Archive for June, 2009

Creating the Look of Leather

June 28, 2009 at 3:43 am · Filed under Decorative Painting ·Tagged , , , , ,

Leather is popular amongst many people today. You often see this material used on sofas, car seats, and many other objects. It can be pricey to upgrade to leather instead of using cloth.

Have you ever considered using this material for other home decor objects? Well, now you can create the look of leather for a fraction of the cost. Using this faux technique will enable you to have this look on other items, not just your sofas. You can use it on your walls, tables, lamps, and whatever else you may find.

The look of leather combines two techniques, stippling and drybrushing. You will begin by basecoating your surface with black. Next, you will mix Raw Umber with a texture medium. You are going to use a dry mob brush for this next step. You will load the brush with paint. Before pouncing on your surface, pounce it on a paper towel or similar product to remove excess paint. When you begin to pounce this color over the black, make sure you rotate your brush around so you are not creating a distinct pattern.

The next step will require you to mix Burnt Sienna with a clear medium, as well as Raw Sienna with clear medium. You are going to double load your mop brush with each of these mixtures. Pounce the brush on a paper towel or similar product as in the previous step. Once you have done this, pounce your brush over the entire surface, reloading when necessary.

Once this has dried you will use a fan brush to drybrush gold metallic paint randomly over your surface. If you need to thin the paint, it is okay to mix with water. This is a light application and should not completely cover the color below it.

The final step requires you to use a dry mop brush. Using the stipple technique, you will apply satin varnish over the surface. This will create more texture on the surface, creating the look of leather.

It is recommended before creating this look on your project, that you do this technique first on a practice board. You should be able to find these at your local hardware store. This will give you the opportunity to practice loading the different brushes, and get the feel of the pressure needed to create the desired look.

It is time now to jump in and begin working on your project. Relax and have fun!

Amy

<a href=”http://www.amyspaintedhouseandmore.com/”target=”_blank”>The Painted House and More</a>

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Create the Look of the Old World

June 26, 2009 at 3:48 pm · Filed under Decorative Painting ·Tagged , , , , ,

A very popular style is Tuscany, or an Old World look. This can be a nice design style for a dining room, kitchen, or even a bedroom. It is often created with browns, golds, and greens and is considered a warm romantic style.

The look of stucco is definitely a painting technique which works well in a Tuscany style design. It works nicely if you are creating an exposed brick look in random places on the walls. It also adds to the look of aged and cracked walls. This is perfect to be used on imperfect walls to distract from the imperfections.

You are going to begin by basecoating your walls with the desired color. This color will typically be darker than the additional colors that will be added later. In the next step you will be using a mop brush. This type of brush has long bristles. Use light and airy movements while pouncing the brush over the surface. The brush should be loaded with a lighter coordinating color. Make sure you continue to move your brush around to keep the design in a varying pattern.

The next step will call for you to use a darker color than the previous one, but not one which is darker than the basecoat. You will mix this color with a blending gel. Using a flat brush do random strokes over the painted area, leaving some of the pattern darker than in other areas. This is a great way to add depth and texture.

Next you will grab the mop brush and pounce on the surface a lighter color than used in the second step. This will bring out the lighter color more. Be careful not to over pounce. You want to concentrate primarily on the lighter sections.

The final step in the stucco technique is to spatter white paint over the entire surface. You may use a special tool for this process or use another brush hand to spatter the paint filled bristles from another brush. This is done by hitting the brush with paint on it, on the handle of the other brush. Continue to move around the surface. You will need to mix your paint in this step with water or a flow medium to achieve an inky consistency.

When you are finished just remember the importance of cleaning your tools, especially the mop brush. This will keep them in good condition, allowing you to use them again on future projects.

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Can’t Afford Granite?

June 24, 2009 at 3:23 pm · Filed under Decorative Painting ·Tagged , , , , , ,

Buying granite is very costly and often many cannot afford it. You can still have the look without the cost. You are probably wondering how that might be possible? If you are a faux painter, the sky is the limit.

