How to Add Hand Painted Furniture Graphics

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By veryirie
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American Gothic Cabinet

This is an easy way to add graphics to hand painted furniture. Regardless of your artistic ability, this process will give you professional results.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Step 1

Choose clip art or graphic image specifically for your hand painted furniture graphics piece. Take artwork to a copy center and have it enlarged as desired.
Step 2

Lay transfer paper on the furniture and secure with painters tape. Next, lay your pattern on top of the transfer paper and secure it also with painters tape. Note that transfer paper is similar to carbon paper, but it doesn't rub off on your hands. It makes fully erasable black lines and can be used over and over again.
Step 3

Dull pencil.

Trace the pattern onto furniture with a dull pencil until the lines are completely transferred. Paint the image with your individual colors. Let paint dry thoroughly.
Step 4

Painted Graphic on Chest

Protect your image with three coats of water-based polycrylic. Let the painted surface of your hand painted furniture graphics piece cure for several days before use.

Tips & Warnings

The steps above are for transferring graphics on a surface that has not been finished with any type of varnish, etc. It should be done BEFORE any final protective coats.
Optional: after paint has dried well, you can outline the graphics with a black permanent marker to make the images "pop". After the marker dries, then finish with the 3 coats of polycrylic.
For the daring artists out there...... instead of tracing a pattern, you may opt to freehand your image using white chalk. After the image is painted, you merely gently wipe off the chalk with a dampened cloth before polycrylic is applied.