Not Quite so Literal Sailboat Art

Thea
by Thea
5 Materials
$5
1 Hour
Easy

Here is a way to make nautical art that is suggestive of the sea without being too realistic.

Yes I know, not everyone is going to see the point of destroying perfectly good nautical wall hangings such as this one. But the fact is that it was starting to look shabby and was too small for the wall.

So I disassembled the poor thing, filled the holes in the raised frame with wood putty and wiped the putty to level with my finger. Once dry it can be sanded down.


By the way, I’m explaining this whole process but there is no reason why you couldn’t use any frame or base you wanted to, I just liked the 3D effect and I wanted to declutter.

I also happened to have the backing boards of some certificate frames left over from a previous project and decided to use them. The only criteria is that the edges be neatly cut and not jagged.

Like this one.


Next you have two options:

Option 1 is to spray a layer of white primer and wait for it to dry. Notice that it isn’t even very even.

Next, spray a coloured layer and whilst the paint is still wet, blot it with newspaper.

Pull the newspaper off before the layer of paint dries.

Option 2 is to paint the board in your chosen colour and wait for the coat to dry. (I didn't use a primer for this one.) Then scrunch up a plastic bag and spray the bag with paint.

Whilst still wet, press the painted bag down onto the board’s surface.

Then pull the bag off.

I also sprayed the frame

For illustrative purposes

And stuck it to the back of the board with a glue gun.

I had some wine barrel off-cuts but you could use any triangular pieces of wood to stick as sails with a glue gun.

I literally just hung them by the frames from the existing nails.

They have depth because of the thick frames.

Resources for this project:
See all materials
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
Frequently asked questions
Have a question about this project?
  1 question
  • Nancy K Nancy K on Feb 22, 2021

    Do you have a website where I can see other projects of yours? I don’t want to miss any. Thanks!

Comments
Join the conversation
3 of 13 comments
  • Jjqq Jjqq on Feb 20, 2023

    They look like sharks in the water - it I like it! Very unique idea on a way to get more realistic waves- - I have a canvas just waiting for me to try this

  • Elaine Elaine on Feb 16, 2024

    very artistic


Next