Hand painted parasols are one of my favourite examples of the beautiful cultural crafts that can be found in Thailand. I took inspiration from the village of Bo Sang in Chiang Mai, Northern Thailand, famous for it’s hand-made bamboo parasols. The origins can be traced back almost 200 years, with the skills of constructing, building and decorating passed down from generation to generation.
In fact, if you’re planning on visiting Bo Sang, make sure you visit the Umbrella Making Centre where you can watch talented artisans at work. Even better, time your visit for the annual Bo Sang Umbrella Festival, usually held on the third weekend on January, and treat yourself to an explosion of colour.
It’s hard not to be inspired by these colourful umbrellas and the hand painted motifs – the painting techniques require a very skilled hand and years to perfect, so instead, I’m paying homage to the Bo Sang artisans by using stencils to create a simplified version that anyone can try, and I can guarantee will look great!
What You Need:
A 80cm Parasol (you can use paper or nylon)
Acrylic paints in white, blue and purple
Fabric medium (if using a nylon umbrella – this can be found in most craft stores and will help your paint stick to the fabric)
A sponge brush
A small paint brush
Sticky back paper or contact paper
A pen knife
A pencil and pen
A print out of a motif you’d like on your umbrella.
1. First, transfer your print out to the sticky back paper. You can do this by scribbling on the back of the print out with a soft pencil, then placing it on top of the sticky back paper, and using a pen to trace the outline. Press hard, and you should be able to see a mark on the sticky back paper you can now cut out with a pen knife.
2. Now mix up your paint base – you’ll need one part fabric medium and one part white acrylic.
3. Take the backing off the sticky back paper, and stick down to your umbrella.
4. Use the sponge brush to apply your paint mixture. Make sure it’s opaque as possible
5. While it’s still wet, put a small dab of coloured paint on your paintbrush and use this to add some depth and colour to your flowers.
6. Gently peel off the sticky back paper while the paint is still wet. You can repeat this process with the same stencil, and add in some different designs such as birds and butterflies.
All done!
What design would you use on your hand painted parasol?
This post was done in collaboration with Tourism Authority of Thailand.