I have a customer that made these HUGE decorative surfboards and she wants me to paint them! So, I figured why not make this a step-by-step painting tutorial for y’all. Now, I’m only painting one decorative surfboard right now but this customer ordered several. These surfboards are great for your outdoor décor, especially out by the pool!
If you know my story then you know I started by painting decorative surf boards in Florida at an outdoor mall. I still love painting these, especially the BIG ones! This one is a sunset over the water with palm trees. Now, you don’t have to paint this on a surfboard, you can paint this on a canvas or a piece of scrap wood. Let’s learn how to paint a decorative surfboard!
Disclaimer: Some of the links below are affiliate links, meaning, at no additional cost to you, I will make a commission if you click through and make a purchase. It helps fuel my coffee habit so I can keep painting fun stuff for y'all!
Paint the sunset over the water
First, prime your board with some white paint. Then take some masking tape and mark your horizon line. I used DecoArt Blue Grass Green and DecoArt Aqua Sky for the water. It was soooo easy to paint. I used a chip brush and just painting kind of like a figure eight. Remove the tape and then start on the sunset. I used a clean chip brush, DecoArt Jack-O-Lantern, DecoArt Orange Twist and red paint. I started with the orange paints and painted from the top down. Just go lighter to dark and do kind of an ombre effect for the sunset.
Paint the palm trees
These palm trees are super easy! First you want to place the palm trees by just painting a line in black. You can then add the detail to the trunk and the palm fronds. I place mine on either edge because I’m adding lettering to the center.
Add the lettering
I’m writing “It’s five o’clock somewhere” on this one but you could write anything. You could put so and so’s bar & grill or so and so’s cabana. The opportunities are endless!
You can even make some extra creative cash with projects like this. For example, I didn’t even cut these out. This customer’s husband is a wood worker so I’m just painting them! Now, we do have a template for these surf boards available for our members of Paint Party Headquarters but the doors don’t open until Sept. Get on the waitlist here.
How much fun was it to paint this decorative surfboard? Have you done some fun summer paintings? Click here to text me a photo. I love seeing all of your art!
Watch the Step-by-Step tutorial here
More painting tutorials
I want to paint an actual old surfboard, any tips on getting paint to stick?
Hey there Meredith!
This is a great question! On real surf boards, you will need to remove all dirt and wax first. Once that is done, use steel wool or sandpaper to scuff of the surface. You can use acrylic paint or paint pens to add your design, then use clear acrylic spray to seal it in 💕