found just what I needed ,this old fruit box . I then
took it apart, careful not to split any of the wood when taking out the old
nails.
After choosing the planks that I wanted to use,
I sanded them and got rid of all the loose dust
and dirt.
I then grabbed one of the leftover planks,
measured and
drew a line down the centre. ( see pic below )
I then used my marked line as a guide for cutting the piece
of wood into two. These will be for supporting the wall art and keeping it
together.
(Note: I used a
hand saw to cut my wood because it was handy, it would be easier if you cut it
with a power saw.)
I then sanded the newly cut edges to smooth them off. I laid out my
planks good side down and made sure my spacing between the planks was even.
With all the planks in place I laid the two supports on
top. I made sure I measured and marked where they should go ensuring they ended
up looking nice. ( Note: it is important that your back supports are straight
and even because you can see them from the front ).
I found some builders glue and glued the supports in
place. I used some bricks to weight the support planks down, making sure they
bonded well.
Heading into the house, I sat down at my computer and typed up the quote I wanted to have and printed it off. ( Note: I printed
it off like you would normally print a document, No special effects of flipping
it around ).
With my scalpel in hand I went to work cutting out each
of the letters leaving behind a paper stencil.
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I then laid out the letters just to check everything was
going to work and from there I grabbed my masking tape and stuck all my nice
new stencils down and in place.
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SUPER COOL HANDY HINT : to get tricky bits to stick down
you can use a tiny bit of blue tack, it works great. Just make sure you get it
off as soon as the paint is dry so it doesn’t get stuck on.
I then used a small piece of sponge and some leftover ceiling
paint and got to work.
When you paint with paper stencils just be careful because they can be a little tricky and fragile. Also, be careful
not to paint outside the stencil.
Once the paint was dry, I took all the stencils off. From
here I varnished over the top of my painting to make it last longer. You don’t
need to varnish, it depends on your preference.
I then attached some hooks onto the back so I could hang
it.
And there you have it, Wall art that is just as I wanted
it and I got to enjoy the thrill of making it myself =D
By Anita Godzgear
