Painted Antlers

I think this must be my favourite project I have done so far. I have always loved the idea of deer antlers in home decor, but when I saw some that had been painted I just knew I had to paint my own set. I am going to mount these on my wall and use as a coat hook or for my jewellery.

I am lucky in that my husband is a keen hunter and he had some that he didn't mind me using. 

If you don't have your own hunter to supply the antlers, you may be able to ask around at hunting clubs, or a deer farm. You could also try looking on buy/sell websites.

You will need:

• Deer antlers
• Basic craft paint suitable for use on most surfaces. I used a three colour combo but you can use as many or little different colours as you like
• Primer which you can get from any craft shop - I used Gesso
• Paint brush

First of all I gave the antlers a wipe down to remove any dust or dirt. 

I then painted on two coats of primer, letting the first coat dry before painting on the second. When the primer is completely dry you can go wild with your chosen paint colours! 

I tried using tape to wrap around the tips so I got a clean line when doing the black stripes, but the paint leaked through because of the uneven surface, so I just did it without as well as I could.