Well, I've finally decided to get my act together and revisit my abandoned blog. You might have noticed that it's been a little quiet around here for a few months. This is due partly to a move to Bluffton, South Carolina and also in part to a raging case of ADD. I recently realized, however, that no excuse will hide the truth that I could no longer say, "I have a blog." Instead, I have to say, "I had a blog." Call it pride but I just can't stand the thought of abandoning this little company and the creative outlet that it provides. So, dear reader, I am back!
Much like a once beloved but now forgotten child star choosing that perfect role for a come-back I had to choose a project with which to re-emerge into the blogosphere. So, I found it only fitting to bring back to life a piece of reclaimed wood with a little homage to the family name. This is a simple project that's fun and easy to create. Now, let's get started...
First, find a piece of wood, scrap metal, or any other cool salvaged surface to use as your canvas. I found this board in the marsh in front of our house; I loved the texture and color but wasn't quite sure what to do with it so it sat on my porch for a few months waiting for my mind to find inspiration. It had some pluff mud on it so I hosed it off, rubbed it down with a wire brush and wiped the surface clean of dust and debris. Once you've prepped your surface decide what you want to personalize it with. I decided to use our last name because I wanted it to feel as though it came off of the side of an old ship long abandoned in the marsh, reclaimed by nature, and full of the history of a past life on the sea. Choose whatever speaks to you. I will warn you, however, to stay away from kitschy phrases like "Life is a party" or "rejoice." The last thing you want is to create something that looks like it came from the home decor aisle at Marshalls... that is, of course, unless you like that sort of thing in which case you probably also enjoy sponge painting and wallpaper borders with geese in bonnets.
Now that you've got your phrasing you need to make a stencil. I know what you're thinking, "but I'm a creative person and my artistic sensibilities would be better utilized if I letter this by hand." Trust me, there is no shame in having a little structure when it comes to lettering. Since you're only going to use the stencil one time you can use good ole Microsoft Word and printer paper. Decide the size, scale, and font that best suits your style. Type up your word and print it off. My board is roughly five feet long so I opted for a letter per page in a large Modern 20 font. Print your pages and cut out each letter making sure to leave connecting points for any letters with centers ("R" for example has a circular shape in the middle so I left a centimeter of paper connecting the top and bottom of the center area). You can fill in the gap later with a small artist brush.
When it comes to cutting I recommend using a cutting board and an artist knife by Olfa. These are available at most local art supply or craft stores.
Before painting place your stencil on the surface to determine layout and spacing.
Now grab a dark glaze for your first stencil layer. I like Sunny's Goodtime Paint Original Aging Glaze because it is easy to use, dries quickly, and is the perfect shade of umber. Grab a stenciling brush, I like the 1" Pointed Fitch Brush by Modern Masters. Dip the brush into the glaze (making sure to blot it on a piece of cloth or paper towel to remove any excess) and gently begin to fill in your stencil. This will form your shadow letters. Once you've finished with this step shift your stencil slightly to the right and stencil again with the paint color of your choice.
Touch up any areas which may have bled or come out too light using a small artist brush.
And now for the best part, using picture wire hang your creation on the wall for all of the world to see. Sit back and treat yourself to a glass of wine while dreaming of your future creations and recounting stories from the past.
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