2
Do It Yourself: Painted Planter Dress up your plants in something prettier than plastic ANA MARIA CAICEDO Editor-in-Chief
The pandemic made me a plant person. During the summer months of quarantine solitude, I acquired plant after plant, hoping to fill the void (until I got a cat). When my roommate Val left for Mexico, she left behind her succulent in the beautiful planter she had hand-painted. Wanting my plants to be outfitted in something prettier than a plastic pot, I asked Val how she did it and decided to give it a go. Aside from photography, I’ve never been particularly good at any kind of visual art. After painting a few of these, I can honestly say anyone can create something cute with little to no artistic skills. There’s something so therapeutic about painting these. Mixing the creamy paints, soaking in the vibrancy of the colours, getting lost in the routine of it and the occasional need for precision—painting these planters put my mind at ease.
2 0
3
Step 1: Gather Your Materials You will need: One unglazed/uncoated ceramic pot (should feel matte to the touch)
The pot mustn’t have a shiny finish on it, as this will make it difficult to paint to dry/soak in unless you apply a proper primer underneath. If you want to plant directly in your planter, it’s important to get a pot that has one or more drainage holes—the more, the better. If your pot doesn’t have drainage holes, you can drill some in or use a smaller planter with drainage holes and place that planter in your pot (this is what I did). Any terra cotta or unglazed pot will work—you can find them at Rona, Home Depot, the Dollar Store, and online. Acrylic paint—any acrylic paint will do, even the ones from the dollar store. A light pencil or pencil crayon Brushes Depending on your design, you may need a few brushes with different shapes and sizes (for sharper lines, to get in little corners, etc.) A jar of water to soak and clean your brushes in between colours A rag Clear acrylic spray (I used Rust-Oleum Painter’s Touch Paint & Primer in Satin Clear)
