How To Hand Paint A Lettered Sign

I love graphic signs, don’t you? They say so much about who we are or what we hope for each day.

They are good reminders…

… and can show off a family’s personality with just a few words on display for all who pass by to see.

The sticky vinyl ones you can buy at a craft store, or custom order online, are so very cool… until they need to be temporarily moved from the wall.

Like that time I needed to repaint the kitchen and my big, pretty scrolled words above the sink along the soffit had to go. Remembering how much I paid for it originally made the job of removing and discarding it that much more painful.

I cried giant crocodile tears that day.

And decided… I won’t pay that much again. 

Now my new sign is much more modest in size and less fancy…

…and I like that it can be moved from room-to-room when I choose.

And this easy tutorial helped me figure out how to make it before getting started:  how-to hand paint letters.

There are two options for transferring letters to your board or canvas… I chose the pencil shading technique (chalk was the other option).  After lightly tracing each words on the canvas, simply fill them in with acrylic paint.

A curvy font or type is more forgiving for those of us with a less steady hand who tend to color outside of the lines a bit.  It may help to print words as a sample in a few sizes to decide which one fits your canvas best.

To frame, I purchased thin slat wood from Lowe’s, measured and cut it with a mitre saw, stained it with polyurethane and allowed it to dry overnight. Once dry I tapped it together around the canvas with finishing nails.

Have fun!