Thursday, May 21, 2015

Poster Transformation

My husband has had this Beatles poster for as long as I can remember.  If you ask anyone who knows him they will tell you he is obsessed with the Beatles and their music. 
 




















I found a poster at the thrift store for a couple of dollars that had nothing to do with the Beatles, it was an Anne Geddes, but it was the same style as this one.  They are made from chipboard and have the picture glued to the front and a glossy coat added to the top. You know the kind I'm talking about. The Beatles one is 24" x 36" and the one I found was 12" x 36".





















My first attempt at this was a total fail.  I sanded the top of the picture thinking it would help give it some tooth.  Once I had the primer on the whole thing started to peel.  The shiny surface on these posters is really a plastic coating.  Tip: do not sand the plastic coating. 

In hind sight the DIY chalky paint I use as a primer probably would have stuck to it just fine.
Oh well, not one to be deterred I just flipped the board over and filled the little slot at the top for hanging with some wood filler and sanded it smooth.

A coat of primer, and a coat of white paint gave me a nice clean surface for the lettering.  For this project I printed it out from the  computer and transferred them to the board. Just cover the back of the  printed pages with pencil, flip them back over and then trace them onto your project.  Then using a small brush, fill the letters in with black paint.

Once dry I had to give it three coats of sealer to get a shine similar to the Beatles poster.  I think they make a good pairing, and hubby was pleased with what I made for him.  These are going to look great in his music room/office. 
Now that I know  these old posters will make a great surface for other projects like this, I'll definitely be keeping an eye out for them. woo hoo


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