DIY: Prada Marfa Sign a la Gossip Girl, Part II

2:53 PM



Sometimes when you finally sit down to do something it doesn't go the way you planned. Who would have thought that almost nothing sticks to a coated canvas? My idea to apply stencils made from contact paper to the canvas was a total bust. The removable adhesive used on contact paper wasn't powerful enough to stick onto the canvas. At all. I even tried applying heat to the paper, hoping that would cause it to stick better. It didn't work.

That pristine, blank canvas was staring back at me. Did I dare attempt to paint it by hand? I know I can't draw. I know I don't have a steady hand... Finally (after brainstorming and debating with myself for several minutes), I grabbed a pencil and some yellow Ticky Tak and did my best to get the stencils to stick momentarily. After roughly sketching the stencils into the canvas I took a pencil and transparent typography ruler and went to work defining the lines of each letter. I made sure the thickness of the letters were uniform, the spacing between each letter was the same, that each element was centered, etc., etc.

 I didn't anticipate doing the whole thing completely by hand. And the entire time I constantly kept repeating "Don't screw up... don't screw up..." over and over to myself. Well, I did. Several times. The R in PRADA is too fat, the R in MARFA is too thick, and the 3 in 2307 is a hot mess. But I love it! It's personal, it's fun, it's prominent, and it's very me. 

 The whole thing took several sessions over several weeks. Whenever I had an hour to spare here or there I would sit down and tackle a letter or two, or use a Sharpie to smooth out uneven lines. It was hard work and my left hand just about fell off, but I really enjoyed spending time doing something creative. It really gets your creative juices flowing!

 Materials I used: blank canvas // black acrylic paint // transparent typography ruler // metal ruler // eraser // mechanical pencils // Sharpie permanent marker // Xacto knife // Xacto blades // paper for stencils // paint brushes // scotch tape // cardboard (or other surface for cutting) // scissors // Ticky Tack

 If I were to do this again I would: Probably invest in a spray adhesive. My lines could have been much more sharp had I found some way to get the stencils to stick to the surface of the canvas. I would also invest in a paint pen of some sort. It's really hard to paint thin precise lines even with the smallest paint brush. A sturdy tip would have provided a lot more control and allowed me to clean up some of the uneven lines resulting from the paintbrush. I would also make it slightly larger and perhaps later I will add more emphasis to my arrow head, it's a bit small. 

 I also lined the edges with green painters tape for a fun accent, what do you think? Was the final product worth the effort? Will any of you be attempting this any time soon? 

Total cost: $42                Retail Cost: $499               Savings: $457
{Part I of this DIY can be found here}

Share This Story

Tags: , , , , , , , ,

You Might Also Like

6 comments: