DIY Letter Standees Using Styrofoam and Acrylic Paint

Hello there! It’s been a while since the last time I posted a DIY project. Today I want to show you a project idea that is easy to make and would give your event that much needed pop. Letter standees are in nowadays, and because of that, they are getting quite pricey as well. But worry no more; you can actually make these props on your own - whether it’s for a birthday party, a wedding, a prom, or other events. I made mine for my godson’s first birthday. 

Supplies You Need:

ü  Styrofoam

ü  Acrylic Paint

ü  Paint Brushes

ü  Wooden Metre Stick

ü  Cutter

ü  Pencil

ü  Toothpick

We got all our materials from National Bookstore. They do have plenty of options. 

Instructions:

Step 1: Choose the font you want to use for your standee. I used Ariel for my letters as it is the easiest one to copy and make. I draw the font I chose on the Styrofoam using a pencil. Make sure to use a pencil in outlining, easier for you to make some changes or erase smudges.

Step 2: Cut out your letter outline using a cutter. You really have to go slowly while doing this. I made a mistake with one of the letters; I end up starting over again. Cutting a Styrofoam could make such a huge mess with all those stray particles. 

Step 3: Draw your patterns or designs. I originally wanted to paint the letters with solid colors but Alan’s birthday theme was jungle safari, so I draw different animal patterns on each letter to make the standees fit with the event’s theme. I draw the patterns in a cartoon-ish way, to make it more child friendly. 

Step 4: I honestly have no idea how to paint a Styrofoam, or if it’s even possible to paint it. I used acrylic paint for this project, and it actually adhered pretty well and the colors looked great. I used bigger paint brush for bigger parts, and smaller brush to work on the tiny details. I really tried my best not to make smudges. 

I did the same thing with the characters. The characters were a bit difficult to make as I need to draw them nicely and paint them cleanly. I made a mistake while painting the Lion, which you can clearly see in this photo. Making the characters was a bit tiring, but after seeing the final products (cute right?), it made me happy. Actually, creating these was a lot easier than I thought it would be, and much cheaper than renting or having someone do it for you. 

So there you have it. It’s not perfect, but I think I did okay considering this was my first attempt in making standees. A standee can actually serve as a replacement for mascot. You can also display it anywhere in your venue; you can either make it as your party center piece or a welcome prop. I honestly had so much fun doing this little DIY project.

Thank you for reading!

Honey