Here are two "Pirate Treasure Chest" I painted for a little girl's birthday party. The mom gave me two Styrofoam coolers to paint. I spent many hours on these. I primed them with off white latex paint. Over the primer I used fan brushes, liner brushes and others to make the wood grain. I made handles out of rope and hinges out of cardboard. On top I painted images of two famous ships using acrylic paint. on the sides I painted other images of sea legends. The front of one has a light house and the front of the other has two dolphins leaping out of the water. 
I think I over did the projects a little bit.Everyone who saw them were overwhelmed.
It is ashamed to do so much work for something that will only be used for one day and then discarded. That is the give and take of painting props and sets for theater and events. There is no shame in doing your best job no matter how big or how little the project is.
If you have an event and need some prop painted get in touch.
