How to Design a Cloth Banner
A homemade cloth banner can make for budget-friendly and elegant décor when done right. Do-it-yourself projects like personalized banners for special events can be fun to do and save you a lot of money. Whether the banner is for a wedding or another occasion, using a few simple design tricks can help you to achieve the professional looking cloth banner you desire.
Other People Are Reading
Things You'll Need
- Banner
- Stencils
- Pencil
- Fabric paint and/or markers
- Paintbrushes
- Water
- Gentle soap
- Clear finish spray
Instructions
-
-
1
Fabric Wash your cloth banner, if applicable, and let it dry before beginning to decorate the material. If crafting the banner for a friend's wedding, check with the bride and groom for color and design preferences.
-
2
Stencils Use a pencil and prepared stencils to initially draw out your design. A wedding banner will often feature the names of the bride and groom as well as the wedding date; other embellishments such as doves, hearts, flowers and icon-filled borders are commonly used for added decorations. If the wedding has an official logo or theme, consider incorporating it into the design of the banner.
-
-
3
Painting Trace over your penciled creations with fabric paints and/or markers. Carefully apply a first coat of paint, letting the cloth banner completely dry before applying additional coats. Avoid featuring a wide-variety of colors as to keep the banner classic-looking and in line with the wedding palette, and gently wash and dry your brushes in between switching paint colors.
-
4
Finishing Spray Check your banner two to three days after having decorated the cloth in order to ensure your painted handiwork has held up. Consider applying a clear finishing spray to the entire banner for added protection and shine.
-
1
Tips & Warnings
Although you might find it easier to use fabric markers than to use traditional paints and paintbrushes, using markers often requires several applications in order to solidly fill desired sections. Be patient and continue adding color as needed.
Paint markers can often bleed, leaving less than perfect lines. Consider using a fine paintbrush and a steady hand to carefully outline marker-filled sections with traditional liquid paint.
References
Resources
- Photo Credit banner image by ann triling from Fotolia.com jeans fabric image by Albo from Fotolia.com pink and yellow stencils image by timur1970 from Fotolia.com paint image by Darren Nickerson from Fotolia.com spray image by Dragana Petrovic from Fotolia.com
