DIY Painted Feathers

by Red Leaf Style

3 Materials

Whether you want a quick-and-easy craft project or a simple decoration to spruce up your space, these DIY painted feathers are dramatic-looking without a lot of work.

This is an easy craft project that’s perfect for this time of year. Put on your slippers, grab a cup of coffee and get ready to paint.

You’ll just need a few supplies from the craft store to create your own DIY painted feathers.

What you’ll need:

– Feathers (I used plain white)

– Acrylic craft paint in a variety of colors

– Paintbrushes

The acrylic paints I choose were all on sale and just happened to work well together. Choose whatever colors you like. I’d recommend grabbing black and white. They’re good foundations to go with your other colors. Once you have your supplies, you’re ready to get started.

Here’s how to make your own DIY feathers.

Step 1: Mix and blend

After trying to paint my first feather, I figured out that adding a bit of water to the paint helps it absorb into the feather more easily. The added water also blends the colors together, which adds a pretty watercolor effect. Use a small paper plate or bowl to blend your paints with a bit of water.

Step 2: Get painting

Turn your creative juices on and start painting. I’m not a strong painter, so I stuck with simple lines and dots. To make small dots like mine, use a small, pointed brush and don’t add water to the paint. You could also paint stripes, big polka dots, or create an ombre effect. To get the most out of your paint, you could also mix your colors with white to get a slightly different hue.

Step 3: Let it dry

Make sure to let your feathers dry in between layers.

Turns out these DIY painted feathers are perfect to make this time of year. I could see them decorating a Thanksgiving table. Stick a few in vases for an easy Thanksgiving table centerpiece. Or, just sprinkle them around a centerpiece you already have. You could also set one feather on each place setting as a small gift. There are so many possibilities!

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Frequently asked questions

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2 questions

Zebbie Hardy on Nov 19, 2015
Does it make the feathers hard? Or once they are dry can you make them soft again?

1
Gail on Dec 20, 2017

Would parrot feathers work? Would they need to be painted white to make them similar to yours? I get them all the time. Most are not white but they're big or long & nice naturally colored feathers. Good idea to use them instead of throwing away.

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2 of 14 comments

Cherie on Nov 11, 2018

I bought a framed feather painting in San Juan. The artist had painted a tiny nativity scene on the geather. It is stunning!

1 Reply
Tonya on Aug 02, 2020

Beautiful! I love this idea!!tfs

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