Today’s tutorial is so simple it’s laughable, so much so that we won’t call it a tutorial. Let’s just leave it as a cool idea to dress up any spot in your house or business.
Do you know what Fortune cats are (also known as Chinese Cats)? Those traditional figurines you find in every pound shop, waving their little paw non-stop with while they smile at you enigmatically? Well, we love them: they have that kitsch touch that can make something horrendous into something really cool just by slightly changing your point of view. Actually, the cat is not Chinese but Japanese. There is some controversy on the issue, but it seems, indeed, to be from Japan. Its name is Maneki Neko (in China however, it is known as Zhaocai Mao).
The legend about its origin is quite interesting, as oriental legends usually are. They say that in the 17th century there was a very poor temple where only a monk and his female cat lived. However, despite being poor, the monk shared the food he had with his cat. One fine day, the feudal lord in the area went hunting in the woods and was stranded by a terrible storm. Having taken refuge under a tree, he watched in amazement how a cat, which was sitting at the doors of a wretched monastery, signalled him to come closer with its tiny paw. It was so insistent that he finally left his momentary refuge to do as it said. Just as he left the tree, it was hit by lightning and burnt to a crisp. The lord was so thankful he paid for the complete remodelling of the monastery and assured them that neither the monk nor the proverbial cat would ever go hungry again.
Cute story, isn’t it? When the cat died, the Maneki Neko was created in her honour and its goal depends on different factors:
– The paw it waves
- If it’s the right paw, it brings money and fortune.
- If it’s the left, it brings guests (so, of course, if you are placing it in your place of business they are practically synonyms)
- If it’s both, your house or business will be under its protection
– The colour:
- White, orange and black are the colours of the original cat, and they bring luck to the traveller.
- Gold or silver brings luck to your business.
- Red brings good luck in love, love, love…
- Yellow will improve your economy.
- Green will bring health to you and your loved ones.
- Blue will help you fulfill your dreams.
- Pink will help you find the ideal person to share your life with.
Now that we have the context, let’s tackle the DIY in question, none other than making…
… a spray painted Fortune cat
As I was saying at the beginning of this post, the tutorial itself is so very easy that we are simply going to call it an idea or source of inspiration. The first thing we need is, obviously, a Fortune cat:
To paint it, we will once more go for spray-on paint, because, in this case, it’s the quickest and easiest. We use Montana brand paint, but you can use another if it proves hard to find. Above all, remember to protect the area where you will spray on the paint, so as to avoid unwelcome stains.
After the first coat, we will apply the second carefully (more than two is not a good idea so as not to erase any details). We must pay attention so every little corner is completely covered:
And there it is, we only need to let it dry properly and look for a place where it can wave: left, right and centre. And don’t forget, whatever colour you paint it with and whatever you want it to do for you, it needs to face the entrance door or it won’t work:
Meow!