SUPPLIES:
• Your sign surface (whether a premade
sign, slats of wood, or found materials
such as yardsticks or paint stirrers)
• 1” wide wood slats for the back
• Clamps
• Wood Glue
• Stencils or Letter Stickers
• Acrylic Paint/Wood Stain/Spray Paint
• Paintbrushes
• Hanging hardware/Jute string
• Staple Gun
• Optional: Wood Burning Kit
Materials provided by Ben Franklin Crafts & Frame Shop
420 New Albany Plaza | New Albany
benfranklinartsandframing.com
34 EXTOL : FEBRUARY/MARCH 2020
STEP ONE STEP TWO
Prepare your surface. I found
some great premade signs at Ben
Franklin that were only in need of
a stain or undercoat of paint. If you
are building your base from slats or
found material, arrange the pieces
with the facing surface down. I prefer
the uneven edges on mine and then
glue the 1” wide slats to the back and
clamp until dry. Figure out what you are going to
say. Then, how are you going to get
your message to the surface? There
are several ways to go about it. You
can use stencils to draw the letters
and then paint inside the lines. You
can use the letter stickers as a mask
and paint outside the lines or spray
paint the whole surface, then peel the
letters off. If you have time, patience
and a wood burning kit with letter
attachments, you can burn each
letter into the wood one at a time or
even hand letter your saying.