love light switches Tag

Switch Plate Throwback

Peace fam, for all those reading this and for those who keep coming back I appreciate it. I’ve been running this blog since 2008. Here is one of the projects I did in 2011-2013 that brought me a lot of joy and which people also loved. It wasn’t lucrative, but it fed me. Switch plate covers! These are tiny ways to decorate your home, office, or classroom. I plan on doing these again and selling them individually as gifts and possibly as larger paintings and prints.
Stay tuned here and on my shop. Here’s another one from the past below.
If you’d like to see more please click on this link and scroll down.

Switchplates October

Some new joints for the month of October, new section coming soon to follow. And for folks who want to know a bit more about how I paint these, here are some process photos for any and everyone interested in making their own switch plates for gifts or to sell.
The first thing you will need are acrylic or plastic switch plates. You can purchase these at any hardware store usually. I use these plastic ones and I scratch the surfaces up real good so the paint will adhere well.
The second thing I look for is color and inspiration. I keep several files of photos I take, scraps I find, images, illustrations, textures, whatever that inspires me visually. And I usually base my patterns or designs off of those. 
Next thing you will need are tools. I use various brush sizes to apply paint with large broad strokes or tiny details. The paint brands I use vary, but I generally use acrylic because it dries within minutes. A rule of thumb is to get something that is affordable and long lasting (ie: it wont break in a day or become useless, but won’t cost you a month of groceries). Feel free to use whatever you like though, you can use spray paint, oil, acrylic, pastel, glue and collage-whatever. As long as it looks fly to you and the recipient can use it.

Now, when you paint. You want to get a palette to hold the paint while you mix it. It can be a glass plate, old cereal box, or fancy plastic palette. Anything that gets the job done! 
You start painting by adding a base layer, which is a light coat. Let it fully dry. Then you add pattern elements in coates or add color slowly one at a time. I generally mix colors one base at a time and it varies from 3-10 layers of pattern or detail. Make sure you cover all the switch. Let each layer dry before adding a new layer.  When you are done you can add a gel medium matte or gloss to protect the painted layer.
And voila, you have a hand painted gift or unique art piece to sell.