I broke my shovel handle last summer. Since a replacement handle costs as much as a new shovel, I decided to turn the left over blade into a piece of garden art. I’ve always admired East Coast lighthouses and decided on that for the theme. It’s not as hard as it looks and I am no artist. I kept the design simple, and in a primitive style.

Supplies

Materials

Shovel blade

Sandpaper

Primer

Various acrylic paints

1“ brush

Various art brushes

Pencil

Permanent markers

Clear spray lacquer

Masking tape

Step 1: PRIME AND MAKE a PATTERN

Sand the shovel and apply the primer. I used a blue self priming chalk paint. This will allow the acrylic paints to bond to the surface and provide a good background colour.

Trace the shovel shape on to paper and cut it out. Draw some big rocks at the bottom and a simplified lighthouse. Add some birds (V-shapes.) Don’t worry about detail. You can work on it till you get it right. Or, just copy mine.

Step 2: BACKGROUND

Roughly divide the surface into thirds. Apply shades of darker blue/ green with the 1” brush to the bottom third. Apply the paint horizontally to get a streaky finish. Do the same with the top two thirds but use lighter blues/ whites. If not right, you can always go over it, blending the streaks with water, different colours or white paint. Let it dry overnight.

Step 3: PAINT DETAILS

Re-draw the details in pencil on the shovel copying your paper design, or cut out the shapes and trace them onto the shovel surface. Paint one detail at a time, for example, the rocks. Remember to use various shades depending on how light would hit the surfaces. Also the lighthouse will be darker on the shady side so paint accordingly. Keep various colours in your paint tray so you can blend them with the same brush. Wait for one area to dry before painting the next.

Step 4: FINAL FINISHES

When totally dry, use the permanent marker to highlight or add fine details like the birds, and the lightning rod on top of the lighthouse as well as any fine lines. This is easier than using a fine brush.

Let it dry and give it a protective spray of clear lacquer to protect from the weather.