Old World Plaster Question

In response to the blog post: Small Bathroom - Old World Plaster

"Your plaster job in the empty bathroom....did you paint your
walls with satin paint before the glaze and what mixture did you use to make
your glazes to use with the big sponge? I am trying to correct a bad plaster job
that was done with joint compound. It was very thick and choppy. I have sanded
and lightly skip troweled on some more compound. Now what is the best way to
finish? Thanks Denise"

Hi Denise, I would be happy to answer your questions.

First of all, I did not use satin finish paint, I actually used Benjamin Moore's Pearl finish latex paint as my base on top of the troweled on texture paint. The mixture I used to make my glaze is 2 parts paint to 2 parts glaze, so in other words, half and half.

If you are fixing a plaster job done with joint compound, you will need to use a primer before you base coat your walls. The great thing about Behr Texture Paint, is a primer is not necessary. You can just paint right on it.

Before you prime, make sure the walls are clear of any residual dust left from sanding.

After you prime, you can then base coat your walls with 3 coats of latex paint (satin finish is fine). Then mix your glaze and wash it into the wall with a large sponge. Clean the sponge off in a bucket of water and then wash off the glaze. The glaze will settle in all the recessed areas and the base color will show through on the raised areas.

Good luck! DAWN

Boy's Bedroom Mural Ideas

The possibilities are endless when choosing mural ideas for a boy's bedroom. Here are a few great pictures including these themes: space, trucks, trains, sports, cars, jungle, and construction.

Click Here to read my article: A Painted Wall Mural will Inspire a Child's Imagination


www.paintingbyjag.com



www.michellesinteriors.com



www.bellamurals.com



www.momsenterprises.net



www.muralman.com



www.haveninteriors.com



www.decorativefinishes.org



www.michellesinteriors.com

Great Children's Room Design Resources:

Vertical Glaze Finish

I LOVE vertical faux finishes. I found this one on www.shirley-homes.com .

I am sure you want to know how to achieve this gorgeous glazed finish, so I am going to give you a few step by step instructions.

1. Choose Colors - Pick 3-4 different colors (on the same color swatch) ranging from light to dark. The lightest color will be your base color.

2. Taping - Tape off the room with low tack painter's tape (trim, baseboards, windows, doors, etc.)

3. Basecoat - Roll on 2 coats of your base color in a pearl or satin finish.

4. Mix Glazes - (3 parts glaze to 1 part paint) Mix each color in a separate container

5. Glazing - You will need a 4" brush, a bucket of water, and a towel. Start with your darkest color and brush it onto the wall with a vertical motion (up and down). Dip the brush in water and dry it on a towel if it is too wet, then blend. Use the rest of the glaze colors in the same way blending as you go, always working in a vertical motion.

One of my favorite tips in attempting any faux finish is to have a reference picture. Look at it several times while working.

Faux Finished Fireplace Mantels

Here are a few fireplaces that have been faux finished to look aged, antiqued and even restored back to brick using just paint.

Fireplaces are a focal point in any room. Refinishing them is a great way to update any living or dining space, especially if planning to sell your home.


www.barbaracustomart.com
"Fireplace was built-up using old mantel and plaster to repair and expand its size. Plaster was faux finished to look like existing mantel. New boxed in beams were painted to look old and cracked."



www.rwm-inc.com
Metallic Finish Fireplace Mantel



www.tracywadedesign.com
"This fireplace brick was painted all white when we arrived. This is how we left it, matching the new décor."



www.silvabuilders.com
"Custom Fireplace with Hand Carved Mantel and Faux Marble Finish"



www.mastersmuralstudio.com
"Faux Painted Fireplace, used to be white"



www.vscstudios.com
Faux Stone Fireplace

How to Paint an Olive Tree

Here is a question that was sent in recently:

"I am going to paint an olive tree in a salon and I need some advice on how to paint a twisted tree trunk, and what colors to use. Thanks Terri"




Hello Terri, I would be happy to help you.

Painting an olive tree is fairly easy. Here are a few simple steps that you can follow:

1. Gather Reference Pictures - This is key in preparing for any mural. A great place to find images is on the internet. Do a Google search. You will find every type of olive tree that you can think of from large to small, old to new.

