Introduction: A Fridge Full of Bees - Refrigerator Art With Chalk Markers

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About: I'm an electrical engineer and work in the e-Mobility business. I really enjoy collecting skills and learning new techniques. Although I'm not an expert at any of my hobbies, I'm pleased with the results most …

A year ago I started painting the door of my fridge with removable chalk markers, the ones they use in restaurants to write their special offers.

For the new design, I wanted to do a bee-themed hexagonal pattern. It turned out great, so I wanted to share this with you.

Have fun and consider voting for me in the Epilog contest! A Laser cutter would make cutting the stencils so much easier for me :)

Step 1: What You Need

Here's what I used for this project:

The links are to the products for US and german (DE) amazon.
If you buy the products, I get a small bonus, but you of course get the normal amazon price!

  • Chalk markers US / DE
  • miniature spirit level US / DE
  • Double-sided tape US / DE
  • non-permanent adhesive roller US / DE
  • Laser level US / DE
  • Pica Dry marker US / DE
  • cutter or x-acto knife
  • cotton swabs
  • triangle ruler
  • some cardboard
  • Small pieces of furniture pads
  • cardstock for your printer

How to make the special tools for this project:

The hexagon template was cut out from cardboard and a spirit level was attached with double-sided tape

3 small pieces of furniture pads were stuck under the triangle ruler to keep it from scratching off the dried paint and to prevent the paint from creeping under the edge of the ruler

Step 2: Draw the Hexagonal Grid

Use the cardboard template, the laser level and the spirit level to draw the hexagonal grid onto the fridge

Step 3: Design and Print the Stencils

I used LibreOffice Draw to create the stencils. The Font is Unconform Round

Feel free to use my pdf for your fridge, or do your own version of this!

I didn't have enough own ideas for bee-themed phrases, so i called my friends to help via a whatsapp status and chose the ones I liked best. That's what we came up with together:

  • don't worry bee happy
  • just bee yourself
  • don't stop beelieving
  • let it bee
  • to bee or not to bee
  • don't bee afraid
  • beecause why not
  • beecause I love you
  • thanks for beeing here
  • bee Careful what you wish for
  • just bee awesome

Here's the printable pdf of my design:

Attachments

Step 4: Cut the Stencils

Use a box cutter or X-acto knife to cut the stencils.

The bee is the easy one, the letters are a lot harder. But it's not really a big deal if something rips.

Step 5: Transfer to Fridge

Use a non-permanent adhesive roller to attach the stencils to the fridge.

Then, use a soft pencil to trace the bees and letters.

I used the Pica Dry marker. It's not the cheapest one but I absolutely love it! It's a great tool for any project I work on and I really recommend it! It even has a little sharpener built into the quiver that clips onto your pocket!

Amazon US

Amazon DE

Step 6: Color!

Use the markers to color the pencil-marked letters and bees

Then, add borders around the hexagons. The triangular ruler is used as a straight edge to give a clean look.

It also helps to shield the neighboring lines and prevent mixing of the colors and acidental smudges!

When using chalk markers, always wait for the paint to dry before drawing another color right next to it.

If you mess up, wait for it to lightly dry and wipe off with paper towels. Minor accidents can be fixed with cotton swabs. Even smaller repairs can be made with toothpicks when the paint has dried.

Sometimes, the markers dry up a little. Just pump the tip to get them going again. But do this on a separate and horizontal piece of plastic! You don't want paint running down your artwork!

Step 7: The Final Result...

I think it turned out great, I love the vibrant colors and the cheerful phrases!

The last painting using this technique lasted about a year when I decided to clean the outside of the fridge for this artwork. Of course, you could use something more permanent like sharpies or even spray paint.

Step 8: But... Why?

BEECAUSE WHY NOT!

I love the possibility of easily creating something new on the fridge as my canvas that would otherwise just be a dull grey surface in my kitchen!

I really hope you like the Idea, my design and this Instructable!

If you do so,

Please vote for me in the Epilog challenge

I love doing stencil projects, but the time and effort needed to cut the stencils prevents me from making things like this more often. A laser cuttter would solve this problem for me and allow for more intricate and precision-made stencils :)

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