Easy - Transfer and Paint Anything!

Lauren Z
by Lauren Z
3 Materials
2 Hours
Easy
Are you looking for an easy way to transfer your favorite quote onto something in your home? With this method you can get whatever saying or words you want on doors, walls or cupboards.
Begin by printing your design using a regular ink jet printer. Choose fonts that are relatively clean and simple - remember, you have to paint these so simple is better. Because my verse is larger, I printed it on multiple pieces of paper and taped it all together.
You can use graphite paper (found at any art supply store) or simply 'color' the BACK of the design with a pencil on it's 'side'. Remember doing this as a kid?? You want it relatively filled in but you don't need to make it a solid background.
Now you're ready to transfer to your surface. Tape your paper with the colored/graphite side against your surface. Using a pen, simply trace over the words and the image will transfer. If you ARE using graphite paper, be careful when resting your hands or pressing on the paper as you trace -- it will transfer blotches onto your surface that are hard to remove. This is why I prefer this method, especially when transferring onto a light surface. The pencil is not as sensitive to pressure. The picture above may look like there are blotches of graphite but it's only the photo shadows.
One of the best investments I made was this 12.00 #2 Round brush. I would highly recommend getting one - if you do a lot of transfers and letter painting, you really need a quality brush.
Beside a good brush, here's another important tip when painting. Have a container of water handy (just a small amount is all you need) OR you can put a puddle of water right in where your paint is, off to the side. Here's why you need water. No matter what kind of paint (I use acrylic craft paint), you need it thinned to get nice, clean, smooth lines. I simply dip my brush into the water and draw a little into the paint, swirl around and then move to my surface to paint. Repeat this over and over, each time you are adding paint to your project.
Here is the finished piece (This board is underneath my kitchen sink and was just begging to have something painted on it!) My kitchen is retro/vintage and while I liked the dark contrast of the black on the white, I wanted to soften it a bit.
After it was dry, I sanded over it to fade it and liked the look much better. And if you make a mistake . . . just paint over it and start again!
A simple project that totally personalizes!
What space in YOUR home is begging for a quote?
Resources for this project:
Any price and availability information displayed on [relevant Amazon Site(s), as applicable] at the time of purchase will apply to the purchase of this product.
Hometalk may collect a small share of sales from the links on this page.More info
Lauren Z
Want more details about this and other DIY projects? Check out my blog post!
Go
Frequently asked questions
Have a question about this project?
Comments
Join the conversation
 1 comment
  • Mimi Mimi on Dec 31, 2017

    I love this tip! Thank you for sharing. It has given me several ideas for projects!!

Next