The Air Plant Holder Painting Kit is designed to make you feel good from the moment the box is opened to the unveil the content that we have prepared for you. While a premium packaged product often incur wastage, Inspireworks Studio would like to provide that same dopamine hit with a more sustainable and functional solution: the stencils included are integrated as part of the boxes within the kit. And they are made with re-used card boards.
This kit is designed for you to unwind and rejuvenate. Take your time, don't rush. We would like you to slow down the pace of your modern-lifestyle, and start to appreciate: LOVE what you DO and DO what you LOVE, it will always transport you to a state, where spacetime don't seem to matter.
The painting kit comes with 3 different stencilling styles and a 12 color mini acrylic set, it is a combination that allows a broad spectrum of mix and match. You are also encourage not to use the stencils and design your own air plant holder. Unleash that limitless creativity and have FUN!
The Concept
Step 1. Design
The first step is to design your air plant holder and here are some questions to help you to get started:
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Think about the space that you would like to place the planter.
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What are the colors and styles that would match that space?
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What are the colors and styles that would resonate with you?
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What story will you share when asked about the design?
There are plenty of websites that you can refer to, when you ask professor Google, but we recommend that you do some research on Pinterest, our favorite platform for ideas.
Step 2. Preparations
Other than the contents from the kit, some additional items are to be prepared before handcrafting your air plant holder:
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For painting:
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Half filled water container
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A small piece of cloth
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Hair dryer
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For detailing (optional)
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Disposal Bamboo chopsticks
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Bamboo skewer
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Black markers with different tip sizes
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Cut out the stencils that you would like to use for your design.
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Masking tapes or any kind of tapes
Preparing the work station:
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Find a comfortable work station with good lighting and positive vibe (some place that you enjoy to be at).
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Workstation needed to be near a power point for the hair dryer.
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Cover workstation with cloth or paper as acrylic are tough stains.
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Reachable drinks to re-hydrate.
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Music that suits your mood.
Step 3 & 4 are instructions on painting using the stencils
If you have designed your plant holder without the stencil, you can skip both the steps and continue to check out some tips & tricks on step 5 and onward.
Step 3. Secure Stencil
Art is very subjective and there are no right or wrong, it's a matter of design, perspective and perception. But if you fall into the category of a perfectionist or an OCD artist/designer (like us), Step 3 and 4 are very very crucial, to avoid falling into the deep void of non-perfect alignment, you won't wanna go there... we're serious.
The stencils are designed to fit the air plant holder tightly, providing the best result.
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Align the stencils according to the desired position (examples are shown as above)
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Use masking tape to secure it's position
Once secured, you are now ready to paint.
Step 4. Dab! Not Stroke
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Pick a color of your choice and open the cap slowly to avoid spill.
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Dip and offload paint (removing excessive paint).
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Further offload paint by tapping brush lightly on a piece of paper.
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Dab! Use light up-and-down motion ( dab dab dab)
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Avoid using a side-to-side (stroke) movement or pressing too firm; this will cause color to get under the stencil.
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Tip: If you are not confident, try stencilling on a piece of paper beforehand, the stencils can be reused after drying
Offload
Dab lightly
Just barely touching
Video Tip: How to Stencil with Acrylic Paint
Check out this video from Plaid Crafts' channel with host Candie Cooper, demonstrating how to stencil a decorative plaque with acrylic paint.
This is the same technique that can be used to stencil the air plant holder, just as a smaller version.
Tip: To create a gradient effect:
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Pick 2 or more colors of your choice.
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Dab the darker color first on one side.
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Wash and dry the paint brush.
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Dab the lighter color from the other end towards the darker color.
If the effect is unsatisfactory, you can always dry the paint and repeat the steps
Step 5. Dry Between Layers
Always dry acrylic paint between layers and avoid using stencils with wet paint on it.
If you would like your color to be striking, it is advised to paint at least 2 layers and dry paint between layers.
If you do not like the color that you have used, and know that you will regret for the rest of your life... Don't worry! Just dry the paint and paint over with new color. Paint at least 3 layers to fully cover the unwanted color beneath.
Step 6. Adding Details (Doodle)
OK, most probably, you have spent hours on step 1 till step 5. Then, after removing the stencil, you think to yourself "holy crap, it doesn't look like anything like the pictures posted on Inspirework's Instagram and website, it looks... boring..."
Don't you worry, my friend, STEP 6, yeah, STEP 6 will be the one that make your design POP!
Detailing with Bamboo Chopstick and Skewer
Front Tip-
Smaller sized dot
Back Tip-
Larger sized dot
With 1 x bamboo chopstick and 1 x bamboo skewer, you get 4 different dot sizes, and here are the steps:
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Plan and double confirm your design before you start.
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Dip the tip into the acrylic paint and dot on a piece of paper to confirm the dot's "quality".
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Once you are confident, start dotting on the air plant holder.
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Dip the tip with acrylic paint with every dot (dip, dot, dip, dot, dip, dot...)
Detailing with Paint Brush or Black Marker
Tips and tricks for detailing with paint brush:
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Use generous amount of paint, just dip and don't offload.
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Paint only using the tip of the brush, carefully.
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Be very very patient, but don't hold your breath, relax...
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Wear your spectacles if you can't see clearly!
Tip: Use contrasting color when detailing. E.g. use light colored details on dark background and vice versa.
Video Tip: Mandala Dot Art Ideas
Lydia May's step by step instructions on how to paint a beautiful, happy, rainbow dot art Mandala with bamboo skewers, cotton bud, pencil eraser and a glue stick.
Hopefully this video had provided you with ideas on making your own Mandala dot art. This is the same technique that can be applied to the air plant holder.
Well Done!
We hope that you have enjoyed the creation process and we will be very delighted to hear from you again. Please do send us photos of your design in various angles, we will feature them in our gallery and social media.
And we always love a to hear about what you think about our air plant painting kit, any feedback, review and testimonial is welcomed in any of our social media page.
Now, the Tillandsia air plant need your LOVE:
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Place air plant in places with adequate light (but not exposed to direct sunlight) and proper air flow
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Midst your air plant until it is slightly wet every 3-4 days or whenever it looks dry and curly.
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Soak air plant in water facing down for 10 - 20 minutes twice a month.
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Don't leave air plant dripping wet for more than 4 hours as it might rot.
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Peel of brown, bent or damaged leaves gently.
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Fertilize air plant by mixing Bromeliad or Tillandsia food into water and spray them on their leaves once a month.