Custom Wedding Chalkboards

I am so excited to share a series of new artworks with you all!

 

I was recently asked to make chalkboards for a wedding. Each chalkboard was hand-drawn by Yours Truly. I am quite pleased with how these have turned out!

These were a joy to make and are something that I look forward to making for other happy couples in the future.

Welcome friends and family!

This was the largest piece that I made. This measured nearly 3 feet by 2 feet. It features the bride and groom’s names and their wedding date. This is a standard inclusion in the package and can be customized to fit the couples’ needs! I really like how this one turned out with the gold detailing.

Hand-Lettered Chalkboards for Weddings

 

Please stay tuned for some of the other CUSTOM PIECES that I made for the wedding!

 

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How to make your own DIY Hylian Shield Tutorial PART THREE

This is Step Three of Three in a tutorial to make your own Hylian Shield from the Legend of Zelda series. If you would like to start at the beginning, please follow this link to PART ONE.

If you recall, we just finished adding all the hardware and detailing to the shield. A lot of the detail we added has a functional purpose too. Now it is time to add the finishing touches to really make this Hylian Shield look fit for the Hero of Hyrule!

Step 9A: Painting the shield. Now this is where everything comes together. You CAN prime the shield first, but as I am impatient and since the foam-core I was using is white, I decided to bypass that step. Get yourRust-oleum “Hammered” silver spray paint and go to a well ventilated area (outside). I chose to spray the back of the shield first, just incase anything happened.

 Looks pretty good to me!

I had no issues with the paint. I was mindful not to get much paint close to the edges of the foam-core as it has a tendency to eat through styrofoam. I had very little corrosion on this project, but please bear that in mind. The only place were a little touch-up was needed was underneath the wooden buttons. For this, I used my Martha Stewart’s High Gloss Acrylic Paints  in SILVER.

You (almost) can’t see the little crescent of silver paint.

I know it is hard, but you WILL want to wait at least a few hours between coats of paint. I let mine dry overnight before painting the front of the shield. The Hammered spray paints seem to take a little extra time to dry without becoming tacky. But once the back of the shield is dry, take it outside to add a coat of silver to the front of the shield. This looks awesome when painted.

Maybe I’ll just leave it like this… 

If you notice any spots on the front of the shield that need a touch-up. As we will be painting most of the interior of the shield a different color anyway, you may not need to do any touch-up work with the silver paint at all. I would double check near the wooden buttons and the edges. This may be a good time to use your SILVER ACRYLIC paint to do a coat around the edges. Allow all paint to dry.

Step 9B: Painting the shield with Acrylics is the last big step. The High Gloss colors I used on the shield were: Habanero, Beetle Black, and Indigo. The Metallic colors I used were: Gold, Yellow Gold, and Sterling (silver). I chose to start with the blue part of the shield.

Use a fine detailing brush to get in those tough corners.

You may need to do several coats in some places. I found the blue did not cover the silver completely in certain areas. Once the blue paint has dried completely, move on to red and then gold. If you are using the same brushes, be sure to thoroughly clean them between colors.

Before the detailing on the silver areas.

For the back of the shield and for the silver detailing on the front, I mixed the silver paint with a little bit of black paint to make a dark silver color.

After. Doesn’t it look better?

This is an optional step, but I found it really added depth to the shield. You really only need a little bit for the front, but I would suggest making a couple Tablespoons worth of dark silver for the back of the shield. I used a 1-inch brush to apply the dark silver paint to the recessed area on the back of the shield. While waiting for the paint to dry, go fetch your fabric/felt and embroidery thread. Also grab some scrap pieces of foam-core and some more brads.

Step 10: Adding the finishing touches. Now that the painting is done, there is little left for us to do. The finishing touches include adding a strap to the back of the shield to keep it close to your arm, and minimal detailing on the handle. Let’s start with the arm strap!

For the arm strap you will need a long piece of felt. Mine was about 8.5 inches by 2 inches. If your arm is bigger or smaller, you may need to adjust the size. You will also need to cut two pieces of foam-core from your scraps. These pieces will be used to secure the strap to the shield.

Glue the foam-core and felt together with the foam-core on top. Take the furniture nail/tack and push it through the foam-core and into the fabric close to the base of the scallop shape. The tack should have enough room left to be pressed into the back of the shield. Do this for the other side of the strap. Take both ends and press into the shield approximately 5 inches apart. Note where the tack makes a mark and apply glue to that area. Glue both ends and apply pressure (lay a book on top) and let dry. Once dry, take a brad (they are longer than the tacks) to opposite ends of the piece of foam-core and press into the shield. This will add extra strength to the strap. Allow to dry completely before use.

The arm strap and the handle being finished.

While you are waiting on the straps to dry, take your two embroidery flosses. Wrap them around the handle and cover the center of the handle completely (see above photograph). Overlap slightly and use glue to secure the loose ends.

You can see how the detailing really makes the shield come to life!

Step 11: Take a step back and admire your handiwork!!! 

That’s it! You’re FINISHED!

Fearless Flyer

I’m sure you know by now, but I am working as a Sign Artist at Trader Joe’s. Every so-often we have Fearless Flyers, sales specials and new-item flyers that showcase some of our awesome product. Each store decorates to let the customers know that the “Flyers have landed!” This month we’ve decided to give the flyer a “Sailor Jerry”-syle nautical tattoo theme.

The “Fearless Flyer” is an almost-monthly flyer sent to customers that features some of our favorite items, seasonal items, and more!

Here are some photos of works in progress:

This photograph shows the work in progress and the original sketch as well as color-blocking and color ideas. We use paint, markers, and paint markers to do signs like this. The paint markers save a lot of time because they dry so quickly!

Each store decorates for their Flyer differently.

