If you’ve been following me on Instagram for the past few weeks, you know I painted a bottle of champagne for someone to give as a birthday gift.
I had never done one of these before, so there was a bit of a learning curve, and I want to walk you through my process, in case you decide you’d like to paint your own!
Resources/Supplies:
Hair dryer
Goo Gone
Painter’s tape
Plastic wrap (optional)
Spray paint (I used Krylon Fusion All-in-One Paint + Primer in Matte White) *I would suggest getting a spray paint with primer included. If you choose to use regular spray paint, make sure you get a primer for glass.
Paintbrushes (I used: Princeton Round Brush Series 3050 size 2/0 mini-detailer brush, and a Princeton Summit Series 6850 Round brush size 3)
Acrylic paint (I used Soho Urban Artist Acrylic Paint in Phthalo Blue)
Mod Podge (or another sealant)
Stabilo Colored Marking Pencil in Yellow (for sketching; optional)
Regular #2 mechanical pencil (for sketching; optional)
Client Brief:
In my case, I was working on this for a client, and he had a particular vision for the design.
Blue, white and gold
“Grand millennial” style
PMC initials on the front with “Happy 25th Birthday” message
Process:
Step 1: Remove back label (<5 min)
First you’ll want to remove the label on the back of the bottle (the one with the barcode and the fine print). This step is optional but it gives you a larger surface area to paint, so I think it’s worth it.
I used a hair dryer on the corners of the label to help loosen the label and make it easier to peel off. I used Goo Gone to get any sticker residue off of the bottle.
Step 2: Tape over the labels (10-15 min)
Next, you’ll want to tape over the parts of the bottle you do NOT want to paint. Use painter’s tape to tape over the label on the front of the bottle and the top of the bottle. I used scissors to get a cleaner, more precise edge than I would have by tearing the tape.
The most time-consuming portion is the part of the label at the top that curves. I wasn’t super precise here but tore off very small pieces of tape and continued to fit them into that area until it was fully covered.
Taylor Lane’s blog recommends covering the top of the bottle with plastic wrap and then taping down the edges of the top portion of the bottle around the label (as opposed to covering the entire top with tape).
I tried both ways, and found that the plastic wrap was a bit more difficult to work with, and I ended up having no issues using only tape on the top of the bottle.
Note: when you’re removing the tape from the top, just be careful so as not to take off any ink from the label.
Step 3: Spray paint (45 min total)
Take your bottle outside (or into a garage) and spray it with your base coat of spray paint. If your spray paint does not have a primer, you’ll want to prime the bottle first!
My spray paint had primer and paint all in one, so I followed the instructions on the spray paint can, adding 2 coats of spray paint and waiting ~30 minutes between coats.
Step 4: Sketching (15 min)
This next step is optional and may depend on what kind of design you’re adding to your bottle.
I wanted to have a base to work from before I started painting, so I used a yellow pencil to sketch out the lettering and other parts of my design.
The yellow was recommended by an employee at my local art supply store for it’s softness and the subtle-ness of the color on a white background (aka - it was going to be easy to cover up with paint).
If you’re interested in sketching your design onto the bottle first, I would recommend a regular pencil, because the yellow was a little too faint for me. But keep in mind that you don’t want to press too hard and accidentally scratch your spray paint layer.
Step 5: Painting (~5 hours)
Now it’s time for the fun part: painting!
Go over your sketched design or start free-hand painting with acrylic paint. I used phthalo blue. Keep in mind you might need to go over your design a couple of times to get the thickness and color you want.
Use painter’s tape (carefully!) to create guide to paint straight lines, if your design has any straight edges.
If you’re painting a design with very small details, I would recommend getting a very small brush with a pointed tip. The one I thought would be fine for my needs ended up not being small enough! You can always go in and thicken a shape or a line you paint, but you can’t really make it thinner.
So when in doubt: get a smaller brush than you actually think you’ll need. But that said, use whatever kinds of brushes you think will achieve your desired look!
Step 6: Re-Tape the labels (10-15 min)
This is an extra step I had to take because I took the tape off my labels during the painting process, but my Modge Podge sealant was in a spray can.
Step 7: Sealant (20 min total)
Like the spray painting step, I took the bottle outside and sprayed it twice with Mod Podge per the can’s instructions. In the future, I might try a paint-on Mod Podge instead, to have more control over where the sealant goes.
Use the sealant as instructed, let it dry, and voila, you’re finished!
Step 8: Adding a tag and a ribbon (10 min)
If you’re gifting your painted bottle of champagne, I would highly recommend adding a ribbon to the neck of the bottle for a festive flair.
For this bottle, my client requested a tag that said “Happy 25th Birthday!” So I lettered that onto a small white card, hole-punched it and attached it with the ribbon.
Step 9: Packing it up (if it’s being mailed!) (10 min)
If you’re sending your bottle in the mail - first check your local and state laws on mailing alcohol (and that of the state you’re mailing the bottle to, if applicable).
Loosely wrap the bottle in packing paper (I would avoid newspaper so as not to get ink onto the bottle itself), and then surround it with bubble wrap to keep it protected.
And that’s it!
I hope this step-by-step tutorial is helpful as you work on your own painted champagne bottle!
This is the perfect gift to celebrate friends, family and other milestone moments in life. And not to mention, it’s a lot of fun!
And I have to give credit to Taylor of taylorlaneblog.com, whose wonderful blog on painting a champagne bottle gave me a perfect foundation for my own process.
If you’re interested in commissioning a painted bottle from me, get in touch using the contact form on my website! I’d love to chat with you.