Wood Painting Ideas

Wood and hardboard are great surfaces to make easy acrylic painting projects on. They come in a variety of different shapes and sizes like hardboard panels, nice wood plaques, birdhouses, boxes or pre-cut shapes. There are lots of really fun choices to work with. You may prefer to purchase your supplies at the craft store or online at Amazon which is a extremely convenient. How about trying something a little more rustic like pallets, plain wood board, pine wood, or any kind of wood that does not already have a finish on it. The wood painting ideas for projects are endless. Maybe you have some chairs, tables, furniture, bookcases or cabinets that could use some sprucing up.

Prepare Your Surface

If your wood surface is unprepared, there are a few things you’ll need to do to get it ready for painting.



You will need:

• Wood - suggestion: Oval Natural Wood Slices.


• Sandpaper 150-180 grit


• Tack cloths


• Gesso Primer


• Paint brush - flat gesso brush or utility brush

First you’ll want to sand (in the direction of the grain) the wood using the sandpaper until the surface is nice and smooth. Then rub the wood with the tack cloth to get rid of all the dust and debris.

You should prime the unfinished wood with gesso primer. This will allow the paint to flow much nicer. If you don’t prime the wood first, the acrylic paint will just soak up into the wood and you may need to apply more paint. Use the primer to fill in all of the pores, allowing it to absorb evenly with the brush.

Allow the primer to completely dry before using the acrylic paint.  

Draw Your Picture

Draw a picture of what you would like to paint on your wood. This will help to use as a guideline for your project. If you don’t already have a subject in mind, you can look at some Painting Picture Ideas I’ve set up to help you decide.

If you choose a pattern with a stencil or you want to trace your picture and transfer it to the wood, you’ll need:

• Graphite paper


• Tracing paper


• Pencil


• Tracing Instrument (usually a smooth metal ball at the end of a shaft, I use a ball point pen)

Place the tracing paper over the pattern or picture and trace the design onto the tracing paper with a pencil. Then place the graphite paper face down on the wood, and place your tracing paper on top. Use your tracing instrument (usually a smooth metal ball at the end of a shaft), to trace it onto your primed wood.

Brushes

There are different types of brushes made with different materials for the bristles like soft sable brushes, stiff hog bristle brushes, squirrel brushes, and synthetic brushes, to name a few. The one that feels most comfortable in your hand is the one for you.

• A round brush is for detail, outlining, sketching, and for filling in small areas.
• A flat brush is for filling in wide spaces, bold strokes, and straight edges.
• A fan brush is perfect to add leaves to distant trees.
• A filbert brush is for blending and softening edges.
• An angular brush is for lines, curves, and reaching corners.

Each brush gives a certain stroke which makes it easier to paint certain things. There are brush sets which give you a good selection and are also inexpensive. See more about brushes here: Best Brushes For Acrylic Paint.

Acrylic Paint

Try to get opaque colors because they cover the wood better. You can always add a little water to them on your palette to make them more translucent if you want. To tell if a paint is opaque, look for a box, usually under the brand name. If the box is black, it’s opaque; if it’s white, it’s transparent; and half white and black is semi-transparent. 

Use your palette and squeeze small amounts of acrylic paint on it to mix and dip your brush, to paint with. Have a container of water and some paper towels or rags nearby to wash the paint off your brushes. If you make a mistake, acrylic paints are easy to paint over because they are water based. Simply paint over the mistake with the original base color, let it dry. And try again. If you are going to paint the underside, do this first. Allow the paint to completely dry before turning the project to work on other sides.

Read more about paint on the Best Acrylic Paint For Artists page. Also see How To Make A Wet Palette) to keep your paint from drying up too quickly.

Always remember to thoroughly clean your paint brushes and palette with soap and water after every use.

Seal It

You’ll want to protect your beautiful wood painted project with a sealant or varnish. Use a water based varnish as opposed to oil based because it tends to yellow. Let your project completely dry for about 24 hours before applying it with a flat, utility, or a gesso brush. Some projects may require 2 coats, especially if it’s for outdoor or heavy use. Make sure you wait at least 24 hours between coats. There’s also spray on sealants that come in your choice of matte or glossy.

Supplies

There are many places to get your acrylic paint supplies like local craft stores, artist supply stores, or you may prefer to purchase your supplies online at Amazon which is a extremely convenient.

There’s also a handy checklist on the Supplies page with links to help you find the products.

Check back soon. I have lots of Acrylic Painting And Crafty Ideas to share with you.

Please feel free to leave your thoughts and questions in the comments section.



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