DIY art, using IOD moulds and transfers, is so easy and just plain fun! I’ve been pretty obsessed lately, to be honest! IOD moulds and transfers can turn just about anything into one-of-a-kind pieces! In no time at all, you can have your whole house decorated with your own DIY art using IOD moulds and transfers. Because there are so many great IOD products, the possibilities are truly endless! So, let’s take a look at how to do just one of those now…
Supplies you’ll need for DIY Art:
- scrap wood or wood panel
- sanding sheet
- pencil
- ruler
- paint (white and brown)
- small amount of water
- paint brush
- blue shop towels
- IOD Trimmings 1 mould
- paper clay
- Titebond glue
- razor blade/exacto knife
- IOD Entemology transfer
- heat gun (optional)
- paint sealer ( I used Big Top by DIY )
Let’s get started! I hope you find this as much fun as I do!
If you prefer to see a video of me making one similar, you can watch that here on the DIY paint page!
STEP 1: Paint your wood.
First thing you’ll want to do for this project is sand any jagged edges on your piece of wood; then give it a coat of white paint.
STEP 2: Mark area for border.
Let your first coat of paint dry. (I used a heat gun to hurry up the process because I’m impatient like that!) I then took a pencil and a ruler and marked 1/2 inch all around my wood piece so I would know where to put my moulds.
STEP 3: Make border using mould
I used the IOD Trimmings 1 mould for my border, since my project is pretty small, and the IOD air-dry clay. Roll your clay and press it into the mould. Once the excess is removed and the top is flat, release from the mould. Make 4 pieces for each side.
STEP 4: Glue on border mould and miter corners
I like to use Titebond glue when adhering moulds to my projects. Spread a small line of glue where your border mould will go; then lay down one strip using your pencil marks as a guide.
Once you lay down 2 sides, you will be overlapping 2 strips of the clay mould. Using a razor blade or exacto knife, cut through both pieces of clay diagonally from corner to corner. Remove the top piece of mould cut, as well as the bottom piece, and butt the mitered corners together. This is totally optional, but it makes it look a lot nicer! I like to allow the clay to dry and harden up a little before painting (2-4 hours). You may notice a little shrinking and cracking when the clay dries, but this is normal and can be filled in with paint in the next step!
STEP 5: Paint 2nd coat of paint; let dry
After your clay border has dried, paint your second coat of white paint, being sure to fill in any gaps made from cracking or shrinking.
Note: You can paint the clay immediately if you prefer, but I like to wait until it hardens up so as not to lose any of the detail when dragging a paint brush over it.
STEP 6: Make a wash using the brown paint
Next I wanted to antique the piece, so I used a wash of brown paint and water. I used DIY paint in the color Prairie grey. A wash is just a mixture of a small amount of water and paint. I poured a little paint into a styrofoam bowl and added enough water to make it kind of runny. (DIY paint is so highly pigmented that I only use a tiny bit of paint). I brushed the wash all over my piece of wood, making sure to really get it into the crevices of the clay border.
STEP 7: Blot paint with damp shop towel
Once I covered the wood with the wash, I then took some off! Shop towels are good for this because it’s pretty sturdy and leaves no lint! Completely wet the shop towel and squeeze out the water so that it’s damp. Then ball it up and tap and/or swirl it around on the wood piece removing most of the paint, but making sure to leave some in the details. This is what makes the border really stand out! Let this dry.
STEP 8: Brush on paint sealer
This step can be optional, but IOD transfers adhere easier with a sealer over the paint. So, I used DIY Big Top as my sealer. Just brush on one coat and let that dry!
STEP 9: Adding the transfer!
You’re almost done with your beautiful piece of art! Woo Hoo! Time to decide on a transfer you want to use! The Entemology transfer has so many options! If you’re like me, you’ll find it hard to decide! The Butterflies are beautiful for this project so I made several! Cut out the transfer, remove the white backing, and place it in the center of your wood piece. When you’ve got it where you like it, take the rubbing stick provided with the transfer, and rub the stick over the transfer. I like to start in a corner and slowly lift as I rub, so I can be sure the transfer is adhering. After the transfer is completely on, gently go over it with your hand or soft cloth (burnish) to make sure there are no loose pieces.
STEP 10: Add paint sealer
All you have to do now is coat the entire piece with a sealer! I used DIY Big Top again for this and I’m done!
Voila! Easy DIY art!
I’d love to know what you think! Will you try this?
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Thanks for reading! Talk to you soon!
