How to Make a WW1 Centenary Banner

This is how I made this 4 feet x 3 feet banner in 2 hours



 I had bought this flag from Amazon


It cost £7.99 and will be used in our commemoration parade

I hung the flag up against the dining room window and taped my canvas over it. The light shining in the window allowed me to trace the large poppy and three of the soldiers using an HB pencil. I did it quickly and not all that accurately. I didn't want it exact coz for copyright reasons ??! I wanted this to be an original piece of my own work

I taped newspaper to my garden fence to protect the fence from the acrylic paint I used from Poundland leaking through from the canvas
Over the newspaper protection I hung my canvas with the shapes pencilled on and using household paint brushes


I filled in the drawn shapes in the style of an Aussie didgeridoo musician ie not all that accurately, quickly and so I could tell what it was yet

I added a couple more poppies having made a paper template of a typical "Poppy Appeal" poppy shape


And that was it. Note there is no lettering on my 2 hour banner. I'll get back to you when I've found a quick way to do lettering


Waste not want not. I fashioned my paint splodges into poppies

At our next history exhibition I may do a live demonstration of my new patented 2 hour painted banner method

Jon Bratton
June 2014