When I was a little girl, my bedroom was decorated with Disney’s Bambi characters. Each wooden plaque was painted in full color and beautifully detailed. Before falling asleep at night, I would sit and admire each one, imagining they came to life before my very eyes. You can create painted wood art (and memories) for your home.

Raw Wood Owl

Wood cutouts, figures and plaques can be a fun, inexpensive project. The projects described below are ocean creatures, however, many themes are available, including sports, nature, and holidays. This owl is predominately raw wood, with just a little color to accentuate the face.

Painted Wooden Heart

Decorating can be done with magic markers, acrylic paints, fabric paints (for 3-D effect), stickers, and self-stick gems. Finished items can be used as wall art, Christmas ornaments, wreath décor, place cards, window charms, and refrigerator magnets. These techniques can be used for larger woodcrafts as well. Outdoor items will require waterproof paints, and you will want to consider the fading effects of the sun.

Seahorses:

Inspiration

It’s always helpful to refer to a few photos to inspire your color palette. Note how textured the body is and any patterns naturally found in this unique sea creature.

Raw Wood Seahorse

Turquoise Seahorse Supplies

Supplies:
Wooden Seahorse (5-1/2” high x 3” wide x 3/8” thick)
Acrylic Paint – turquoise, yellow, and metallic blue (plus black for the pupil)
1) Bottle Dimensional Fabric Paint – light blue
Paintbrushes

Seahorse Close Up Detail

Seahorses – Step By Step Process: Apply base coat of acrylic paint over the surface, and be sure to paint over all the dark brown edges. When it’s dry, you may want to draw details to define your design.

Choose accent paints and begin working across the body, being careful not to smear the fresh paint as you go. Allow the piece to dry for several hours.

Dab a paintbrush in undiluted acrylic paint to create the subtle bumpy effect on the seahorse’s body. The metallic paint down the center of the body gives it an iridescent finish, which visually transforms the flat wood into a rounded, three-dimensional figure.

Finished Seahorse

Lastly, the blue fabric paint was applied to form spikes along the contours of the body. You may need to do a second coat on the spikes to achieve the texture as shown.

Purple Seahorse Supplies

Supplies:
Wooden Seahorse (5-1/2” high x 3” wide x 3/8” thick)
Acrylic Paint – orange, fuschia, and metallic light purple (plus black for the pupil)
1) Bottle Dimensional Fabric Paint – light blue
Paintbrushes

Seahorse Close Up Detail

Follow the same steps noted above for the turquoise seahorse.

Finished Purple Seahorse

For a more three dimensional look, please click here to see a more advanced version of these seahorses.

Dolphin:

Inspiration

Unlike the seahorses, dolphins have smooth, sleek bodies with a glossy sheen. To reproduce that wet-look, dimensional fabric paints will be exclusively used for this project.

Raw Wood Dolphin

Dolphin Supplies

Supplies:
Wooden Dolphin (3” high x 5-1/2” wide x 3/8” thick)
3) Bottles Dimensional Fabric Paint – white, pearl silver, black
Paintbrush

Dolphin Close Up Detail

Dolphin – Step By Step Process: You will be working across the body one color at a time, being careful not to smear the fresh paint as you go, and cover all the dark brown edges.

As you squeeze the bottle, apply the paint in a thick layer, using long “strokes,” to give the dolphin’s body depth. A damp paintbrush can be used to level the surface.

Allow the piece to dry over night. Be sure to wash the paintbrush with soap and water to remove fabric paint, which tends to adhere to the bristles like glue.

Finished Dolphin

It may require several paint applications to achieve the look you desire. Don’t worry about getting a perfectly smooth paint finish. The irregularities look like water rippling across his skin as he swims through the ocean.

Sea Turtle:

Inspiration

Sea turtles having fascinating patterns on their shells as well as their heads and flippers.

Raw Wood Sea Turtle

Green Sea Turtle Supplies

Supplies:
Wooden Turtle (3” high x 5-1/2” wide x 3/8” thick)
Acrylic Paint – cream
2) Bottles Dimensional Fabric Paint – brown, green
Paintbrushes

Sea Turtle Close Up Detail

Sea Turtle – Step By Step Process: You will be working across the body, one color at a time, being careful not to smear the fresh paint as you go. Apply a thick coat of brown fabric paint over the entire body to create depth. Allow the piece to dry over night. Now apply a thick coat of green fabric paint upon the shell. As you squeeze the bottle, apply the paint using long spiral “strokes” starting at the shell perimeter and working toward the center. Repeat this process several times to achieve desired thickness and raised dome shell shape.

Finished Sea Turtle

The final step is applying the detailed scales on the head and flippers, and the pattern on the turtle’s shell using acrylic paint and a fine paintbrush.

I hope you enjoy painting woodcrafts in your own unique style. It’s a lot of fun for the child in all of us and makes a great souvenir from your creative journey.

Thanks for reading & Happy Crafting!