2. Choose Colors - For this particular job, you will need to pick greens for the tree top and browns for the trunk. Pick 3 -4 different olive greens and 3-4 different browns - ranging from light to dark. The lighter will be for highlights and the darker will be for shading.

3. Draw an Outline - Draw an outline of the tree directly onto your wall with chalk or pencil. This will help you with placement and size, etc. The good thing is that you can erase and start over if need be. Don't start painting until you are completely satisfied.

4. Pick your Light Source - You will need to identify where your imaginary light source will be coming from, then you can paint highlights and shadows on the tree accordingly. For instance if the imaginary sun is shining on the top left of your tree then the top left of the tree will need to be painting with your lighter greens and maybe even a little yellow mixed in to emanate the sun.

5. Start Painting - Start with the tree trunk and branches first. The twisted tree trunk may be tricky, but if you have a reference pictures you can draw out the outline of the trunk first. Start painting the middle area of the twisted trunk with your medium brown. Then go in with your darker brown in between where the trunk twists. The shading will give it depth. Then finish off with your lighter brown to add the highlighting.



The top of the tree is where you can have fun and be creative with your brush strokes. Use all the different greens. Notice in the picture below how the leafy branches seem to be reaching out and up to the sky. Use a dry brush to fan out the edges. Don't overload your brush with paint. You almost want the leafy area to be transparent. Layer your colors and it will add dimension and depth.



I hope this has helped. The Artist, DAWN

Here are a few books that might help you further:

Metallic Ceiling Stencils

Stencils are a wonderful way to accentuate a ceiling. The metallics draw your attention upward so you can enjoy these stencils as hidden pieces of art.


www.fabulousfinishesbymichelle.com



www.fauxbykathy.com



www.rwm-inc.com



www.garayartisans.com



www.patriciadelaney.com

Here are a couple great stenciling resources:

Types of Tree Murals

www.joansmurals.com

There are many different ways to paint a tree mural:

• Simple
• Realistic
• Soft pastel colors
• Dark defined lines
• Cartoon trees
  
• Thin budding branches
• Autumn leaves
• Bushy and full
• Sparse winter trees

Here are a few examples that may help you better understand how to choose what kind of tree you would like to paint or have painted.

This mural is more realistic. It has a lot of detail, yet is is soft. The colors almost blend with the background.

www.norling-wakemanstudios.com

This tree is simple - not much detail. A few different color greens were used to highlight the leafy areas which gives the tree some dimension and almost makes it pop out of the wall.

www.muralworkstexas.com

This is an example of a thin budding tree. The leaves are painted individually on each branch.

www.naomiannec.com

This tree is a detailed tree, but done with darker colors and defined lines.

www.kattatz.com

This tree was painted in warm autumn colors.

www.muralmarvels.com

This tree would be considered simple, but has a little bit more detail/shading in the trunk and branches. The leaves were done by colorwashing shades of green and then doing separate single leaves on top to bring dimension and depth.

www.rkbrushworks.com

This last mural is a good example of a cartoon style mural. Cartoon murals can also be done with black outlining.

www.multi-sensory-room.co.uk

Color Washing - An Easy Faux Finish

www.surfaceswithpaint.com

Color washing is my favorite faux finish, because it is quick and easy to do. It adds subtle color variations and a soft, natural glow to your walls. It is also great at hiding any small imperfections on the wall surface. Best of all, this finish can be done in ANY color.

Here is a list of what you will need:

- Paint
- 2 small buckets (to mix the paint & glaze colors)
- Paint Roller (to roll base color)
- Paint Tray
- 2 4" latex brushes
- Low tack painters tape
- Disposable latex gloves
- Drop cloth

1. Pick Colors - Choose colors that are 2-3 steps away from each other on a color swatch.

2. Prep walls - Repair holes and cracks with spackle, sand, spot prime

3. Tape - Mask off everything that is not to be painted such as baseboards, window seals and frames, crown molding and door jams.

4. Base coat - Paint the room with your base color. Allow it to dry overnight.

5. Mix glazes - Use your base color as one of the glaze colors and then mix your second color in a separate bucker. If you use your base color as a glaze color it adds to the softness of the finish. This is a great trick if you have made the walls too dark with your glaze, you can go in with the base color glaze and blend the colors.

6. Color wash - Apply darkest glaze color with your 4" brush working in a 3 foot area. Use random X or criss-cross strokes with your wrist.

