.jpg "TUTORIAL: repainted thrifted signs")
Giving something a fresh look so it fits my decor colors and theme is part of that.
My favorite thing to give a 'makeover' to is signs - wood, metal, ceramic, paper, plastic - because I can indulge my love of painting and in just minutes have a whole new item to add to our home.
All of the signs in the photo up above have been given a makeover - simple applications of acrylic paint that completely changed the look of what I found!
I promise that it isn't hard to do - continue reading and I'll show you the before, during, and after of every one of those signs. It's LONG, but you'll learn a lot!XO
Materials:
Signs - metal, wood, paper, plastic, ceramic, chalkboard. ANY kind works!
Get them at thrift stores, garage sales, anywhere.
Paint - I use craft acrylics AND artist acrylics, and sometimes even house paint.
Paint Pens - I use alcohol pens and oil-based paint pens for lettering + details.
Brushes - I get mine at craft stores, some at art supply stores, thrift stores, and a few of them are actually ELF brand makeup brushes!!!
Clear spray paint - acts as a sealer and protects the paint so you can hang the signs outside.
'ALOHA' sign:
I picked up this painted particleboard sign at a thrift store for just 25 cents. Of course I just couldn't leave well enough alone - it was too blue, so I added more green to fit our decor.
Method:
Two coats of flat medium green acrylic paint cover up the parts of the sign that I didn't like. With the same color, I touched up the fronds of the palm tree and the island behind it. A bit of turquoise blue fills in the sky and brings the waves to life.
Pure white paint added to the foam on the waves and the middle of the sign brightens it up. A touch of orange to create a 'sun' sinking behind the island - and a slight reflection of orange added to the tips of some of the palm tree fronds - brings in a warm hue to liven up the scene.
The 'ALOHA' lettering was penciled in, then painted with several layers:
light tan with darker brown accents to make the letters look like bamboo, white highlights, a line of orange around the letters, and a dark brown shadow on one side of them.
'Hippopotomaitai' Tiki Sign:
The face on this sign was inspired by both the 'Hippopotomaitai' mug at Trader Sam's Enchanted Tiki Bar at the Disneyland Resort, and the 'Maui' character mascot at the 'Polynesian Village' Resort at Walt Disney World:
This wood sign is one of three that I have found, one originally at Target years ago, the other two at thrift stores. I like the unpainted wood edge and have used it in all of my 'repaints'!
Method:
Two coats of rich orange paint cover the existing lettering. As that was drying, I used an orange paint pen to draw triangles around the exposed unstained wood edge of the sign. A thin 'wash' (paint + water) of a yellower orange tone was brushed into the center of the orange area, to add the effect of light hitting a rounded dimensional mask - even tho the sign is flat.
Next I used a brown alcohol pen to add a 'shadow' line on one side of the triangles around the edge to give that the look of something carved. (It gets more pronounced with the last step!)
Method:
Two coats of rich orange paint cover the existing lettering. As that was drying, I used an orange paint pen to draw triangles around the exposed unstained wood edge of the sign. A thin 'wash' (paint + water) of a yellower orange tone was brushed into the center of the orange area, to add the effect of light hitting a rounded dimensional mask - even tho the sign is flat.
Next I used a brown alcohol pen to add a 'shadow' line on one side of the triangles around the edge to give that the look of something carved. (It gets more pronounced with the last step!)
Using the two tiki faces shown up above as my inspiration, I penciled shapes onto the orange center, and filled them in with several washes of thin brown paint. A darker wash on one side and a lighter wash on the other gives the effect of the brown areas being carved from wood - and white highlights on the top edge of everything give even more dimension.
A thin brown alcohol marker was used to add faint lines to represent 'cracks' in the surface of the wood mask. A spray with clear spray paint seals the surface and brings out the tones of the exposed wood around the edge.
Bonus Detail:
I picked up the raffia 'leaves' at my local grocery store floral department, knowing that this is exactly what I would use them for. The two tiki mask signs are made from the same size of wood sign, so they both fit on the raffia perfectly.
To secure the masks to the raffia leaves, I pulled the rope hanger through the raffia to the back side, twisted it, and secured it to itself with a small zip tie. A loop at the top of the rope hanger fits over a screw to hang the signs on our lanai wall.
'Hale' MeKe' Sign:
This sign came from a thrift shop, and is particle board painted with chalkboard paint.
