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There’s something about a cheerful little summer sign on a shelf that just makes the whole room feel happier. And this hand lettered Cherry on Top sign is no exception! It’s the kind that doubles as a shelf sitter, a sweet handmade gift, or anything else your creative brain can think of! 

This tutorial walks you through every step. We’re going to paint a soft watercolor-look background, transfer a cherry lettering design with a traceable template, and bring it all to life with paint pens and a little shimmer.

This whole project takes about an hour, and it comes out looking like you spent your whole afternoon on it. Let’s go!

What You’ll Need

You probably already own most of these supplies, but the one piece you’ll want to grab first is the Cherry on Top lettering template — that’s the part that makes this whole project effortless!

• Cherry on Top lettering template — included in the Summer Best Sellers Template Bundle. The template does the heavy lifting for you, so you don’t have to design or freehand anything.
• 8×8 gesso board from Hobby Lobby (mine was $4.49) — already pre-primed with a smooth white surface and stands up perfectly on a shelf
• FolkArt acrylic paint in Marina Mist and Calypso Sky for the watercolor background
• Matte fluid medium (a.k.a. blending fluid) for the soft, washy watercolor effect
• A soft flat brush for the background
• Graphite transfer paper (one sheet lasts forever)
• Washi tape to hold the template in place without lifting paint
• Sharpened pencil
• Sand eraser for cleaning up graphite smudges on a painted surface
• Red acrylic paint pens in two sizes — a fine tip for tight curves and a slightly bigger tip for filling
• Green paint pen for the leaves
• Tiny detail brush + white acrylic paint for shimmer dots
• Red and green glitter gel pens (these work great)
• Spray sealer to lock everything in

Step #1: Paint a Soft Watercolor-Look Background

A pretty background sets the tone for the whole sign. We’re not going for full coverage, we want soft, splotchy, dreamy.

1. Squeeze a little Marina Mist and Calypso Sky onto your palette and add a few drops of blending fluid.
2. Using a soft flat brush, swirl the colors loosely across your gesso board with light circular motions, leaving some white space showing through.
3. Wipe your brush, dip it in plain blending fluid, and dab a few spots to soften and lighten the color in a few places — this is where the watercolor look comes from.
4. Carry a little color around the wood sides of the board so they don’t look bare next to your finished design.

A quick note on smoothness: If your background ends up too textured, your paint pens will catch on the bumps when you letter. Keep your strokes light. Let it dry completely before moving on.

Step #2: Transfer the Cherry Lettering Template

This is the step that takes all the pressure off. You don’t have to freehand! You can just let the template do the work for you. 

How to Transfer Lettering Onto a Painted Sign

1. Print your cherry template at a size that fits your 8×8 board (no resizing needed if you’re working at this size).
2. Position the template on the sign and feel the edges to make sure it’s centered.
3. Slide a sheet of graphite paper underneath, shiny side down, against the sign.
4. Tape it in place with washi tape — washi is gentle and won’t pull up your paint.
5. Trace every letter and every cherry with a sharpened pencil, pressing firmly enough to transfer.
6. Lift one corner to check before fully removing. If a letter looks faint, re-tape and trace again.

What to Do About Smudge Marks

Graphite paper can sometimes leave little gray smudges on a painted surface. A regular eraser usually handles it, but if a stubborn spot won’t budge, reach for a sand eraser. They’re meant for ink, and they work beautifully on white painted signs without scrubbing off your background.

Step #3: Hand Letter Your Design With Paint Pens

Now the fun part! You’re going to letter the words in red, then come back for the leaves and details.

The Number One Lettering Tip With Paint Pens

Go slow. That’s the whole secret. When you rush, your lines get shaky and your letters get sloppy. When you slow down, everything looks intentional.

Trace each letter with your red paint pen, then go back over the downstrokes a second time to thicken them slightly. That contrast between thin upstrokes and thicker downstrokes is what gives hand lettering that pretty, script-y look.

My Best Tips for Clean, Balanced Lettering

• Use the smaller paint pen for tight curves and the bigger one for filling thicker areas. Both have their place.
• Rest your hand on a book if your sign isn’t flat. Anything the same height as the sign works as a wrist rest and keeps you from smearing wet paint.
• Turn the sign as you go. Twist it however you need so every stroke feels natural to your hand.
• Don’t over-thicken your letters. It is so easy to fix one tiny spot and accidentally make your “O” enormous. If a letter looks mostly fine, leave it alone — that’s the best rule there is.
• Shake your paint pen often. Streaky lines usually just mean the paint needs mixing.
• Wipe the tip with a baby wipe if it gets gunky.

Step #4: Paint the Cherries and Leaves

Use the same red paint pen to fill in the cherries. This keeps everything cohesive and saves you from washing brushes.

Switch to your green paint pen for the leaves, taking your time around the curves. If a graphite line peeks through, don’t stress — a second coat covers it beautifully. And if a faint pencil line still shows, you can hide it later by laying a thin white accent line right over the spot.

Step #5: Add Shimmer, Highlights, and Sealer

This is where you can really make your design pop!

1. Outline each cherry with the red glitter gel pen — a thin line just inside the edge gives it shimmer.
2. Run a thin green accent line down the center of each leaf with the green glitter pen.
3. Use a tiny detail brush dipped in white acrylic paint to add two small dots on each cherry. These are “shine” highlights, and they make the cherries look almost 3D.
4. Once everything is fully dry, take your sign outside and give it a couple of light coats of spray sealer. This locks in the glitter, the ink, and the watercolor background.

Set it on a kitchen shelf, gift it to a friend, or use the same cherry template on a tote bag, a card front, or a bigger door hanger. With this one template, you can do so many different things!

Grab the Cherry Template in the Summer Best Sellers Bundle!

If you want to make this exact sign, the cherry lettering template is included in our Summer Best Sellers Template Bundle — along with my most-loved warm-weather designs for signs, totes, gifts, and seasonal projects. Every template is traceable, printable, and ready to use the second you download it.

Just print, transfer, and letter. The hardest part is already done for you!

Grab the Summer Best Sellers Bundle →

P.S. If you make this sign, I’d love to see it! Tag me or send me a photo — there’s nothing I love more than seeing what you create.