Friday, January 30, 2015

How to Paint a Pallet sign with an Ombre Paint Technique

I love a GOOD ombre finish, one that blends nicely--and I think I came up with one that works great, especially on signs.

how to paint an ombre paint technique on a pallet sign
I am sharing with you a 2 color ombre paint technique. Ombre means shaded or gradual in tone or color.  Most often you see it with one color and white added to make it gradually lighter.  I used two complimentary, but different colors.


A hand lettered pallet sign with ombre paint technique
I started with a sign I put together from pallet wood. 
pallet wood used to make a rustic hand lettered sign
 I decided the best way to do this was to double fist it.  Yes, I know, living life on the wild side.  I used a teal and a bright green color.  Other colors that would work well together would be red and orange or yellow, blue and yellow, pink and yellow, navy blue and grey.
bright latex paint used for an ombre paint tutorial
If you are a paint purist and can't handle a little green getting in your blue can and visa versa, pour some paint on a paper plate because you will get a little mixing.
mix two complimentary colors to create an awesome paint finish
I started with the teal on one end and the bright green on the other.  And then on the next board closest to the green I added a little teal first and then green on top.  On the board next to the teal one I used a little green and then more teal on top.  
start at different ends of sign to create a perfect ombre paint finish
The middle board got an even mixture of both colors.  This is what it looked like when I was finished:
perfect ombre paint technique on a pallet sign
When it was dry, I gave it a light sanding and then used chalk to hand letter my sentiment.
use chalk to hand letter a pallet sign
I use white latex in a semi-gloss enamel.  This helps the lettering to stay white and not get "dirty" when you stain over the paint.  I use flat brushes for the block letters and a small brush for the never.
use glossy latex paint to hand letter a sign
I applied Min-wax stain in Early American over all of it when the lettering was dry. 
love never fails pallet sign with ombre paint finish
I love how the ombre turned out and how the white lettering pops against the bright colors.
how to paint a pallet wood sign and use stain to age it

See another great paint technique HERE.

16 comments:

  1. Ooh! I love that green/blue combo - it makes me thing of spring! Great job, Becky. :o)

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  2. Love this. Thanks for the tips. Maybe you should challenge US to show our interpretation of your idea.

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  3. Love the way you used 2 complementary colors instead of a color and white - great job!

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  4. I love, love love this. It's so simple, yet so beautiful. I think you meant to say the white
    "pops" against the other paint? Anyway, simply lovely. You are an artist through & through!

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  5. Beautiful! I can't wait to try this and share your project. I always love your tutorials, you always make things seem so easy to do! ;)

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  6. Becky,
    I love the Ombre effect on your pallet sign. Beautifully done!
    Happy Creating,
    Karen Marie

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  7. Great job! I love the colors and how the colors gradually change. It never crossed my mind to use chalk for my lettering, great tip. Won't have to break out the graphic paper as much. (-; Thanks for sharing!

    Linda

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  8. I love this...simple and rustic! The colors are beautiful, just can't work them into our home :( I'd have to go with another combo. Enjoy it!
    JP

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  9. Oh my! Love what you have done with this pallet. Great color combo. Good job!
    Steam carpet cleaning Ashford

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Thanks so much for taking the time to comment, I really appreciate your kind words!