Painted Banners

Our group meets in a church basement that is not unattractive as church basements go but neither does it contain visual cues that it is a place for worship. We created these banners not only to beautify our space but also to remind us what we are there to do. For themes, we chose four elements that are important to our group: praise, pray, listen, and serve. As you think about themes for your banners, select themes that are relevant not only to your group but to the congregation in general: our banners are now used in the sanctuary for Sunday morning services!

Note: We created these four banners over a two year period during the one-on-one and fellowship portions of our time together, working on one banner at a time. You may choose to structure this differently, but whatever you do, remember to take the time to get everyone involved and to enjoy the process. Check out Friendship’s art tips for ideas about how to accomplish this.

Preparing the Canvas

Canvas can be found inexpensively at most fabric stores. Purchase enough to cut out a 79” x 26” rectangle for each banner. Hem each banner as follows: arranging the fabric vertically, fold each side over ½” and then ½” again and hem. At the top and bottom, fold the fabric ½” and then fold over 3” and hem, leaving a pocket for a ¾” dowel (or larger).  Finished dimensions: 72” x 24”. The fabric is now ready to paint (no gesso/primer necessary)!

Painting

Here are the materials you’ll need:

• Overhead projector (“praise,” “pray,” and “serve” banners)

• Spotlight (“listen” banner; light such as the kind used for home improvement)

• Tambourine (“praise” banner)

• Plastic sheet (to protect the wall)

• Hemmed canvas

• Poster putty

• Acrylic paint, in colors you select (we used Delta Ceramcoat paints, an inexpensive craft-quality acrylic)

• Paintbrushes (2 medium-large round art brushes; 2 small-medium house painting or other coarse brushes)

• Waterdishes (2 or 3)

• Plastic bowls/plates for paint palettes (2 or 3)

• Cloths for cleaning brushes

• Drop cloth

Here’s how to create the paintings:

1. For the first session, choose three friends to get the painting started: one to serve as a model, one who has lettering skills, and one who is able to control a paintbrush well.

2. Hang a plastic sheet from the wall using poster putty; use additional poster putty to hang one of the blank canvases on top.  Place a drop cloth on the floor if necessary, but make sure it is not a tripping hazard. Note: Choose a wall from which you have enough room to back up to place the overhead projector at the proper distance (see step 3).

3. You will be using an overhead projector to project the images for the “praise,” “pray,” and “serve” banners and a spotlight to project the image for the “listen” banner. Position the overhead projector/spotlight at the proper distance so that the projected image fits the canvas. The model’s job is: for the “praise” banner, lay one hand holding a tambourine on the overhead; for “pray,” place praying hands on the overhead; for “serve,” place hands reaching towards each other on the overhead; for “listen” sit on a chair facing the banner, and shine a spotlight from behind to project the head and shoulders image.

4. Once the image is projected, ask the model to be as still as possible. Ask the friend with good paintbrush control to outline the projected shadow using a round brush and a deep shade of the color your group has selected. If there is time, fill in with the same color.

5. Meanwhile, ask the friend with lettering skills to paint the appropriate word at the bottom of the banner using a round brush. Talk about how tall the letters should be and how they should be spaced. Your friend may want to pencil the letters in before painting them in the same deep color being used for the image.  You will likely complete step five the first session.

6. The next session(s): If the image still needs to be filled in or the lettering needs another coat, get this done first. Then, select two or three friends to begin additional painting. 

7. Additional painting includes: selecting or mixing a lighter shade of the color you’ve used already to add on top of the image to create a sense of texture and depth. A coarse brush will work well for this. Also use a coarse brush to paint short lines beginning near the image and radiating out, using several shades of similar colors. Model how to do this before turning the paint brush over to the painters. 

Displaying the Banners

1. The banners will likely need to be ironed before you hang them; do so on a cool to medium setting.

2. Hang the banners from banner stands for easy display and storage. We used the “Classic Medium (BN-2) Banner Stand” from the following website: www.sdsign.com/classic.htm

3. Talk with the group about what the banners mean, and display them in your space regularly.

4. Look for other places to share the banners as well!