Painting a Handbag for a Friend

Painting a handbag for a friend.

My friend asked me to paint her handbag that had become a little weathered.

The handbag was dark tan, and she wanted me to leave a little of the original color, and add green, and purple.

After giving her request, she said that the colors and design were ultimately my decision.

When I received the handbag, it had silver metal on both sides.

I wasn't sure how I would work around this.

I was certain that painting this handbag would be a very tedious task.

The front of the handbag before being painted.

The back of the handbag before being painted.

Painting a Handbag for a Friend - The Outside of the Handbag

I did not have time to paint the bag immediately.

It took two months until I was ready to start painting.

In that two month period, I envisioned several different designs to paint the handbag.

I didn't quite know how to incorporate all three colors on it.

It finally occurred to me that both sides of the handbag are divided into three sections.

I made the decision to paint each section a different color: lilac, tan, and mint green.

I used lighter shades of the colors that she asked for.

In terms of the silver pieces, I painted right over them.

Later, I thought that there might be a particular paint for metal.

I researched, and yes, I found it - chrome paint.

I used a chrome ink marker to go back over the silver.

What a big difference it made.

I was very pleased.

The front of the handbag after being painted.

The back of the handbag after being painted.

This is the chrome ink marker that I used.

I regret that I did not take photos of the inside lining of the handbag before painting it.

Initially, the leather lining around the zipper and pockets was dark tan, and the cloth was a lighter tan.

I intended to paint the inside leather mint green from the beginning, but had not planned to paint the cloth.

I changed my mind when my paint job left several splotches of paint on the cloth.

Side 1 of the inside lining after being painted.

Side 2 of the inside lining after being painted.

There are some areas of the handbag that I could paint to create a more uniform look.

At some point, I decided to stop painting.

I realized that imperfections are unavoidable when an item is hand painted.

The imperfections become part of the design.

Perfectly imperfect.

My work may be seen on Instagram and Etsy.

Note: There are several painted items that I still intend to post on Etsy.

I hope to do this very soon.