Hey, there!!

Next school year, I'll be getting an apartment of my own, and I'm the kind of person that hates to have bare walls. So, I started to think of different things I could do to spice up the place. Here is what I ended up trying out!

I wanted to have something involving black and white, and I kept hearing song lyrics all around that I loved, so after brainstorming and experimenting, I finally came up with a way that I thought was cool to combine them.

Step 1: What You Need!

Alrighty. Here are some basics that you need for the project.

- A canvas. I went to my local Hobby Lobby and just picked up a couple of canvases in varying sizes. What's awesome about this is that it's completely customizable; it can be made in whatever shape or size that works for you.
- Painters tape. This is what makes the letters for the quote in the first place.
- Spray paint. I chose black as my main color, but the colors can be whatever your heart desires.
- A craft knife. This is good to be able to cut out letters and such, and also to get the letters off after painting.
- A pencil. It's just handy.
Optional:
- I used a workman's mask while I was spray painting because I'm a little bit of a pansy. Obviously, if you can spray paint without a mask, go for it. I just like precautions.
- Also, it's not pictured here, but I also used a thin plastic cutting board to put layers of tape on to make some of the letters. This wasn't an ideal option, so if you can think of anything that may work better, absolutely do it.

Step 2: Make the Letters!

Once you have a quote picked out, you can start on the letters.

My quote is from Ok Go's song "This Too Shall Pass." Shorter quotes, I've found, are just easier to work with.

I'm a little unoriginal when it comes to making my own fonts; they all look the same. So, what I decided to do was go into a Word document and chose a font that I liked and could copy easily.

As you can see, the one I chose was blocky. I figured that it would be simple enough make the letters and the blackout effect would look pretty cool.

What I did - and feel free to experiment with other techniques, because this one had its problems - was put layers of tape on a plastic cutting board and cut out the letters that weren't straight. The unfortunate side effect was that the letters would keep falling apart, making it so that I had to put more and more layers of tape on them to keep them together.

Step 3: Arrange the Letters!

As you're cutting out the letters , it's important to arrange them on the canvas as you go to see what sizes they need to be. I don't know how many times I placed and replaced the letters. It is a process. But one cool thing about it is that you can wrap them around the edges to make it continuous. It's a pretty awesome effect.

Step 4: Spray Paint!

After all of the letters are in place, it's time to paint! I was really just winging it at that point, which turned out better than I thought.

I chose a matte black, so it wouldn't be glossy, and I was planning on putting a little gold on it, but decided against it when I saw the cloudy effect that the black had. I didn't think it needed it.

I was also thinking of different things that could be done to create effects, like putting lace or fishnet or something down before I spray paint. Something to try in the future.

Step 5: Finish It!

After the paint is all dry (it seemed like forever!!), it's time to peel off the tape! I was so nervous because I thought that the contrast would be too much, but I ended up loving the finished product.

I have four more canvases and quotes to do, and I can't wait to put them up on my wall.

I hope you all liked my project! I know I did. :)