Wood-burning Designs onto a Cutting Board
Everyone loves a good canvas painting party, but keep in mind that you can use those same designs on more than just canvas. I decided to reuse a lovely floral design from a canvas party to transform an ordinary cutting board into something special.
Transferring a canvas party design onto a cutting board
I used my scanner/printer to scale the design down to the size needed for my cutting board, and then used some transfer paper to copy the design onto the board.
Look how pretty the design looks on the cutting board. Tip: double-check to make sure you have transferred all the lines before removing your pattern.
Wood burning a design into a cutting board
To make the traced design permanent, I used my Walnut Hollow woodburner to outline everything. This was fairly simple except in some spots, where I was battling the grain of the wood and it didn't end up quite as smooth as I would have liked. I find woodburning so serene and satisfying, and I just love to do it.
Coloring a cutting board with stain
After I burned all of the lines, I added color by painting the flowers with colored stains. I chose stain rather than an opaque paint so that the wood grain would still show through. I kept my brushstrokes light and easy, and it only took me about 15 minutes to do.
If you want to create a food-safe surface, look carefully at the stain you use to be sure it's rated for food contact. Better food-safe bets might be food coloring or food-safe markers instead.
I love the finished piece. I plan to use it for decorative purposes only, and not for food. It's too pretty to risk damaging by cutting up veggies on it!
3 comments so far:
That's beautiful. I was just now looking for some paint for the American Flag I have burned in Barnwood I just I found my favorite color's.
Thanks
I love this look and the design. Can you use a stain or paint on it that will be safe if you still want to use it as a cutting board?
Colleen, I'm not sure how permanent they would be, but food coloring gels or food-safe markers would definitely be food-safe options for adding color to a cutting board.