Dresser Redo: With Graphic Damask Black and White Print

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Dresser Redo: 

With Graphic Damask Black and White Print

Party Highlight by Twice Lovely

Have you ever been perplexed about how to get a cool design on a piece of fabric, or a picture in a book, or a graphic on your computer onto a wall or a piece of furniture?  Well it’s something that’s plagued me for a while.  I’m decent at freehand painting, but when it comes to symmetrical designs, or repeating designs or getting something really tiny to be huge, I have been stuck, so I started looking around for an opaque projector I could use for that purpose.

I spoke to the lovely people at Artograph, who graciously offered to send me their Super Prism  Art Projector (one of their top-of-the-line models) to use and one to offer our readers for a giveaway!!  Isn’t that SO exciting!  

First, I thought I’d share with you a project I did for my very own bedroom using my new Super Prism Projector.

We inherited our dresser when we were first married, 10.5 years ago, from my husbands grandmother.  It was very 70’s looking, with the slanted drawers, boxy shape and yellow wood tone.  When we first got it, I decided it might make it look a little less 70’s and a little more traditional if I added some pulls and knobs. 

It helped, but I’ve been yearning to give it more of an update forEVER, but my husband has a thing about painting wood, so being the loving, dutiful wife that I am, I conceded the issue for years.  Finally I could take it no longer, so I did what any loving, dutiful wife would do.  I waited until he was at work, and whipped out the paint!  :)  Surprise!  He was only momentarily disappointed that the wood was no longer, because he loved the way it turned out (as I knew he would.)

Now it matches my Roadkill Rescue Headboard I redid years ago!  Yay!  (You can see it in the mirror.  By the way, this is probably the first time in at least 3 years that my bed has been somewhat made, just to keep it real.)

Here’s a better look at the headboard and duvet cover.

So let me show you how I accomplished this using my new projector!

I wanted to use the damask from the duvet cover as the design on the dresser, but the pattern was a little too large to fit on the copy area of the projector.  (It has a 7” x 7” copy area.)  So I found a picture of the duvet cover online (they sell the Havana pattern at Target still) and printed it on a smaller scale that would fit on the copy area.

The projector was simple and easy to use, right out of the box.  I just placed my image on the copy area, shut the lid, turned it on, adjusted the distance between the projector and the dresser until the image was the size I wanted, then turned the end of the lens to focus it.  Maybe a minute, and we were in business!

I traced around the image with a pencil.

Then flipped the image upside down and traced on the other side. 

(I wish I could take credit for idea of this awesome design, but it was inspired by this damask wall art that Brooke did at All Things Thrifty back in April.  It’s been swirling around in my head ever since and I was SO excited to finally see it to fruition.)

So then, the painting began.  I’m not going to lie to you and tell you this was a quick process, but I think the end product was TOTALLY worth the time and effort.  Here it is after 1 hour of painting:

2 hours, and we’re half-way done:

I want to say it took about 5 hours to complete all the black painting with touch-ups and everything.  I just put on some tunes and painted away.  Not difficult work, just a little tedious.  Luckily, my husband was home yesterday when I was working on this part, so my kids were not completely neglected.  ;)

I really could not be happier with how it turned out, and am totally stoked to have everything in there looking like it goes together.  It was only 10.5 years in the making.  Good things come to those who wait.  :)