7. Blend - this is very important. You will need to soften and blend the brush strokes when the glaze is still wet. Use a clean 4" brush and move the brush in a light random swooping motion.

You can wait till the entire wall is finished before adding a second color. You can also use both colors at the same time, which, in this case, you would want to use 2 brushes.

If you have any questions, please feel free to email us. Click Here


HGTV Article - How to Colorwash a Room

Step by Step Tutorial from Faux Like a Pro

Create a Stone Block Wall with Paint

I came across this picture and was so impressed with the work of this company out of Las Vegas, Nevada, called Unique Paint Finishes.


This finish is called Stone Blocking. It is a trompe l'oeil technique that gives the painted surface the look of a real stone block wall. This is not a simple finish to attempt, by any means, especially if you have a room with angles and odd shaped walls. But if you have a simple box room and you are good with measuring, then I say go for it! It would even look nice on one wall (an accent wall) to make it a focal point of a room.

Great how to article on using plaster to create a stone effect:
Click Here


www.artfauxdesign.com

Here are a few simple steps on how to paint a faux stone wall:

1. Basecoat - Paint the entire wall the color that you want the grout to be. Make sure you do 2 coats of pearl or satin finish paint. DON'T USE FLAT! The paint finish will allow the paint to be more movable for the decorative glazing.

2. Measurement & Size - how large do you want each stone to be? You will need to use some of your math skills with this. Once you come up with a size, you can use a pencil or chalk line to put your lines on the wall.

3. Tape - Tape comes in all sizes. I would suggest a 1/2" tape. Otherwise you can use 1" painters tape and tear the outside edge to give the lines a more natural look. Tape all of your lines.

4. Glazing - This is the fun part. You can use any number of faux finishing techniques: sponging, ragging, or even colorwashing. The key is to layer your colors. Be sure to do samples on foam board so you can make sure that you are happy with the color combinations that you have chosen. Start with the darker color and then gradually go lighter.

5. Shading - This is very important final step. You will need to choose an imaginary light source. If the light is coming from top left, then the tops & left sides of the stones need to be highlighted with a lighter tone and the bottoms & right sides will need to be shaded with a darker tone. This will make the stones look more realistic. You can also add some shading on the grout lines.

There is a lot more I can say about faux stone blocking, so if you are going to attempt this at home, please feel free to Ask me a Question. I would be happy to help you!

How to Paint a Cloud Mural

There are differences when painting clouds on a ceiling or on a wall.

This is a picture of clouds in the sky, when looking up at them.

Ceiling Cloud Mural:

www.surfaceswithpaint.com - Dawn Papandrea-Khan

In this picture, we are looking out at the clouds. Notice how they get smaller - the farther they are away.

Wall Cloud Mural:

www.muralsbymindy.blogspot.com

If painting a ceiling, you will need to paint the clouds as if looking up at them. If painting clouds on a wall, you will need to paint them as if looking out at them. Take notice of where the shadows are and where the light and dark tones are. Using a few different colors will give the clouds a more realistic feel.

Simple Steps in Preparing to Paint a Cloud Mural:

Choosing your blue base color. This can be tricky, because there are soooo many different blues. I would suggest grabbing a color chart and choosing a couple favorites. Grab some samples and practice on foam board before actually painting your walls or ceiling. You may want to choose a lighter blue for a nursery. You can choose gray blue, bright blue, turquoise blue - the possibilities are endless. Be sure to choose a blue that you are comfortable with and that will go well with the room's decor.

Painting the white clouds. After you have painted your sample boards blue, start adding your clouds. Mix white paint with glaze (1 part paint to 3 parts glaze). I like to use a great tool called - The Woolie. It is a wool pad with a handle attached for easy maneuvering. (See Below) Do not dip the Woolie directly into the paint, because it will soak up quickly with paint and be too wet to work with. Use a brush to dab white paint onto the sample board (or wall if you are confident & ready) and use the Woolie to blend and soften. Practive moving your wrist and you will get a rythm.

A few great tips:

• Don't over-do it with the amount of clouds you add.
  
• Use a picture as reference.
  
• Keep the clouds random and not evenly spaced - this will help them look more realistic and believable.

Click on the picture below to get your own cloud making tool (The Woolie)