Paint your Laptop - Project: Big Red

Step 10 Make Your Own Sticker!

Alright time to put that high-gloss adhesive sticker to good use.
First I created the image and letter I wanted to make in MS word. Then I printed them out and made sure I cut them as best I could.

The easiest way I found to trace them onto sticker sheet was to lay the cut pieces underneath it inverted and then shade the whole area quickly with a pencil. You should get an outline of the image that should be good enough to follow and cut.

When youre finished, stick'em on your laptop anywhere you'd like! There you have it, you are now one styling geek!

Comments

[The_Black_Hole]

wouldnt it have been easier to just put the stickers on first, primer, paint, remove the stickers, and put the gloss coat on?????

[Dr Qui]

Its not so easy to use vinal decals as stencils, its best to use paper with a very low tac spray mount adhesive. The glue on vinal sticks to the surface to good.

When you use a stencil you want to remove it before the paint is totally dry so the edge of the paint rolls back before it sets rock hard, if you leave it until its totally dry you get a very jagged and visible edge to your stencil.  Its also better to completely paint a surface and then stencil your graphic.

[Gnaw]

I think I understand your suggestion. Because the stickers were black, as was the original surface of the laptop, it would have been better to use them as a stencil, paint red, remove the template-sticker and then gloss coat? If that were the case, you would be absolutely correct! That would have been an excellent alternative-method. However, now that I've given it some thought; obviously this would only work for anything black. Seeing as how the majority of these stickers were of that shade it might have been worthwhile. However, there could also be potential draw-backs as well. The paint could seep under the template and as a result distort the intended shape. Also, removing the template might prove to be difficult as well, such that I may peal-off a section of paint if I wasn't careful. Thanks for your comment. An excellent, yet simple idea which I honestly never considered.

[1true3]

You could also do: primer, color #1, apply stickers, different color (#2), after drying remove stickers carefully with X-acto knife then apply clear finishing gloss.

[hck1]

Kooool! Is the paint job OK even after a few months now? (I'ld like to do my notebook in gold, but the paint job must be rugged enough.) I had my Enter-Key painted with nail varnish and the top coat tured green and wore off after a time.

[TheMadScientist]

you could use high-durability latex base paint. but I dont know how hard it'd be to remove in small areas in case of a clogd vent or something like that.

[Gnaw]

Well the paint has a few chips in areas where the laptop usually bumps into things but it seems to be holding up well. If you really wanted to protect your paint-job maybe try to find a spray-varnish or somthing you can coat in layers. Also, watch the areas that you paint, some of them may bind and rub against one-another. After some traveling time, if there are too many layers of paint these areas will chip or will be stripped of paint. Someone once mentioned somthing to me about vinyl dye, I haven't tried it yet, but it is susposed to stain the plastic within, instead of just the surface (paint). G'luck on yor project, let me know if you need help with anything.