Make Them Say Oooo La La With French Poster Inspired Upcycled Home Decor
Find Your Canvas - Go to a construction site, thrift store, or keep your eyes peeled as you go around the neighborhood. All of these cabinets above I found on the side of the road. One girl's trash...
Step 1 - Paint the cabinet with white chalk paint. This gives you a better canvas and will ensure that previous paint or sealant doesn't affect your new piece. Chalk paint will give you a gritty texture that helps the paint stick to the upcycled object. This is the chalk paint I use. It goes on quickly and dries really fast so you can get to the fun part.
Step 2- Create your base color background. Most French Posters have a yellowed and orange background. This happens to make the reds that
usually accompany them look incredible. Use acrylic paint. Oil paint does not stick as well. These are the paints I used on this project but any acrylic paint will work well! Do this step before you sketch out your project. You can sketch on the base color so you don't lose the outline when you are ready to start the subject.
Step 3 - Choose your inspiration and begin to map out how it will translate onto the upcycled object. These shutters were an interesting challenge due to their slates but the finished piece looked more interesting. So don't be afraid to pick a unique object. Here is a look at the inspiration, background painted canvas and first sketches.
Step 4 - Spacing and Words. As these posters were general advertisements for products
most of them have words on them. Spacing for these is critical so start with the words if they are a centerpiece of the poster like in the Chat Noir shown above.
Step 5 - Add your subjects. Your work is coming to life. Add the subject of your piece. You have created an original DIY Home Decor piece from Upcycled objects that no one can find at Homegoods.
