Kaitlyn Cimino / Android Authority
To set the stage, my artistic ability falls somewhere between a toddler with a crayon and the least helpful player on your Pictionary team. So when faced with the prospect of hand-painting a birthday banner, I was dubious, though still committed. Like any modern adult, I turned to tech, and while projectors may not have been designed for amateur crafters, they’re surprisingly perfect for the job.
Setting up shop
Kaitlyn Cimino / Android Authority
The biggest challenge to pulling off a custom banner was not, in fact, wielding a paintbrush; it was deciding what to put on it. While a projector makes things easier than freehand, I knew my best shot was with simple shapes, bold lines, and high contrast. For my own sanity, I also needed it to be worth the effort, which meant personal, relevant, and, most importantly, achievable.
After far too much deliberation, I landed on a design that checked every box: a cheeky play on a famous statue from my alma mater. It made me laugh, looked impressive enough to put in the time, and still boiled down to easy forms and forgiving shapes. It also wasn’t available online, so it made the project worthwhile. Once I pieced together a rough design, I started setting up.
Kaitlyn Cimino / Android Authority
Hanging a fabric flat enough to trace on sounds easy in theory. In practice, it felt like I was staging a low-budget art installation. Most DIYers use brown paper for banners like this, but I needed something that could survive travel. Paper doesn’t fold well, but fabric can handle being shoved into a suitcase.
Lighting was also, of course, a major factor. Portable projectors typically hover in the 200 to 500 ISO lumen range, which is fine for an indoor tracing session but not nearly enough to cut through midday sun. I would have been down to work outside for easier cleanup, but mosquitoes like me too much to be playing Van Gogh outside at night. Instead, I drew curtains, killed overhead lights, and timed the job for when my kitchen wasn’t flooded with daylight.
Projectors with a short throw ratio are ideal since they can fill more wall from less distance, but even a compact model needs a little breathing room to throw a banner-sized image. I ended up setting the projector about 18 feet from the canvas in order to display a 6 1/2 foot graphic. Conveniently, this left me working in the kitchen with ample access to snacks.
... continue reading