Oh my gosh, this tutorial for How To Make A Neon Sign Painting has us so excited! It’s such an exciting way to make your custom artwork stand out. Pick any design you like and any color you’re feeling at the moment. You don’t need many supplies for this one; just a little but of patience – you can’t rush great things. These sweet DIY neon signs will go great next to the lava lamp.
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When you’re done with this project try one of these other sweet DIYs from TenGemsDIY!:
- How To Make DIY Canvas And Glitter Wall Art – https://tengemsdiy.com/how-to-make-diy-canvas-and-glitter-wall-art/
- How To Make Rainbow Pony Bead Keychains – https://tengemsdiy.com/how-to-make-rainbow-pony-bead-keychains/
- How To Make Sensory Glitter Bottles – https://tengemsdiy.com/how-to-make-diy-sensory-glitter-bottles/
Supplies for you’ll need for How To Make A Neon Sign Painting and where to easily find them:
- White canvas – https://amzn.to/3CjSQz8
- Black paint – https://amzn.to/3CAH6bX
- ~OR~
- Black canvas – https://amzn.to/3oRzHlc
- Colored acrylic paints – https://amzn.to/3NinZt2
- Various sizes of paintbrushes – https://amzn.to/3oQwXV1
- Black permanent markers – https://amzn.to/3p0fyt0
Step one: Black is best
Neon lights look amazing in the dark and the black background here accentuates that! You have two good options to start your black background with. Option A – begin with a white canvas and paint it black. All you have to do here is wait for the paint to dry. Option B – begin with a black canvas. You can buy black canvas and it will save you a step. I actually used one painted black canvas and one canvas that was bought black, for these two neon paintings. Can you tell which is which?
Step two: What shape will you use for your Neon Sign Painting?
After you have your black canvas, whether it’s been painted black or ordered black, you have to choose what your design will be. It’s best to stick to something without a lot of lines and a picture that doesn’t require a lit of detail. Simple is good here.
You can draw your design on your canvas lightly with pencil or black marker. This will make it a little easier to paint the first layer of your design. If you can free-hand your drawing, that is great too!
Step three: Choose your colors.
Neon signs are brightly colored and beautiful! Choose a color that goes well with your design or simply choose a color that you love. The monstera leaf painting is beautiful in green, and I thought the smiley face painting would best be done in yellow. You can see that with the green and yellow, I have chosen one darker shade and one lighter shade. There will be three colors. Your darker shade, your lighter shade and white.
Step four: Layers take time. Luckily acrylic paint dries quickly.
With your darkest shade of whatever color you have chosen, paint your design. You want your first layer to be ½ an inch or greater in width just to make sure you have room for the other layers of color. Let it dry and add a second coat if needed and let that dry as well.
The second layer will be with your lighter shade of color. Paint a thinner line over the first layer of paint. This will allow you to see the darker color under your lighter color. Check out the example photos here before you start, so you can see the effect before you begin the second layer. Let your second color dry before beginning the next layer.
The third layer will be white. This is the thinnest layer in your neon sign painting. The white makes the neon sign look bright and vibrant. It gives it the visual affect of lighting that isn’t actually there. Carefully paint your white layer, making sure to not cover up your colored layers. Take your time. There is no hurry.
Step five: Smooth out your edges.
I love a good permanent marker. So handy for so many things. If you have a few edges on your painting that you don’t love – that you feel could be prettier, take your black permanent marker and cover those edges and spots up. It’s easy to tidy up your black canvas with a black marker.
Lastly, appreciate those paintings! You’ve learned How To Make A Neon Sign Painting. You could hang them up for everyone to admire, give them as gifts, or teach your BFF something new too. Whatever you do, enjoy your art time.
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