How to Create Flames with Spray Paint

Well, grilling season is upon us! Therefore, I have been doing some sign projects recently that require flame backgrounds. I wanted to show you a quick tutorial on how I do this.

First, I have to mention that I'm using Design Master spray paint. This product is great for making signs because of its blending ability. Unlike other spray paint on the market, it's translucent which allows you to layer several colors together.

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Begin with Holiday Red, "draw" in the flames. Hold the spray can about 6 inches from the sign surface. This gives you a fairly defined line. Holding the can back about 12 inches would get you more of a misty patch of color.

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Then switch to orange and "draw" in the outline of smaller flames inside the larger red ones. You need to leave some of the red showing to show the progression of color.

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Then finish filling in the orange flames.

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Next, use Aspen Yellow to create some small flames within the orange flames at the bottom. Since this color is much brighter than the other two, use it sparingly. It would be easy to over do it, so be cautious.

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Lastly, mist some of the same yellow along the bottom of the sign to anchor the small yellow flames together.

At this point you should stand back from the sign and see how it looks. If necessary, go back in with the red and orange to make adjustments. You may need to tone down the yellow by misting some orange over it. Try to achieve a blended transition from the yellow at the bottom, up into the orange and finally into the red.

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Your finished flames should look something like this.

You can achieve quite an impact with a few cans of spray paint and a little know-how! I hope this little tutorial helps you. If you have any questions or comments about it, please leave a comment and I will do my best to respond as quickly as I can. Thanks!

-Gene