Heartfelt Pride Banner: How to Make a Vibrant, Weather-Resistant, Outdoor Cutout Banner With Corrugated Plastic

For this year's LGBQTIA+ Pride month, I wanted to bring vibrant colors outdoors and create something truly eye-catching. My aim was to design a weather-resistant, easily 'deployable', and unique piece that would make a statement. To achieve this, I embarked on creating a colorful banner using a combination of spray paints, laser-cut corrugated plastic, and reinforced with sturdy fishing line.

To ensure its durability against the elements, I chose weather-resistant materials and implemented a design that could withstand outdoor conditions. The banner's practicality was also an essential factor in my project. By making this a banner that attaches at 2 points, I made it effortless to assemble and disassemble, perfect for annual display and storage.

To add an intriguing touch, I incorporated both block-color anatomical hearts and whimsical cartoon hearts into the design. This combination of elements aimed to make the banner truly stand out and capture attention.

This proved to be a delightful and relatively straightforward undertaking, allowing me to express my creativity while contributing to the festive spirit of Pride month.

Supplies used:

1. Corrugated plastic sheets. I used white 'coroplast' from home depot, but this could be from anywhere. I used up around two 36"x72" sheets for this project. I chose corrugated plastic because it is laserable, weather resistant, and rather inexpensive.
2. Spray paint. I used a rainbow of colors with Rustoleum Painter's Touch. I was concerned that this would not adhere to the corrugated plastic, but it worked like a charm.
3. Rainbow plastic chain. I wound up using a chain that was made for bird and reptile enclosures. You can find it here. The chain helped me make sure the hearts were all evenly spaced.
4. Fishing line. For the larger banner, I reinforced the chain with fishing line.
5. A few loose screws. The small hearts did not consistently hang upright. So, I weight down the bottom with screws.

Tools used:

1. CO2 Laser cutter. The one I use from my local Makerspace is a Ruida lasercutter, but this will work equally well with other laser cutters such as glow forge
2. Hot glue gun.

Before proceeding with laser cutting the shapes from corrugated plastic, you'll need to obtain the appropriate vector images. In my case, I opted for a combination of a cartoon heart and an anatomical heart. Here's how I acquired and prepared the images:

a. Cartoon Heart: I personally designed a charmingly asymmetrical cartoon heart. You can unleash your creativity and sketch your own unique heart shape to add a touch of whimsy to the banner.

b. Anatomical Heart: To obtain an anatomical heart shape, I found a suitable SVG file on Etsy (link). I specifically selected an anatomical heart design with bold black lines, as these served as the background layer for the cutouts.

Once you have your chosen heart designs, you'll need to incorporate attachment holes into the shapes to facilitate their connection to the banner or chain. In my case, I initially positioned the holes slightly lower on the small heart, causing it to hang upside down half the time. To rectify this, I had to use loose screws as a workaround. I recommend placing the attachment holes slightly higher than depicted in my pictures to ensure the hearts hang upright consistently.

By preparing these vector images and adding attachment holes, you'll be ready to move on to the laser cutting process.

Alright, let's dive into the fun part—cutting out all those fabulous shapes for thebanner!

Here's how you can get started:

First things first, figure out how many pieces you want to cut out. Take into account the spacing between your trees/posts/etc., the gap size between hearts, and the overall pattern you want to create with your cartoon and anatomical hearts. In my case, I went for a whopping 32+ cartoon hearts because, hey, the more love, the better!

Now, let's talk about those anatomical hearts. We're going for a layered effect here to make them really stand out. Here's the breakdown:

• Middle Layer: This layer is the heart and soul of it all. Paint it black to give a solid base and tie everything together seamlessly.
• Top and Bottom Layers of colorful pieces: These layers will bring life to your anatomical hearts and make them pop.

Since I wanted six anatomical hearts in total, I cut out six black backgrounds and twelve sets of internal/colorful pieces.