This is one of my favorite signs. This sign is going to go over the wine and liquor section. Celebrate Valentine’s Day with some great wines and cheese. Several great wines and cheeses are featured this month!

We chose to do a theme that would also fit with some of our Valentines decorations and specials happening in the store at the same time.

This sign is probably going to go over the “Demo” area. Swallows, roses, and fun lettering make for eye-catching signs.

In progress.

Another swallow sign. Did you know that swallows symbolize love and loyalty? We love our loyal customers! :-)

Now here are the final pieces, hung and ready for the Flyer:

Hanging up and ready to go!

This sign is above our cheese and deli meats section. There are quite a few products featured from this section. Make your honey some fondue this Valentine’s Day!

This sign is hanging above the liquor section. Don’t forget the snacks to go with your drinks!

All dry and ready to be brought up to the front of the store. How exciting!

This sign is on the far left of our veggie cooler where our bagged veggies and fruits are kept.

This sign is on the far right of our veggie cooler where our bagged veggies and fruits are kept.

Reminding our customers that the Flyer is here and that they should pick one up before they’re gone!

This sign is a little wider than the rest and fit perfectly above the Demo section. It reminds our customers who are tasting the demo items that they are available in this month’s flyer! Yum!

I’ll be sure to post more photos as I take them. That’s all for the signs for this month’s flyer, but I will be sure to share more photos of more projects soon!

Recipe Box

This Christmas I decided to make most of the gifts I gave to my family and friends. I have tried this a few years ago, but I ended up getting too caught up with work and traveling to make that possible. This year, however, I was successful in making a number of gifts for people. For my brother I made a T-Shirt Quilt of many of his old shirts from when he was young.

My sister’s gifts were a little more complicated. She will soon be living on her own after college, and I thought it would be nice to give her an apron and recipe box to take with her to her new apartment. I love cooking (and making art!) and I thought this could be a fun addition to her kitchen, especially since she isn’t the most seasoned chef. I have a very good friend who is a wonderful chef, and I decided to make her a recipe box as well. The first recipe box fit cards that measured 6.25 x 4 inches, and the second box’s cards were 7 x 3 inches.

The recipe box made for my younger sister

The box is a wooden box from an antique store in my hometown. The word “Recipe” was hand painted on each box by yours truly! The cards were designed digitally and printed on cardstock. When I print more cards, I will likely make the cards double sided and print them on a heavy-weight cardstock. These are nice, but double sided would be better and easier for writing long recipes.

The recipe box I made for my best friend

This second box was for my good friend. The boxes were not the same shape or size (this one was wider, but not as tall as the other one) so I had to design two sets of cards and two sets of dividers. The overall designs are similar, but the layout of the cards are different.

The box is ready to be used! I included some of my favorite recipes in the box to help get her started.

The dividers are for general types of foods: appetizers, salads and soups, main course, desserts, etc. I also included some blank dividers to leave room for other interests. The recipe cards themselves have assorted designs, but they can be separated in to the different food types, ie: all the chevron-patterned cards could be for salads, whereas the design with fruits and jam jars could be for desserts.

All wrapped up and ready to be gifted!

Each box came with 20 recipe cards and 8 dividers. Keep your eyes open for these for sale in my Etsy Shop! I am still sourcing antique/vintage boxes to make in to new recipe boxes.

Your Love’s Put Me at the Top of the World

A hand painted design on a small globe.

This Christmas I decided to make a gift for my Honey. He generally gets the things he needs (new clothes, new games, etc.) when he needs them, so sometimes it can be hard to find the right gift in the stores. I really love old maps and globes especially, and when I found this little globe, I just knew I had to have it. I was a little disappointed in the size of this globe at first (it’s pretty small), but now that I see it on his desk, I know it was just the right size!

The lettering was designed and hand painted by me.

The words are from the Carpenters’ song “Top of the World”.

A Record-Breaking NEW Project!

An ornate hand-painted letter “A”

Well, I’m not actually breaking records, I’m painting on them… As you all know, I love typography and I have an interest in traditional sign painting.

A close up.

This is my newest project: An ornate hand-painted capital “A” on an old record.  I painted this last night using acrylic inks on a record that was primed with a matte black spray-paint (the paints don’t adhere well to the vinyl alone). I love it when bright colors come together well on a black background, and I feel I pulled it off here. I can see myself making many, many more of these…

NEW! Fish Painting

One fish, too-cool fish! This piece may be my new favorite!

I am absolutely in love with painting on wood! I’m really, really happy with how this piece came out. It’s a little hard to tell in the photographs, but the bronze color on the fish is actually metallic, so it looks like real fish scales. In addition, he has a bit of a glittery shine to some of his white scales.

I hope that you like this piece as much as I do!

Robot Painting

This post’s feature: Yet another painting on wood!

This piece was the first one that I started (of the paintings on wood), but I did not finish it right away. I always find it best to work on a few projects at once…

This is a painting on heavier/thicker wood than the Lovebirds Painting.

If you didn’t notice…he’s a cowboy robot. He even has a revolver, sheriff’s badge, and spurs. He’s a pretty cool guy. I am really quite pleased with how this piece came out. I think that the bright colors of the robot and his boxiness pair very well with the organic shapes and warmth of the wood.

Owl Clock Painting

Here is the newest painting that I’ve created for the piece riot art show! This one is based off of a clock that my first boss used to have. I always loved looking at that clock.

I am thinking I may even turn it into a real clock if I have the time!

Love Birds Finished

I finished the “Love Birds” Painting! I am so pleased with how these pieces on wood turned out. I am really excited to hang this and my other pieces in the gallery! I’ll be sure to show the full painting soon.

Detail shot of the heart and birds from my “Love Birds” painting.