Wow, a true homage to pop art, this dresser fuses classical furniture design with bold contemporary painting.
You can see the strong comic book lines and iconic onomatopoeia – ZAPP! BAM! POW! create dynamic movement across the surface, while the vintage shape adds elegance.
Bonus, the contrast between modern art and antique styling makes this piece unforgettable. It works beautifully as a statement in eclectic interiors, art studios, or any space that thrives on bold personality.
Materials Needed
- 1 antique-style dresser or ornate cabinet with carved details
- Sandpaper: 150-grit and 220-grit
- White primer (1 quart, spray or brush-on)
- Acrylic paints in red, yellow, blue, green, black, and white (4-6 oz bottles each)
- Fine detail paintbrush set (sizes 0-5)
- Painter’s tape for sharp line work
- Gold metallic paint
- Clear protective sealer (polyurethane or acrylic varnish, gloss finish)
- Pencil and ruler
Step-by-step Guide
Step 1: Prep your dresser by sanding down glossy surfaces. Then wipe with a damp cloth to remove dust.
Step 2: Apply a coat of white primer. This is essential for making the pop-art colors vibrant. Let it dry fully.
Step 3: Use a pencil to lightly sketch your comic designs like faces, speech bubbles, action words (POW! BAM! ZAPP!) and bold sections. Rulers help keep letters crisp.
Step 4: Block out large color areas with acrylic paint. You can stick to saturated primary shades (red, blue, yellow) with occasional green or pink accents.
Step 5: Once the color fields dry, use black acrylic paint and a fine brush to outline everything. This step makes it look authentically comic-book styled. Then add halftone dots or shading lines for detail.
Step 6: Paint or gild the carved trim in metallic gold for that extra pop-art-meets-baroque effect.
Step 7: Finish with two coats of gloss sealer to protect the artwork and give it a sleek comic-book shine.
Tips: Test halftone dots by using the tip of a pencil eraser dipped in paint. Also, if freehand drawing feels daunting, print comic outlines, trace them with graphite paper, then paint over.