Graduation season is upon us you guys! Today I’m painting a graduation wreath rail that is the perfect way to celebrate graduates and all of their hard work!

Right on the heels of our early spring designs comes graduations and open houses. Graduates work so hard for so long to achieve their accomplishments and definitely deserve to be celebrated. Graduation parties and open houses are also a right of passage in our culture where we give our graduates a send off to begin the next chapter of their lives! In the video below I’m painting a graduation wreath rail. This rail is a great graduation gift and also a fabulous open house decoration! Whether you are celebrating your own graduate this year or offering these for sale in your shop, this is a super cute project that is easily customizable.

Painting a Graduation Wreath Rail

One thing that most of us never forget is the year we graduated and our school colors. Whether we loved school and especially if we fought for every credit we received, we earned that diploma! I love that graduation season is in the spring because they are both so full of new beginnings and possibilities!

If you take one look at all the lettering on this wreath rail and start to sweat, don’t panic! I don’t have great handwriting so I don’t trust myself to do hand lettering either but I’ll tell you how to make it super easy. First of all, the lines are right there for you to follow and that helps a lot!

Second, I found these awesome brush stroke pens that make lettering so easy. The brush tip is flexible and allows you to outline the letters without raising the pen. That gives the fluid look that you’re looking for by avoiding the stop and start marks that can happen with a regular paint pen. Now you’re on your way to being a lettering pro!

Customized Wreath Rails

There are two ways that you can go with this rail if you sell them in your shop. You can either paint the cap and gown in the traditional black or you can customize them in the graduate’s school colors. Either way would be really cute but I love the pop of color and personalization that using the school colors gives.

If you are making these for your own graduate and hosting an open house, it would be easy to make these wreath rails in a batch of multiples! You can hang several of them around your party area. Just decide how many you need, line them up, and paint one color at a time on each one. This will cut down on the time it takes to paint each one.

Graduation Wreath Rail Supply List

Graduation wreath rail
Paint brushes
Baby wipes
White acrylic paint
Skin colored acrylic paint (I used Sunkissed Peach)
Black acrylic paint
Antique white acrylic paint
Gray acrylic paint
Navy blue acrylic paint
Acrylic paint in the graduate’s school color (I used turquoise)
Fine tipped black paint marker
Thick tipped black paint marker
Black brush stroke pen

Paint by Line Graduation Wreath Rail Instructions

Start by ripping a baby wipe in half. Dip it into the white paint and use it to apply the paint to the background of the wreath rail. Don’t do the graduate or the banner.
Next, use a flat brush to paint the cap and shoes black.
Paint the hands the skin color you chose.
Then use the antique white and a small brush to paint the diploma.
Now use the school color to paint the gown, pants, ribbon on the diploma, and tassel.
Use the fine brush and gray paint to outline the tassel. Then use a fine paint parker to add definition lines to the tassel.
Next, paint the whole banner gray. Don’t worry about covering the lines and letters, you’ll still be able to see them through the paint. Also paint over the shoes and outline the cap with gray.
Paint over the pants with the navy blue.
Use the thick tipped black paint marker to outline all parts of the wreath rail.
Then use the brush stroke pen to paint all of the letters.

This graduation wreath rail is so cute you guys! You can feel the excitement of the graduate jumping in the air. These rails are such a unique gift and decor item for graduates! When you watch the video you’ll see that the year on the sign probably doesn’t match the current year.

Don’t worry though, we offer these cuties every season with the updated year. Once you know how to paint one, you’ll be ready to do them again every year! Cheers to all of the graduates out there and a huge congratulations to all of you!

If you need any help with painting your own wood signs or wreath rails and decorating your custom wreath rails, be sure to check out more of our tutorials on Hot Mesh Mom Blog.

We would love to see your amazing wreath rail designs! Please share with us over at the Hot Mesh Mom Facebook.

Paint Your Own Graduation Wreath Rail

Recipe by Kari Gustafson

Supplies

Graduation wreath rail
Paint brushes
Baby wipes
White acrylic paint
Skin colored acrylic paint (I used Sunkissed Peach)
Black acrylic paint
Antique white acrylic paint
Gray acrylic paint
Navy blue acrylic paint
Acrylic paint in the graduate’s school color (I used turquoise)
Fine tipped black paint marker
Thick tipped black paint marker
Black brush stroke pen

Directions

Start by ripping a baby wipe in half. Dip it into the white paint and use it to apply the paint to the background of the wreath rail. Don’t do the graduate or the banner.
Next, use a flat brush to paint the cap and shoes black.
Paint the hands the skin color you chose.
Then use the antique white and a small brush to paint the diploma.
Now use the school color to paint the gown, pants, ribbon on the diploma, and tassel.
Use the fine brush and gray paint to outline the tassel. Then use a fine paint parker to add definition lines to the tassel.
Next, paint the whole banner gray. Don’t worry about covering the lines and letters, you’ll still be able to see them through the paint. Also paint over the shoes and outline the cap with gray.
Paint over the pants with the navy blue.
Use the thick tipped black paint marker to outline all parts of the wreath rail.
Then use the brush stroke pen to paint all of the letters.