Make Wood Look Like Designed Metal

I recently picked up some wooden cutouts at a deep discount and started wondering what I could do to pretty them up.  Here's what I came up with:

I started with this unfinished piece.

To give some texture, I used plain old puffy paint (seen above).  It's good if you have a design in mind before you start.  I didn't, but I still like the end result.  I measured out and marked the mid-points.  I was going to do something different with the design, which is why you see the circles all over it.  I did end up using the circle for the center part though.  For that I just used the lid of a soda bottle.

This part is great, because you can mark and erase all you want without worry since it's going to be painted over anyway.
After I had the design idea, I used plain old puffy paint to fill in the details and to outline the form.  On the outline, it's a good idea to get a sharp edge by running your finger along the edges to be sure you don't have globs running down the side.  This part is also forgiving, because if you mess up you can just wipe off the paint before it dries and start over. 

Let that dry completely.  

Next I gave it a black base coat, but you could also just spray it with a dark primer.  The final look will probably be quite similar.

After that, I sprayed it with oil-rubbed bronze paint.  Let it dry completely while you enjoy this dark and fuzzy picture from my garage.

After that dried, I used Rub'nBuff in Spanish Copper to add extra shine and highlights.  Just use a cloth or your finger, rub a little on and buff it out.  Just like the name of the product says, it's that easy!

Continue over the entire surface, concentrating on the raised areas and including the back and base of the piece, until you get the desired look.

I donated this to a silent auction, and everyone was amazed to learn that it wasn't actually a metal cross.  Hope you try this.  It's easy and lots of fun!