Method:
I painted the entire sign with dark brown paint (two coats) then dry-brushed a light tan paint across the center area, to imitate woodgrain. (One coat). A flat brush was used to create the shape of the 'frame' with medium brown paint - then I used a thin brush to add in some 'grain' and lighter tan to create the 'joints' of bamboo.
I used orange paint to create a 'sunray' effect on the rounded portions of the sign.
A thin wash of dark brown paint applied with a small angled brush created the 'shadows' on the interior side of the 'frame', to give it dimension. (That trompe' l'oeil / fool the eye trick is my favorite thing to do!)
Then I penciled in the lettering, and painted it in with a rounded brush and layers of orange paint, a brown 'shadow', and a white 'highlight'. The words in script were written with a dark brown alcohol pen.
About the words:
Hale' = 'House' in Hawai'ian
MeKe = a combination of Mendelson and Kennedy, our last names.
In Fijian culture, a meke is a communal spiritual folk dance of celebration and worship of gods. I decided that could be described as a 'divine celebration' or 'celebration of the divine', so that's what I added to the sign. It serves as a blessing of sorts over our home.
'Ring for Mai Tais' Sign:
This sign came from a thrift shop, and is particle board painted with chalkboard paint.
Method:
I painted the entire sign with dark brown paint (two coats) then dry-brushed a light tan paint across the center area, to imitate woodgrain. (One coat). A flat brush was used to create the shape of the 'frame' with medium brown paint - then I used a thin brush to add in some 'grain' and lighter tan to create the 'joints' of bamboo.
I used orange paint to create a 'sunray' effect on the rounded portions of the sign.
A thin wash of dark brown paint applied with a small angled brush created the 'shadows' on the interior side of the 'frame', to give it dimension. (That trompe' l'oeil / fool the eye trick is my favorite thing to do!)
Then I penciled in the lettering, and painted it in with a rounded brush and layers of orange paint, a brown 'shadow', and a white 'highlight'. The words in script were written with a dark brown alcohol pen.
About the words:
Hale' = 'House' in Hawai'ian
MeKe = a combination of Mendelson and Kennedy, our last names.
In Fijian culture, a meke is a communal spiritual folk dance of celebration and worship of gods. I decided that could be described as a 'divine celebration' or 'celebration of the divine', so that's what I added to the sign. It serves as a blessing of sorts over our home.
'Ring for Mai Tais' Sign:
This sign is metal painted with chalkboard paint, and was just a dollar at a thrift shop. This sign was inspired by the eponymous 'Ring for Champagne' signs that we've all seen everywhere... Mai Tai's just fit our theme better!
Method:
The black background of the sign actually worked in my favor - I just dragged a thick coat of warm brown paint across it with a flat bristle brush, to emulate woodgrain.
Once dry, I painted the raised 'frame' with a small brush and a creamy shade of yellow, as a base coat for the next step. A small round brush allowed me to add a wash of the warm brown paint in splotches and lines, to replicate the markings of bamboo. When it dried, the same paint was thinned with water to create a wash, and applied to the entire 'frame' area to darken it just a bit.
I lettered the words onto the body of the sign with a pencil, leaving space between them for a special touch at the end. The lettering was painted in layers with a small angled brush - first the creamy yellow, covered by orange (that step makes the orange POP more on the dark background) then highlighted with white on one side and shadowed with black on the other.
A 'flower' shape was added in the center of the sign with a small pointed brush and white paint. Then I hot-glued on a black wood checker piece, and added a dot of orange paint in the center of it. That detail gives the illusion of being the button that you 'ring' for Mai Tai's!
And she looks FABulous hanging from the shelves on our indoor tiki bar:
.jpg "'Ring for Mai Tais' Painted Sign on Tiki Bar")
If you look closely, you can see MANY of my past tiki projects here!
There are also tiki mugs old and new from thrift shops, Trader Sam's, other tiki bars, gifts from people who know our obsession, and a few from the revered Oceanic Arts company - I bought them directly from Leroy and Bob! (Oh, and all of the orange tiki mugs we have are in the living room and kitchen ;) )
I'm always saying that my favorite decorating tool is PAINT - and this is why.
I don't have to limit myself to what stores are selling, I can re-create things I find to become exactly what I want!
...and NO, your signs don't have to be tikis! ;)
Maybe your style would lead you to create 'garden' signs, or 'antique' signs, or signs in another language to evoke another place and time. You really can create ANYTHING with paint!
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