I love a project and I love a challenge, so with a house full of skaters it makes sense that once again this summer’s DIY project centers around skateboarding. Last year we made our own longboards, which were a huge success and have seen a ton of use, this year we decided to paint the decks!
The desire to recreate a skate shop display wall is what led to this summer’s project idea. We all admire the amazing artwork we see on the decks hanging on skate shop walls, however purchasing multiple brand name skateboard decks is cost prohibitive, so why not find a way to do it ourselves!
While we will be using these skateboard decks as objet d’art in the boy’s rooms, these boards would also be perfect for riding! Keep reading for a list of supplies, hints, techniques, and inspiration!
Supply list:
- Blank skateboard deck(s)
- Frisket for making your own stencils
- paper/cardstock
- paints – Acrylic or Spray
- Paint brushes
- varnish to seal your design
- face mask to cover nose and mouth
- disposable gloves
- blue tape
- table/surface covers
- enclosed area for spray painting
- paper towels
- dedicated trash can
- apron or old clothes
- Board mounts
Blank Skateboard deck(s) –
Pre-Project Prep
This may seem obvious, but I feel I should mention: Prepare your work surfaces before you get started, especially if you’re using spray paint or varnish to decorate/finish your decks. You’ll want to create an enclosed area to prevent overspray, and its important to wear a mask, and gloves.
Don’t use your living room rug as a work space!
Chosing to decorate only the bottom of the decks, we used blue painter tape to cover the sides and top.
Techniques
Each of us designed our own decks and interestingly each of us had a different technique in mind. That’s the great thing about art, anything goes!
Painting
He used acrylic paints for the background, which dry quite quickly, and a cardstock stencil to create the smiley face!
Stencils
Use an exacto blade to relase any stencils that won’t let go.
Using frisket, a low tack material often used by grafitti artists, I created my own stencils. The great thing about Frisket is that it creates a tight seal keeping paint out of unwanted places, but it can also be easily removed! It can be purchased online or at your local art supply store.
I used the negative image to help me place the letters.
I used the Silhouette Cameo machine to cut my stencils, however one can easily cut these materials freehand with a razor blade or scissors.
Remember to use an enclosed area before spraying.
After you apply the stencils, use paper and painter tape to protect any areas where you don’t want to apply color. You’re now ready to paint! I chose shades of blue to represent the water meeting the sky. To achieve this graduated look I used Montana Gold spray paint a quick drying paint with a low flow spray.
Give the paint ample time to dry, especially if you’ve applied a heavy coating. Once the paint has dried, carefully removes the stencils using an exacto knife. Don’t rush when you pull of the tape and stencils as you don’t want to pull off any of your design.
I finished the board off with a UV protectant varnish.
Simon got in on the stencil action with his Miami Sunset design!
Image Transfer
You do this by printing your image out using a laser printer. Paint your image with a generous amount of gel medium. Saturate everything, but don’t make it so wet you tear the paper.
If your image contains text make sure to create a mirror image.
Lay the image down and smooth it out. Let it dry overnight before you complete the process.
Saturate your image with gel medium an apply it to the board.
When you’re ready to remove the image use a damp sponge or smooth cloth to help you remove the paper. Don’t rub too hard! Give it a minimum of 8 hours but overnight is best!
We still need to practice this technique but came out with two Decks we were really happy with! We all really enjoyed this project and let coming up with more and more ideas! My son’s birthday is coming up… I feel a party theme coming on!
Tips & Advice:
- We purchased the a spray painting tent, disposable gloves, and masks at our local art store!
- The blue tape and plastic can all be purcahsed at your local hardware store, however we found that we had many of these items around the house left over from previous projects.
- Don’t rush! Allow time in between steps, especially when applying and painting stencils, or you’ll end up repainting. Trust me, I know.
- Don’t worry if you make mistakes! It’s just paint, paper, etc. you can always sand off your design or paint over it until you achieve the look you want!
- We plan to mount our boards with these Sk8ology hooks to give them the appearance of floating on the wall… Once I get them up I’ll update with a photo!
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