Using peelable primer and acrylic paints.
Do social media artists inspire you to customize and personalize your items? Many artists I follow online do just that, which is why I upload many customized craft projects. Today, I'm sharing how I customized an LG phone with peelable primer and acrylic paints.
Continue reading to see the steps I took to customize the phone cover.
Supplies and Stuff
These are the items I used to customize the phone cover:
Phone. I used the back cover of an LG phone as my canvas for this craft project.
Wet wipe. I used a wipe to clean the surface.
Peelable primer. I sprayed white Rust-Oleum's Peelable Primer as a base coat on the phone cover.
Pencil. I made a rough sketch on the phone cover before applying acrylic paints.
Acrylic paints. I chose to use my Artist's Loft beginners' acrylic paints to create me design.
Paintbrushes. I used paintbrushes to apply acrylic paint to the phone cover.
Container of water. I cleaned the paintbrushes in a jar of clean water.
Varnish. I sprayed Krylon's Kamar Varnish to protect the design.
Prepping the Phone Cover
My Dad gave me his old LG V9 cellphone a couple years ago. I started recording my videos with this phone, until the battery puffed up and died on me.
Since I had to pry the back case off to remove and replace the battery, I figured this was a great opportunity to customize the case with a personalized design.
I used a baby wipe to clean the back cover. I have baby wipes to clean my dogs at the end of the day, and the pack happened to be nearby when I decided to customize this phone.
I sprayed two coats of white peelable primer over the phone cover. I shook the can longer than I'd normally shake most spray paint cans. I've learned from experience that not shaking the peelable primer longer than usual causes uneven imperfections while spraying.
In the photos above, it appears the paint is chunky and uneven. However, when shaken properly before spraying, the primer self-levels within a half hour to an hour. When I didn't shake the can well enough, it'd remain textured.
I probably need to shake longer because I bought my peelable primer from a local King Dollar store where it possibly sat on a shelf for a long time. Perhaps it settled and needs more effort to shake and prepare it for use. The peelable primer is thicker than regular spray paints, so it doesn't take much to clog the nozzle.
I let the primer dry for a couple hours under the summer sun. There were a few minor visual defects. There was a small area where dog hair stuck to the primer. The hair peeled off easily and only left a little dent.
Several bugs stuck to an edge of the phone cover, leaving a few dents and uncovered spots after I brushed them off. I didn't feel the visual defects were worth peeling and re-priming the cover, so I continued to paint the background color.
The Design
I first painted three coats of black acrylic paint for the background of the phone cover. I initially wanted to use a gray color but realized the black would match the rest of the phone's body better.
I knew I wanted to test my skills in painting a rose, so I searched for rose images online to reference. I came across a blue rose image I decided to replicate.
Sketching the rose was easy for me, but applying the paint proved more challenging. I didn't feel like I knew what I was doing. I didn't know how to apply colors or replicate the lighting and shading I saw in the image.
This may sound lame, but I had to remind myself to let go and not focus on replicating the original image. I had to remind myself that I was practicing my acrylic painting skills and perfection wasn't an option.
Once I put the original image away and painted the rose my way, completing the rose became easier for me. I also started enjoying the painting process more when I stopped caring. After all, I could always peel and re-prime the phone cover if I didn't like the design.
Fortunately, I liked the design when I finished painting the rose. I feel like adding the white highlights helped with how I feel about my amateur painting. However, I felt like something was missing from the background.
I began applying random dots to the black background with a white gel pen. Yet, I didn't think the dots varied as much as I wanted. I went over the dots with black acrylic paint before attempting my first splatter technique with white acrylic paint.
Because it was my first-time splattering paint, I didn't think about wetting the brush first before attempting the technique. When paint didn't splatter off the paint brush, I quickly realized wetting the brush was needed to achieve the technique and look I hoped for.
Protecting the Design
I sprayed the phone cover with a single coat of Krylon's Kamar Varnish. I let it dry for a few hours under the summer sun. The cover remained slightly tacky to the touch for a couple days.
My Thoughts
I thought this was a fun craft project. Using peelable primer relieved my worrying about getting my design 'right.' I focused on practicing my acrylic painting skills and had fun in the process. It's comforting to know that I can peel and re-prime when I want.
What's Next?
There are several items around my house I want to customize, so there'll be more customized blog posts and YouTube videos in the future.
Have you used a peelable or temporary solution for customizing your phone? Login and Sign up to share whether you'd want your design to be permanent or temporary if you customized your own phone.
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Thanks, and have a great day!
Simply Jelly Jam
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