HOT GLUE FAUX WOOD GRAIN

This is my latest 'Pinterest-inspired' wall art.  It is a hot glue faux-wood-grain pattern on canvas, painted with high gloss white spray paint.  I'm typically not a big fan of 'faux' anything, but these are abstract enough that it's clear I'm not trying to fool anyone into thinking these are real wood.  The following are the three pins where I found inspiration . . .

I was really intrigued by the hot glue idea in the middle pin.  I decided to try the Elmer’s type application seen in the first pin, and then all I needed was a unique pattern – and thus the texture inspiration from the faux wood grain pitcher came into play.  This is my first attempt at a photo tutorial on my blog, so bare with me... :o) 

All you need is a glue gun, glue sticks, a base to work with (canvas), a pencil and white high gloss spray paint.

 

 

I started with some 8x10 art canvases I had on hand, and drew the wood grain lines with a pencil.  Just start some center-points and keep outlining them until they all merge together.  Don’t be afraid to have some of the lines very close together.

Next, I went over the lines with a hot glue gun.  (Yes, my glue gun is well-used.)  TIP - Try to keep the glue threads off your piece by ending at the edge of the canvas.  Some threads are unavoidable and can be pulled off with your fingers or tweezers after it dries (cools). 

 

Let the glue cool.  Don’t forget to clean up your work BEFORE spray painting.  I made the mistake of not completely cleaning mine off.  As I was painting the first coat, I realized I still had threads. Uggghhhh.  So…I waited until it dried and pulled them off with tweezers.  Once the glue is cool and dry and you have cleaned off the extraneous hot glue threads - spray paint with a high-gloss spray paint (high-gloss to highlight the texture).  I did two thin coats, and the pencil marks are completely covered.  If the hot glue threads of glue become apparent after you spray paint - wait until the pieces are completely dry and pull the threads off with tweezers.

 

 

These three pieces ended up in our guest bathroom.  I think these types of projects are a good choice for a bathroom as they can easily handle the high humidity. 

From the other pin above it appears you can use Elmer’s glue to get a similar effect.  The lines from the hot glue gun may be a little inconsistent, but I think it adds to the character of the wood grain.  If you are looking for a smooth look – I’d try the Elmer’s glue.

 

 For my other hot glue art project see this post here.