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Painting a Skateboard DIY

CRAFTS· VIDEOS

Disclaimer: This post is sponsored by Painters Paint Pens.  All opinions are 100% my own. 

Will had been asking for a skateboard for a quite a while.  We got him a scooter and apparently that was an insult to his five year old manliness….he wanted a BIG BOY skateboard….a real one.  Lo and behold a miracle happened and Will and Jeremy found one trashed.  It was obviously well used and needed a makeover but we figured that it would be a great fit for his first skateboard.

Will would practice on the board and Jeremy and I loved watching his balance improve!  He looked so little with all his safety gear on coasting in front of the house….like a little driveway surfer!  When we saw that the Painters Paint Pen contest this month was for sports equipment or back to school gear….I knew that a makeover was due!  (For those that don’t know….Painters is hosting “Style by Aisle” contest and they want to see paint pen transformations.  Each month there is an inspiration theme….home decor, back to school, clothing, entertaining, and holiday….and you can show off your best paint pen project by submitting them to their website.  You can win a prize for your project and even if you don’t participate, you can download a coupon to add more colors to your paint pen arsenal.)

After removing the trucks and the wheels and sanding it down, it was time for a good ole coat of paint!  Will was adamant that he got to spray paint it.  He thinks spray painting is better than video games….and that is saying something 🙂

We used a couple coats of white flat Rust-Oleum 2x for the best coverage.

While it was drying, Will got to pick out a picture he wanted me to draw.  Of course my little man decided that superheros would be the best thing to put on the skateboard bottom….he has always been OBSESSED with all things Spiderman but recently he started mentioning that Wolverine is now his favorite because he can heal himself.  I love how he is growing up and I will be so sad when super heroes aren’t the cool thing anymore 🙁  Oh yeah…I am gonna be that mom sobbing over the loss of Wolverine and Spidie.

Anyhoo…I broke out the paint pens (my favorite!!!) and got to work free handing it.  I even filmed a little time lapse for you because you know…I am crazy for time lapse….

There were some areas that I didn’t have a particular color…like Wolverine’s skin…so I mixed a couple colors up on some cardboard to give me that color.  You can put a couple paint dots together and then use a white paint pen to ‘stir the pot’ if you will….it will create your new color and you use the tip of your white pen like a brush.  When you are done with that color, compress the white pen down on your cardboard until the paint runs white again!  I used the brown, yellow and white to create Wolverine’s chin skin color 🙂

Will was super excited and told me he couldn’t go to bed until he saw the board (little negotiator!)….

Close up you can tell it isn’t perfect.  The shading and details aren’t always exact….

But from a normal viewing distance, it has the cartoonish but dramatic look I was going for!  I did a couple clear coats of spray paint over the whole thing and then we put the regular wheels and trucks back on.

It’s amazing how a little paint can totally transform this entire thing!  Will is so excited to have a personalized board that reflects HIM and I am so excited that I don’t have to buy him something new (sports equipment is so expensive!).  It’s definitely the best of both worlds…inexpensive and looks brand new!  Paint pens for the win!

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  5. He looks so LITTLE in that first picture! As always I’m impressed with your artwork. And I had no idea that Wolverine had such a serious underbite. Grrr!

  6. As if you freehanded that!!! My poor kids would get stick people! Haha
    Amazing job once again!

    P.S Will we get a Bower/Petersik weekend recap? Maybe a thrift shopping post or something?… Anything! Lol 🙂

  13. ” I love how he is growing up and I will be so sad when super heroes aren’t the cool thing anymore”

    Four boys. Superheros. It’s quite possible that you’ll be 110 and still have a boy (or two or four) who still like superheros. That’s a fear you can tuck far, far away.

    I am in awe of people who can freehand like you do. I know you worked from a picture. Doesn’t matter. I am in awe.

  16. My daughter came home with a skateboard from the dump a few years ago. We took it to the dump early this spring and hopefully some other young kid is getting use out of it.

  17. Katie, he will never get over his obsession of superheros. My “baby” is 20 and Spiderman will always be in his heart. 🙂

  18. Great job updating the board!

    As the mother of a 7 year old boy, 8 year old girl and a 16 year old boy I can tell you the love of superheroes isn’t going anywhere anytime soon. All of my kids are superhero obsessed. My 7 year old was a HUGE Wolverine fan for years, then switched to Spider-Man and now he’s a big Iron Man fan . My 16 year old is really into Batman and Deadpool.

  20. Seriously Katie, you are SOOOO talented. I could sit and watch that time lapse over and over again. I can’t believe you can do that all by hand! It looks AWESOME! Will is such a lucky little boy to have such a talented Mama.

    And don’t worry, I’ve heard them called trucks before too, that’s the proper term.

  21. I think trucks is the right word.

    That’s so cute. Did you even sketch it in pencil first on the board? I thought the painting was going to be on the top of the board and riding on it would ruin it. Interesting that it’s on the underside! My daughter’s skateboard had a painting under the sandy stuff on top, but it was from a factory so who knows how they did it.

  23. SERIOUSLY KATIE!!!! God has blessed you with some mad skills. Are you interested in a daughter? I think I am older than you but that’s okay!! 🙂

  25. You’ve got some skills!!! Great painting. What brand paint pens do you use?

    And they are called trucks. Independent is a great brand.

  26. You’ve got it right Katie! The metal part are called trucks. For whatever reason… lol.
    You’re such a cool mom, I hope I can do cool stuff like this for my little dude someday!

  27. You used “trucks” correctly. There can be a shock absorber, called a riser, but that board doesnt have one. Trucks include all of the metal parts, plus the bushings.

  28. I’d second getting new wheels. Those are really, really worn. The bearings might be fine though, if you spin the wheels and they take over 30 seconds to come to a stop, then you’re probably good.

    You might need to adjust/replace the bushings though. If you just roll it down your driveway and it doesn’t roll straight, then they might too worn. They’ll only be about $5 at skateshop, and they’ll help you pick out the right ones there.

    Fyi, though, if he does get into skateboarding, nosestalls and boardslides are the first to be learned…. and those pretty much destroy the picture on the bottom… however, the griptape (on the top) can be replaced, and it might be worth trying paint pens up top. I just cut designs in my griptape though 🙂

  30. “Close up you can tell it isn’t perfect.”

    And who the hell looks at a skateboard close up anyway??

    I’m impressed, really. It’s a very cool drawing!

  32. Will is lucky he has a crafty mama. Great job. You totally need to enter the contest. I’d vote for you.

  33. You have talent, girlfriend. Drawing that freehand- well, I am a confident person, but that just wouldn’t be easy for me. I did copy your putty knife artwork that’s in blues and greens in your entry way, and it turned out great, because it was more abstract. What a cool idea. You made Will one happy boy, best of all!

  39. Katie, honey, dry your eyes! My 34-year-old son said, “I’m home!” when he found out his colleagues at his new job were comic book nerds; and was thrilled with the Millenium Falcon t shirt his wife gave him for his birthday. I just did a Dr. Who themed wedding rehearsal dinner for my 29-year-old son (with the bride’s blessing). They might get bigger toys, but they don’t leave the old ones behind!

    I used to worry that my kids wouldn’t be fun anymore after the passed the cute stages; but having adult children as your friends is a blast! Plus, they bring you grandchildren ; )

  42. Oh my gosh, your drawing is amazing! Great job! I think this will be something he always remembers- when his mom made him that awesome skate board, personalized for him!

  43. I can NOT BELIEVE you just freehanded that!!! I couldn’t even do that with pencil and you go straight for paint pens… Major respect!

    Skateboard looks awesome. Will must be so thrilled.

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