Adding Painterly Designs to Your Work
Currently, there is alot of work out there embellishing furniture with painted designs. The great thing is that you don’t need to be a clever artist to achieve amazing results. Here are a few ways to overcome this by the use of stencils, transfers and decoupage work. See how easy!
Nah, it’s not cheating, these all draw from popular techniques through the ages. The beauty is that you can think outside the box a little and use pretty much anything at hand.
Try block printing for example. You’ll need something to create the pattern on. It could be a potato or a piece of polystyrene that you cut your design into. There again why not use a piece of cardboard to make a comb or some bubble wrap to lay down random colour patterns. Experiment with what you have.
On a more conventional note, there are stencils and transfers to create super artwork on your project. The ones below are from Annie Sloan’s range of stencils.
Then there is the idea of making your own templates out of cardboard. The side of a torn off piece of cardboard can be a wiggly line to stamp with. An empty Sellotape reel is a perfect circle to paint in. An off cut piece of foam is a great block print pattern.
A few actual pieces we designed and worked on for clients might show you how a bit of free fall thinking can help create some super original work.
Finally, there are some great transfers to be bought which create very striking “artwork” on your projects when cleverly used. You can of course print your own versions to apply with Annie Sloan Image Medium if you prefer a more bespoke look.
Below shows you what you can achieve with Craquelure to make a textured finish with paint, the Artist Detail Brushes and some real fun is to be had grabbing the veg box and paint!
I do hope this has given you some food for thought. These days of reclaim, repaint and reuse are perfectly suited.
Good luck and let us know how you get on. We always enjoy seeing how your projects turn out.
Click here for Some Materials Used
Jane xx