Now comes the cutting part. I used a CO2 laser because, let's be honest, it gets the job done faster and better than I could.

Next up is the exciting part—painting! Get ready to add vibrant colors to all your pieces. Here's what you need to do:

1. Spray paint all of the pieces in your desired colors. I recommend applying two coats of spray paint to ensure a smooth and even finish. After painting, allow the pieces to dry completely.
2. It's important to let the paint cure for at least 6 hours before handling them too much. Trust me, I learned the hard way that moving the pieces around too soon can scrape off the spray paint from the corrugated plastic.

For the cartoon hearts, I suggest painting roughly an equal number of each color. This way, you can create a delightful repeating rainbow effect when you assemble the banner. Get ready for a burst of colors!

Now, let's move on to the anatomical hearts:

• Black Background Pieces: Paint both sides of these pieces to ensure they have a solid black base, adding depth to the overall design.
• Colorful Internal Pieces: Paint the colorful internal pieces in complete sets. For example, use 1-2 sets of each color. This approach helps maintain a balanced color blocking effect when you assemble the hearts. Since these pieces will be glued onto the black background, you only need to paint one side of them.

This painting step may take a bit longer than expected. There was even time for a SNAIL to join in the fun. But trust me, it's incredibly satisfying to see all those vibrant colors come to life.

Alright, let's move on to the gluing stage. Get ready to bring those anatomical heart pieces together! Grab your glue gun and start assembling the pieces. Use the glue gun to attach all the colorful internal pieces onto the black background pieces. The glue gun works like a charm for this task, providing a strong and reliable bond. However, if you prefer to use an alternative glue or have a different method in mind to assemble the pieces, feel free to explore and experiment! If you find a different glue or technique that works well for you, please share your findings in the comments. I'm always eager to learn from fellow crafters and hear about their experiences.

Remember to take your time and ensure a secure attachment for each colorful internal piece onto the black background. Enjoy the process and feel free to customize it to suit your personal preferences.

Now it's time to assemble the banner! Here's how to proceed:

1. Rainbow Small Heart Banner: Begin by using the rainbow chain to assemble the small heart banner. Place the hearts in a repeating rainbow order. Match the hearts with the corresponding rainbow chains. Once you hang up the banner, you might notice that half of the hearts are upside down. To fix this issue, you can insert a screw into the tip of each heart. This simple adjustment ensures that the hearts hang right-side-up. However, if your hearts don't flip upside down, there's no need to take this step.
2. Mixed Heart Banner: For this variation, you'll combine cartoon and anatomical hearts in the pattern of your choice. Assembling this banner, I encountered a slight challenge—the weight of the hearts started to strain the plastic chains, potentially making them vulnerable to heavy winds. To prevent any mishaps, I reinforced the banner using heavy-duty fishing line. Here's how:

• Begin by tying the fishing line to the starting point of the banner.
• Thread the fishing line through each of the hearts, ensuring they are securely attached.
• Make sure to tie off the fishing line at multiple points to provide additional support and stability.
• As a result of this reinforcement, my banner even withstood a storm that caused damage to nearby trees. Talk about durability!

Now, let's talk about a bonus and optional step—using the scraps from the internal color pieces of the anatomical hearts. Here's what you can do with them:

1. Get creative with the scraps: Instead of discarding the leftover scraps, I decided to make the most of them. I painted the scraps in various vibrant colors, just like the internal pieces of the anatomical hearts.
2. Hang them up as playful additions: Once painted, these scraps can be transformed into a playful and eye-catching decoration. You can hang them up alongside the main banner, creating an additional colorful display that adds a touch of whimsy and intrigue. The combination of the scraps with their matching colors and the overall banner design adds to the visual appeal.

This step is entirely optional, but it can be a fun way to utilize the remaining materials and further enhance the overall visual impact of your project. Embrace the opportunity to add a playful, yet slightly eerie touch to your Pride decorations.