Puffy Painting Tips

How to Puff Paint like a Champ!

As a proud member of a sorority, granddaughter of a tole painter, and daughter of a certified sign painter, I pride myself on my puffy painting skills.  And I do mean skills.  I grew up with one of the worst, illegible hand-writing styles imaginable.  It took years for teachers to finally understand what I was writing, and learn that I actually had something to say.  

But enough about that, let's get to puff painting! Read the BOLD letters to cut down on length!

1. Always shake the bottle.  Shake it so that the tip is facing downward [with the cap on].  Try to get all the paint down to the tip so that no air will be in the tip and cause it to make a mess of your paint.
2. Practice on something worthless/Made of plastic.  Things made of plastic will normally let you peel off the paint if you don't like your finished product.
3. Work top to bottom and left to right. This will help to make sure you don't drag your hand through your masterpiece.  It can be completely heart breaking.
4. Invest in some gold puffy paint.  This is a really specific tip, but I've found that when in doubt, use the gold puffy paint!  It looks good on almost anything and can really class items up. 
5. Outline what you want to do.  If working on plastic, practice on paper first.  If working on fabric, outline your work in marker, preferably a washable type.
6. Find the middle of what you are doing. Especially when dealing with words.  Count the letters and find what goes in the middle.  Then start with that letter and work your way out.
7. Learn the ideal amount of pressure you need to put on the bottle.  Squeezing too hard or too little will just mess things up.
8. Don't do everything in one movement. It'll work loads better if you take your time and make multiple strokes.   Below is a picture I found that kind of illustrates what I mean by multiple strokes.

I really do get compliments on my puff painting. The only reason I brag? It's a pretty useless skill outside of the world of crafting and sorority.

My grandma taught me how to paint letters with an actual paintbrush.  You can't just jump right in and use it like a pencil.