Painted Tiles: Space Invaders Coasters

In yet another installment of "crafts for guys" I made these Space Invaders coasters for my husband using the same technique of tile painting I used for these. The husband and I are total video game nerds, but I don't think anyone would turn these little guys away. The straight lines of 8 bit video game graphics really help give this project more ease if you aren't so handy with an Xacto knife, as a ruler can be used as a guide if needed. I personally like being able to tell my projects are handmade, so when a line isn't perfect, I don't freak out. As I didn't really give clear instruction in the other post here goes:

You will need:

A ceramic tile (or tiles) from the hardware store
Enamel paints
an image you like
contact paper
an X acto knife

*If your image doesn't fit on your tile, you can always crop it any way you like or use a copy machine to change the size to fit.

To start, I clean my tile with rubbing alcohol and then cover it with contact paper (any color will do), make sure to smooth out any bubbles.

Next, I placed my image onto the contact paper and taped it into place.

Then, using an Xacto knife, I cut around my image pressing firmly so I would cut through both my paper and the contact paper.

Remove your image from on top of the contact paper and then carefully remove the area of the contact paper you will be filling in with paint. I used the tip of my blade to help pull up a corner of the contact paper so it could easily be peeled. Peel slowly so that if needed you can redo any cuts that didn't go all the way through without distorting your image.

I then re-cleaned the exposed areas of my tile with rubbing alcohol and dryed it before applying my paint.

If only applying one coat of paint, I try to remove my contact paper guide while it is still wet to avoid messing up the paint edges. If I use more than one coat, I will score around the edges of my design again with my Xacto blade to prevent rough edges or paint peeling off with the contact paper.

Then, depending on your type of enamel paint, bake as directed to set your design permanently.

To make the coasters I used a sheet of craft foam, cut to size and glued onto the back to protect my tabletops from the rough tile back. You could, also frame these to use as wall art, simply add a hook to the back, use as a regular tile, place them into concrete pavers, etc.

Painted Tiles: Alice in Wonderland

First I'm using paint chips, now I'm using tiles. I really never shut off my brain, so when I was wondering through the hardware store, naturally I thought I could find some awesome crafty finds. I really enjoy using my enamel paints, so I'm always looking for new ways to incorporate them into projects, and until I moseyed on down the tile aisle it had never crossed my mind. These tiles are a steal at 16 cents a piece, and come in a white and off white color.

"What are you going to do with a bunch of painted tiles?"

Well, obviously, you could still use it to tile something if you wanted. This little Alice in Wonderland would be great in a series of tiles, and you could definitely use it to tile a border in a child's room, or if you didn't already have the best playhouse ever, you quickly could. You could also attach a hook to the back with some epoxy and use it as wall art, or even frame it. Have a friend that really likes tea? Make some more Mad Hatter/Tea Party themed tiles and glue either cork or foam to the back and voila! Coasters.

My image is Alice falling down the rabbit hole. I made it by placing contact paper on my tile, cutting out the silhouette with an Xacto knife and applying my paint first in one direction (Left to Right) and then the other (up and down). I let it dry in between coats to get full coverage. I forgot to go back with my Xacto knife and score the paint around the edges of my silhouette, so when I pulled off the contact paper, it removed some of the paint on one edge, leaving a rough edge. I actually think this looks better since she is "falling through space" so I didn't go back and touch up the edges. If you decide to try out using contact paper or other stencils, I would recommend either removing the paper while the paint is still wet to avoid this issue, or going back after the paint is dry and cutting around the edges again with your knife.

Then, do as you see fit with your tile. I will be posting another project I made for my husband with this method shortly. It can definitely fit any theme, and you don't need to be able to draw if you just use silhouettes that you can print out and fit onto a tile to trace around.