An important part of creating a look of granite, is learning the spattering technique. There are many tools that may be used when spattering paint. Keep in mind this may be messy. It is definitely one of the messier faux technique that you can use. You may consider doing this outside or covering your work area well before you begin.

You are going to begin creating your granite look by first applying a smooth basecoat. Often the basecoat is going to be a darker color. The paint color you will be using to spatter with needs to be thinned with water to make it an inky consistency. After you achieve the desired consistency place the brush you will be using in to the paint. Make sure it is fully loaded with paint. You will hit the loaded brush onto the handle of another paint brush, while moving evenly across the surface of your project. If you want to add another color or coat of the same color, allow the first coat to dry.

One of the best brushes to use for this faux finish is a fan brush. You may achieve a different look when you turn the fan brush in different direction. Each one will create a slightly different look.

This is all there is to creating the granite look. It truly is easy, however I still recommend using practice boards or even waxed paper to practice on. The key to doing this style of painting is to get the feel for which tool works best for you, as well as learning the correct amount of pressure to use when hitting the paint loaded brush on to the handle of the other brush.

You never can practice too much when it come to painting techniques!

Amy

http://wwwamyspaintedhouseandmore.blogspot.com

www.aressa.etsy.com

aamilou@aol.com

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Faux Marble

June 12, 2009 at 9:58 pm · Filed under Decorative Painting ·Tagged , , , ,

Can’t afford real marble? That’s okay, now you can make it look like marble for a fraction of the cost! It is easier than it may sound.

You will begin by using plastic wrap. You will create a ball with the wrap and begin pouncing the paint on to your surface. You are basically using the same technique as you would with a sponge, but are using the plastic wrap instead. You will get a different pattern than you would using a sponge.

For the next steps you might want to mix a glaze in your paint or a medium allowing you to move the paint around, and avoiding it drying out quickly. Randomly place your two to three colors on your surface. It helps if your background is a darker color like black, and you are adding lighter colors like gray and white. You could also do the reverse and start with a lighter background while adding darker colors at this same point.

You will now place a piece of the plastic wrap on top of your painted piece. The plastic should be a little larger than the surface you are painting. You will need a little extra because, you will be crumpling up the plastic and pushing it in to the wet paint, to achieve the look you are going for.

You will allow the plastic to sit on the surface for a few minutes while the paint is starting to set. You will want to make sure you pull the plastic off before it dries. When you are ready to pull the plastic off, start at one corner, pulling it up and off of the piece. Be careful note to smear the paint.

The end result should be a blend of the colors you placed on the surface. The look should be more of a soft muted look and not a bold contrast. It if is not, you could add more extender and maybe even some of the base color to soften it, and repeat the process.

I would recommend experimenting with this technique either on a practice board from the hardware store, or a piece of scrap wood. Once you are comfortable, then move on to your project.

Remember, it is just paint. If you do not like it, all you have to do is paint over it. It really is just that easy!!

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Paint with a Sponge

June 3, 2009 at 2:46 pm · Filed under Decorative Painting ·Tagged , , , , , ,

This technique can be done with any type of sponge. It does not require a sea sponge, but can be a sponge you could use for cleaning the house or your car. You do not have to spend a lot of money to create a special look in your home.

Sponging is a fun technique to do. It actually is pretty easy to do. One thing to remember, if you do this and do not like it, all you have to do is paint over it.

The type of sponge you use will determine the end results. The firmer the sponge, the more distinct the pattern will be. If you use a soft sponge, your pattern will sbe softer and more muted.

You can use one or more colors and create a lovely look. You can use the sponge to apply the paint to the wall. You can also roll the paint on over another color and use the sponge to remove the paint.

I would recommend purchasing practice boards from your local hardware store. I would try different sponges and different techniques. You might try colors that are close in hues and others which highly contrast. I prefer colors that are close and do not contrast a lot. You can create a nice look by using the same color but different sheen, such as a semi-gloss and a satin finish. You might think you won’t be able to tell, but it really shows up better than you would think.

Remember to work with a wet sponge!

 

Amy

www.amyspaintedhouseandmore.com

aamilou@aol.com

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