Tools and Materials
- 1"-by-6" poplar board
- Coarse sandpaper
- Primer or gesso
- Paintbrush
- Acrylic paints
- Tiger, elephant, lion, and zebra templates
- Ruler
- Craft knife
- Adhesive stencil film
- Foam pouncers
- Patterning tape
- Stippling brush
- 4 single wall-mount hooks
- Screws
- Screwdriver
- Hanging hardware
Animal Hooks How-To
- Cut a 20-inch length from poplar board. (Note: In lumber terms, a "one-by-six" board is actually 5 1/2 inches wide. The Home Depot will cut the board to size for you free of charge.)
- Sand board with coarse sandpaper until smooth. Prime and paint board desired color; let dry.
- Print templates for tiger, elephant, lion, and zebra. With a ruler and craft knife, cut out templates on dashed lines. Tape templates together in order, using solid horizontal lines to align properly.
- Cut 20 inches from a roll of adhesive stencil film, then cut film in half lengthwise to make two 5 1/2"-wide strips. Tape row of templates to one strip; save the other strip for another project.
- Cut out shaded animal shapes through all layers with a craft knife. Remove paper templates. Remove adhesive backing from stencil film and adhere to sanded, painted board.
- Use a foam pouncer to paint animals desired base colors; let dry.
- To add stripes to the zebra and tiger, place patterning tape over each stencil at angles and paint desired stripe color. To add texture to the elephant and lion, apply a lighter or darker color paint over base coat using a stippling brush.
- Let all paint dry and remove stencil and tape.
- Paint a wall-mounted single hook to match each animal. Screw each hook into place over animal shape to make a "tail."
- Add hanging hardware to the back of the board.
Resources
Martha Stewart Crafts paint colors used for the board and animals on the show:
- Boards: Scallion or Cloud
- Tiger: Mace; stripes in both Beetle Black and Summer Linen
- Elephant: Grey Wolf; texture in Arrowhead
- Lion: Cantaloupe; texture in Jonquil; mane and tail in Chestnut Brown
- Zebra: Beetle Black; stripes in Summer Linen
Martha Stewart Crafts paint, gesso, paintbrushes, foam pouncers, stippling brush, patterning tape, and adhesive stencil film from Plaid; single wall-mount hooks from The Container Store; poplar board, sandpaper, tools, and hardware from The Home Depot.
For detailed step-by-step photos, check out Kirsten Earl's post about the process.