How To Create Art/Photo Plates

DIY decorative art plates using your favorite photo, clip art, or any other art you like! Great gift idea!

Materials

Glass Plate – I have found them at Ikea, Target, Cost Plus and the Dollar Store
Mod Podge
Laser Printed Photos or other artwork
A piece of lace, large enough to cover your plate
2 colors of spray paint
Foam Brush
Scissors, X-acto Knife, or cutting device of your choice
Spray Adhesive – a low tack, repositionable style is preferred
Optional

Glass Cleaner
Paper towels
Tailors Chalk
Using the Glass cleaner and paper towels, clean the glass plate of grease and finger prints

Cut out your photo or other clip art – for this project I used the bottom rim of the plate to create and tailors chalk to create a template for a photo that would fill the bottom of the plate. Another option is to print black & white clip art onto colored paper and create a collage of your artwork. Graphics Fairy has a great selection, or you can use Google Images. I recommend not using artwork printed on photo paper, as it doesn’t breathe and the Mod Podge won’t dry.

Working on the back of the plate, brush a moderate layer of Mod Podge on the area where you want your artwork to be placed. Place the artwork face down onto the Mod Podge. Let dry until clear, about 20 minutes.

Brush another layer of Mod Podge over the artwork and let dry. This not only seals the art, but protects the spray paint from leaking through in the next few steps.

In a well-ventilated area, spray a light coat of spray adhesive onto your lace and place it on the entire back side of your plate. Gently press down with your hands to make sure there is even contact on the plate.

With one of your spray paint colors, lightly paint the back of the plate with even coverage. Do not spray too heavily or the paint will leak through the lace and ruin the effect. Gently remove the lace, trying not to smudge any of the paint. Let dry.

Spray paint the entire back of the plate, using your second color. Follow the manufacturer’s suggestions and use light sweeping strokes to avoid drips. Let dry then spray and additional time with the same color for solid coverage. Let dry completely. If desired, you can also spray a layer of polyurethane for additional protection.

Turn over and enjoy your work!

**Note that these plates are not food or dishwasher safe.

Yeah Yeah by Audionautix is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution license (
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