Create Your Own Rustic American Flag Wall Art with this Guide

Melina, one of our in-house artists, has painted a rustic American flag wall art on slate. The flag features 18 stars and six stripes, along with softened edges and dirtied coloring to give it a more primitive look. Customers can purchase this flag in our handmade section, or follow Melina’s guide to creating their own!

What You Need

• 15mm Tip Waterproof Gardenia Marker
• 15mm Tip Waterproof Strawberry Marker
• 6mm Tip Waterproof Buttercup Marker
• Waterproof 6mm Tip Victorian Blue Marker
• 6mm Tip Waterproof Golden Yarrow Marker
• 1mm Tip Waterproof White Marker
• 1 Slate Board, Measuring 8 by 12 inches
• Paper Towel or Small Sea Sponge
• White Grease or Regular Pencil
• Windex, Alcohol, or an Ammonia Based Cleaner
• Clear Matte Overcoat Spray
• Bonus items if you’d like to add text to your flag:
  • Tracing Paper
  • Computer
  • Printer
  • Printer Paper

Creating the Rustic American Flag Wall Art

Prep the Materials

Clean the slate thoroughly with alcohol or Windex. This will ensure the chalk markers adhere properly to the slate board and removes any dust, debris, or oils that could affect the ink.

Map out and mark the stripes and stars field with the pencil of your choice.

Prime your markers following the enclosed priming instructions. Video instructions can also be found here.

Begin Painting

Fill in the white stripes with the Gardenia marker, following the same dabbing process along the edges of the stripes. Most customers will find the Gardenia marker is less opaque than the Strawberry, so a couple of layers may be necessary for better coverage.

Once all stripes have dried, paint Golden Yarrow onto a clean part of your paper towel or sponge. Dab the color along the red stripes to warm the color. If the color is too stark, simply scrub your paper towel or sponge over the stripe once or twice to tone it down.

Repeat this process with the Buttercup marker on the white stripes. This gives the flag a more rustic look.

Add Stars

Once the stripes have dried, use the Victorian Blue marker to fill the empty space for the stars. Fade the edges in the same manner you did the stripes.

Let the blue ink dry, then use the fine 1mm tip white marker to put a dot of paint down where you want your first star. Dab it gently with your finger to fade it, then draw or stamp a crisp star on top of the faded mark.

Repeat this for every star until you’ve finished.

Bonus Steps

Use your computer and a word processing program to write “Welcome” or any text of your choice in the size and font of your liking. Be sure the text fits across the whole width of a regular 8.5 by 11 inch sheet of paper for the best look.

Print the page and use the tracing paper and a pencil to trace your lettering onto the slate.

Use one of the markers to go over your traced lettering. We recommend using the Victorian Blue or Strawberry on a white stripe, or the White or Gardenia on a red stripe.

Finish Your Work

Most importantly – sign your art! Take pride in your art piece and let everyone know it’s yours.

Spray the slate with a protective overcoat to ensure weatherproofing.

Finally, hang your rustic American flag wall art from the leather strap included in your slate board order, or use two nails to hang in the drilled holes of the slate.

About Melina

Melina is a recent high school graduate who will be attending a Boston-based art school in the fall. Upon graduation, she aspires to be an illustrator for children’s books.

A celebrated artist, Melina was the overall winner for District 1 in NH of the 2017 Congressional Art Competition. As a result, her artwork will be displayed at the US Capitol Building for one year.

Melina‘s favorite mediums are charcoal, pastels, and acrylics. She loves Western cartoon art and anime. She enjoys artists like Georgia O’Keeffe, Rembrandt, and Claude Monet.

When she’s not working on art, Melina enjoys playing video games, soccer, and swimming. She loves to visit the Boston Common lawn and draw her surroundings.

For more about our handmade products, click here.