How to Spray Paint a Logo Onto a Skateboard

Logos show the world exactly what your likes or dislikes are, what you stand for and how serious you are about skateboarding. Smacking a logo onto your board isn't difficult as long as you are patient and have a steady hand. Here's an easy method to create and spray paint logos onto your board.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderate

Things You’ll Need:

• Posterboard
• Construction paper
• Tracing paper
• Pencil or black marker
• Craft knife
• Masking or duct tape
• Spray paint
• Glitter

1. Design a logo or choose one off of the Internet that can be easily used to create a template or stencil. If you have designed a logo, go to Step 3.
2. Check that your online logo is available for public use and that the logo does not have a complex design. Print the logo.
3. Practice cutting out your self-created or printed logo to confirm how the final stencil will look (i.e., that outlines aren't too thin and that all inside stencil pieces are connected and will not break off). A stencil template can exist in several forms depending on how you want the final design to look on your skateboard. You can achieve different forms (negative or positive images) by removing different parts of the design.
4. Place a piece of tracing paper between your self-created or printed logo and a piece of posterboard or heavyweight construction paper. Tape the three pieces together and trace over every line of the logo design. Remove the top two sheets and then go back over the traced image with your pencil or a black marker until the logo lines are clearly defined on your posterboard or construction paper.
5. Cut away sections of the logo with your craft knife to form your final stencil.
6. Tape your stencil flat against your skateboard leaving the open pieces of the stencil untaped. Lay the skateboard against the ground with the stencil pointing up and, with your arm nearly straight, lightly spray paint the open areas of the stencil using short, single swipes until you've reached your desired paint density as spray painting at an angle or with heavy spray in one spot can cause paint drips beneath the stencil or non-uniform paint marks.
7. Add glitter to the wet paint to give the design some extra spark and then allow to dry. If you want to add additional coats of paint or different colors, allow the paint to dry between each coat. Remove the stencil once the design is completely dry.

Tips & Warnings

• Never spray paint without wearing a respiratory mask used for fine particulates as most spray paints contain toxic substances that can cause lung, nerve or brain damage. Also, spray outdoors or in a well-ventilated area to protect yourself and others from the fumes.
• Never allow children to spray paint their own logos. Instead, spray paint the design for them or give them a safe alternative to use such as a rub-on or brush-on non-toxic stencil paint.