DIY Family Portrait Wall: Make Monogram Antiqued Letters

Yesterday I showed you my portrait wall and how to make the canvas portrait. Part two of the project was creating monogram letters for each of our names. This could easily be a stand alone project, perfect for a baby’s room, to give as a wedding present or just because you want another DIY project to do!

Left: Supplies; Right: Antiquing Process

What You Will Need:

• Wooden letter cut-outs
• Acrylic paints (Be sure one is brown or a darker color for antiquing process)
• Sponge brush
• Regular brush
• Matte finish varnish
• Sand paper
• Paper towel or old rag

What You Will Need To Do:

1. Sand the edges of the wooden letters to smooth them out if needed.
2. Apply a coat of paint and let it dry. Depending upon the shade/coverage, you may need to apply a second coat of paint.
3. Once coats have dried, put some of your darker paint (dark brown or soft black recommended) onto a plate. Dip your regular brush into the darker paint and then wipe access off onto your paper towel or rag. It will feel as though you no longer have paint on your brush, but you won’t need much to give your letter an aged feel.
4. Gently apply the paint to your letter sparingly at first using very light brush strokes. You can always add more. Repeat process as desired.
5. If you find areas “too” antiqued for your taste, use the same process only with the base color you started with and focus on the area or areas you want to correct. This will help lighten those areas.
6. Apply a layer of matte varnish to seal everything and let dry completely.

Done! Now you can apply this same antiquing process on other projects. It is quick and easy and there really isn’t a need to buy an antiquing agent! Dry brushing works wonders!