How to make and paint 3D art

• A panel of 7mm thick interior grade plywood cut down to 790mm x 605mm
• 4.8m of untreated pine 140mm x 18mm
• 4.8m of untreated 40mm x 10mm pine trim
• Compass
• Pencil
• Jig saw or band saw
• Sandpaper
• Resene Quick Dry
• Small microfibre roller
• Resene testpots in your choice of paint colour – Fleur used (white art) Resene Carrara, (blue art) Resene Elephant, Resene Blumine and Resene Calypso, (green art) Resene Salsa, Resene Blue Diamond and Resene Planter
• Paintbrush
• Wood glue
• Mitre saw

Instructions

Step 1:  Start by cutting out your plywood panel so that it is 790mm tall and 605mm wide. Sand off any rough bits and then apply one coat of Resene Quick Dry. Fleur used a small microfibre roller. Once this is dry, lightly sand over it with a fine grit sandpaper and then apply two coats of Resene Carrara, allowing for the first coat to dry before applying the second coat. (Photo 1).

Step 2:  Use a compass to make arching shapes on the 140mm wide pine board. Make sure the shapes are combinations of 140mm wide/tall and 280mm wide/tall. Use a jig or band saw to cut out these shapes. (Photo 2).

Step 3:  Sand down any rough bits with some sandpaper and then as with the plywood panel, prime the shapes with one coat of Resene Quick Dry followed by two coats of Resene Carrara. (Photo 3).

Step 4:  Use wood glue to glue the shapes to the plywood panel and allow for a gap of 15mm between each shape and from the edge of the panel. (Photo 4).

Step 5:  Measure and cut some 40mm x 10mm pine trim to form a frame around the plywood panel. Prime this with Resene Quick Dry followed by two coats of Resene Carrara. Glue this to the edge of the plywood panel. (Photo 5).

Step 6:  Screw two small screws into the back of the panel and hang the art with some string stretched between them.

Top tip:  Alternatively, you could experiment with colour, either a gradient of colour such as the blue colour palette of Resene Elephant, Resene Blumine and Resene Calypso, or you could try a different colour colour palette such as Resene Salsa, Resene Blue Diamond and Resene Planter. (Finshed project).

Project and images by Fleur Thorpe. November 2021.