I’ve seen various versions of this project online, and wanted to try it myself. I knew this would be a perfect gift for my mother-in-law, who delights in coming up with whimsical table settings. All of the versions I’d seen involved using spray paint, however I made these in December, and due to my being sick, and it being cold and wet outside, spray paint just wasn’t an option! So I decided to come up with my own way of doing this. I’m happy to say my experiment worked way better than I hoped.
Supplies
Plastic animals: I got mine at the flea market for 1€ (less than $1.50 US)
White Gesso
Pearlised gold acrylic craft paint
Paint brushes
craft knife
candle & matches
Instructions
Paint the plastic animals with one coat of white gesso. This will allow the acrylic paint to stick to them. regular base coat paint should work too.
Don’t worry about getting perfect coverage, it’s better if some of the original colour shows through.
Once the gesso is completely dry, paint with acrylic paint
As you can see, some of the original colour is showing, and gives them a nice distressed look. Add 2 more coats of the gold paint, making sure to let each coat dry first.
Once you get the look you want, it’s time to cut the slits. Light your candle, and hold the blade of your craft knife in the flame. Once hot, cut slits in the back of the holders.
I was thrilled with how these turned out, and I prefer this look to spray paint. It took longer, but the finish seems more natural to me. You know, as natural as gold animals could be!
