June 21, 2013

DIY Shaped Portait Frames Ideas and Tutorials – PART III - How to Stencil A Frame


Only two more tutorials left and of course I have saved the best two for last.
 
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If you have no idea what I am talking about this is the third post in a series of four showing the different painting techniques that I used for our popular Step it Up Frame GalleryPart I showed off some basic painting techniques, and Part II showed how to create a two toned paint effect.



 Stepping Up Frame Gallery copy

There area actually only two frames that I stenciled (without texturizing too).  

The Eleanor Frame with the Floral Quatrefoil stencil.

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I have to admit this frame was a little tricky for me.  I initially painted the bottom the edges white, but I hated it, so after I took off the vinyl I went back and repainted the edges yellow.  It was a little tricky to repaint the edges with out ruining the whole frame, but trust me the look much better.

The second frame I stenciled was the Brayden Frame with Damask Center Stencil

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{Bottom layer white, top layer black}

This one is probably one of my favorite frames of the whole gallery, which was a little unexpected for me.  I have since replicated it many times for some people I love.
Steps to Stenciling a Frame:

STEP 1. Paint the bottom layer.  When you are using vinyl as a stencil {which is what I did for both of these frames} the bottom layer will be the color that anything that is vinyl will show up as.  So for the Damask frame the bottom layer is white, and for the Floral Quatrefoil the bottom layer was yellow.  (For some tips and tricks on how to paint visit you may want to view our Craft 101 video).

STEP 2. Once the bottom layer of paint is dry I apply the vinyl.  Vinyl and moisture are not friends, so seriously make sure the paint it totally dry.   I like using vinyl as a stencil because it stays in place better. You do have to make sure that the vinyl is well adhered and is not lifting  anywhere. Just like with a regular stencil if the vinyl is lifting, or you don’t have a good seal the paint will seep through and blur the pattern. The other reason I like to use vinyl as a stencil is because it allows you to paint designs and patterns that you could never do with a regular stencil (designs and patterns on a regular stencil have to be completely connected, limiting the design.)  The only bad thing, you can only use the vinyl stencil once.  If you think about it though, if you bought vinyl for the frame you would only use it once anyway right?

STEP 3. Paint the top coat right over the vinyl.  This feels so weird, because you are literally ruining the vinyl…but not frame (:  Remember to keep checking the seal on your vinyl.  The biggest trick to painting is to make sure that you don’t have too much paint on your brush.  I like to you a foam brush.  I dip the brush into the paint and than dab off any excess so that there is only a small amount of paint on the brush than dab dab the paint onto the frame using the brush holding it in an upright position.  Refrain from using the regular brushing, or sweeping motions that you would regularly use while painting.  These types of motions can disturb the vinyl and cause it to lift. 

STEP 4. Once the top coat of paint is completely dry carefully remove the vinyl.  This step can take awhile but it is really easy.  I like to make my kids do it.  It’s easy enough that even my four year old can help.

STEP 5. Sand – Depending on the look you want you can either just sand the edges, or you can sand the edges and face of the frame.  If you sand the face of the frame it allows some of the bottom color you painted to show through.  I like that look, but for the two frames shown above I only sanded the edges.

STEP 6. This is an optional step, but you can also stain the edges and the face of the frame.  I skipped this step for the two frames above, but I have made frames were I decided the color of the paint could use a little warming up, adding a stain to the paint is a great way to do just that.

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