How Do You Design a Fraternity Paddle
The decorations on the fraternity paddle should consist of markers or colored pencils. Generally however, paint is the most common art supply that is used and I strongly recommend it. First you should think of a design to use for your fraternity paddle. If your Big mentor is a huge sports fan use the colors of that sports team or use their favorite colors on the paddle. Or if your mentor loves fish you could attach little pictures of fish on the paddle with blue and green colors that represent the sea. On the side of the paddle you should paint the paddle a different color or the back of the paddle a different color.
On the back of the paddle you should hand write a personalized message to your Big mentor on how much you love them or appreciate what they have done for you. Your message might contain a memorable experience or conversation or place that you went with them during the pledging process. You should look at your mentor’s personality and determine what you will put on their paddle. If your mentor is a sweet girl your message should be from the heart and what a great job they have done for you and how they have always been there for you when you needed them the most. If your mentor is a funny person you could contain a joke or something funny that they did with you. I also suggest that you write the message with a black sharpie marker or use a gold or silver marker writer.
Painting the paddle is relatively easy. To help you paint the paddle I suggest buying a variety of brushes with different sizes. Skinny brushes should be used to paint the skinny sides of the paddle and to make sure that the colors don’t mix with each other. The color scheme that you use on your paddle should compliment each other. Thick brushes could be used to paint the large areas of the front and back of the paddle. The front and back of the paddle should be painted at least twice. I suggest three coats of paint will do the trick to make sure that no wood spots are showing and that the paint stick and doesn’t erode.
When the paint dries, most people buy wood letters from a hardware store. Your name, your Big’s name and the semester that you are pledging along with the year should be on the paddle front. Many people also use heart shapes or stars to put on their paddle. If they are a baseball fan you could draw a picture of a baseball player. You could also attack an animal. One paddle I have seen actually had part of a beer can on it. Before you glue the letters or designs onto the paddle I recommend that you paint it first and let the paint dry. The best type of glue to use is wood glue or crazy glue because you want to make sure that the lettering and designs stick to the paddle.
The lettering of the paddle could be horizontally or on an angle. When the paddle is done, you might design to further decorate the paddle by adding glitter onto the paddle or shiny materials to make part of the paddle stick out. Finally, when everything on the paddle is done, spray it using a finishing spray paint that makes the finish look really nice on the paddle and makes sure that the paint doesn’t erode and peel. You paddle will be one of the hardest things you ever work on and it will be worth it in the end.
