How to Paint a Checkers Board
Whether you're a checkers buff or just looking for a fun craft project, you'll enjoy painting your own checkerboard. Checkerboards traditionally are red and black, but when you create your own board, you can choose any two colors you like. A hand-painted checkerboard is considered by many to be a piece of folk art, so consider the area where you plan on displaying it to make the best color selections.
Things You'll Need
- 2 bottles craft paint (a light and a dark color)
- Square piece of wood (optional)
- Large piece of cardboard (optional)
- Wooden plaque (optional)
- Straight-edge ruler
- Pencil
- Small foam paint brush
Instructions
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1
Select a base for the checkerboard. You could use a small piece of plywood, a large piece of heavy duty cardboard, a paper mache plaque from a local craft store or even a small table or desk.
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2
Select the two colors that you want to use for your checkerboard squares. Consider using one light shade and then a deeper shade of that color to make your board more attractive.
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3
Determine the size of your actual board. You may want the checkers pattern to fill the entire board, or you might want to have a decorative border. It's best to sketch a draft on a scrap piece of paper first; once you've worked out the design details, you then can transfer your design to the actual base.
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4
Use a small foam paint brush to paint the base your first color. This should be the lightest shade you picked. For example, if you are creating a white-and-black checkerboard, you should apply a base coat of white to your board. Let this color dry completely before continuing.
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5
Use a ruler to mark out the squares of the checkerboard. A checkerboard consists of 64 squares in total, with eight columns containing eight squares each. Use the straight edge of the ruler to create your large outer square first. Everything outside of this outer square will be the border of your checkerboard. Next, mark seven equally spaced lines on one side of the square. Do the same thing on one of the adjacent sides of the square. These will be your guidelines for creating the checkered pattern.
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6
Line your ruler's straight edge with the first of the guidelines that you created (it doesn't matter which side you start on), and lightly draw a straight line all the way across the square until you reach the opposite side. Do this six more times, until you've created eight columns that are equal in size. Repeat with the second set of guidelines. When you're finished, you will have 64 boxes of equal size.
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7
Apply the dark paint to every other square with the foam brush to create the checkered pattern. Let this dry completely before continuing.
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8
Erase any pencil lines that are still showing after the paint has completely dried.
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Tips & Warnings
If you don't have the patience to create the board yourself, you can purchase a checkered pattern stencil at your local craft shop.
