Antlers are everywhere! But really, how much do you want to invest in such a trendy item? In three years are you still going to want a giant white ceramic moose head or rhino on your wall? Probably not!

So what do you do? If you try to copy the ceramic or metal antlers you will inevitably fall short. In order to create your own animal wall art you need to purchase a cardboard head or set of antlers and just painting them glossy white is not going to give you a high end look. Or even worse (and I’ve seen these) trying to paint the head to look like a realistic deer head mounted on a wood plaque – just don’t do this.

Instead try a whimsical twist. I design at least one element of fun into even the most formal spaces and boldly patterned antlers certainly make a light-hearted statement. I created this animal art for a winter sport themed boy’s room but I have installed one in my own office. I like surrounding myself with whimsey when I design.

What You’ll Need

My Process

The glossy blue chevron pattern is made by first spraying the entire piece with white primer.

Cardboard absorbs paint unevenly so using primer is critical to a good finished product. Then cover the entire face with delicate surface painters tape, draw on the design, cut the part you want to be a color away with an Exacto knife and finally spray paint the face and antlers a bold glossy color.

For the chalkboard and chevron antlers prime the entire piece. Paint the base with chalkboard paint first and then hand paint on the stripes at an angle, making them chevrons on the wider parts of the antlers. You could tape this but in whimsical art the hand painted element does not detract from your finished product.

This same technique works on wall letters or any other shape you want to transform for your walls! Enjoy and don’t be afraid to be bold!