faux finish paint tutorials

faux weathered paint finish

Materials:
wood object to paint . paint color 1 . paint color 2 . sand paper . paint brushes

Step 1.

Paint a clean, dry item with paint color 1. Flat or satin finish is best.

Here, the item is an old wood bench and paint color 1 is aqua.

Step 2.

Use a piece of coarse grade sandpaper to sand the piece,

wearing away paint color 1 at the edges and along joints.

Sand in long strokes, not in circles or swirls, so it looks like authentic wear & tear.

Step 3.
The next coat of paint will be applied with a 'dry brush' technique:

Dip the tips of a paint brush in paint color 2. Here, that color is white.

Then stroke the brush against a dropcloth, rag, or cardboard box to remove most of the paint.

Step 4.

Drag the almost-dry paint brush bristles across the item, depositing a small amount of paint color 2.

Do not press hard, just drag the brush over the item's surface to highlight the texture.
Use long strokes across the length of the item - with the grain.

Step 5.

Use coarse-grade sandpaper again to rough up the edges of the item again,

wearing through the white drybrush coat into the base coat.

The effect will approximate that of being left out to weather naturally over time,

instead of looking like an overworked 'faux' finish.

It will weather more on its own if left outdoors, 

or you can add a sixth step: add a coat of clear matte-finish varnish to protect it.

This technique works very well on benches, chairs, tables, 

crates, wood planters, shutters, doors, bed frames, cabinets,

birdhouses, fences & gates, even decks.

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faux bamboo paint treatment

 materials i used:
hot glue
almond/beige satin/eggshell acrylic wall paint (waterbase)
clear polyurethane varnish satin or gloss finish (waterbase)
'golden mustard'-shade craft paint (waterbase)
dark brown craft paint (waterbase)
clear polyurethane varnish gloss finish (waterbase)

1 1/2 soft bristle paintbrush for base coat
assorted smaller brushes for glaze coats and details

technique:
(numbers of steps below coordinate with numbers on photos above)

1. clean surface with plain soap and water and a soft rag. allow to dry.

2. add small lines of hot glue to surface running horizontally as shown above. 
use a photo of bamboo for reference to create 3-D 'ridges'.
(i started at the two bottom corners of the mirror frame, as they were actual joints.
then i spaced out the placement of the 'ridges' unevenly, so they would look more real.)

3. paint over hot glue and entire frame with almond/beige satin/eggshell acrylic wall paint using 1 1/2" soft paintbrush. let dry.

4. mix clear polyurethane varnish satin or gloss finish with
  'golden mustard'-shade craft paint to create a semi-transparent glaze...
i used 4 oz of varnish to 1 tablespoon of paint.
apply a thin coat to entire surface using 1/2" wide soft paintbrush.

5. add @ 1 tbsp dark brown craft paint to existing golden glaze, plus another 2 oz varnish.
use the same soft brush to apply it to entire surface using this method:

* place brush filled with glaze at the edge of a 'ridge', and drag the brush away from the ridge across the surface in a long straight line. 
* place brush back at ridge in new position next to previously painted line, and begin again, going in the same direction.
the paint may not last all the way to the next 'ridge' - that's ok.
simply reload the brush, and start it at the OPPOSITE end's ridge 
painting backward to where the paint ran out. 
this will give you varied striations of paint that will look like real bamboo grain.
* do not re-paint over wet glaze - it will lift it off.*

6. after the previous glaze coat has dried. repeat step 4 again. mix new glaze if needed.
also: use a small @ 1/4" pointed soft paintbrush to apply brown glaze inside the 'ridges'
and lightly along the outsides of them to create the illusion of depth.

let surface completely dry before final step.

7. seal surface with clear polyurethane varnish gloss finish 
applied with 1 1/2" soft paintbrush (same one used for step 2/base coat)

if you paint a mirror, don't worry about paint or glaze getting on the glass...
use a flat razor blade to scrape the dried paint off of the glass when you are done.
then use a Magic Eraser to clean the mirror for a sparkling finish!

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painted 'chalk'-look lettering

Here's a simple way to create 'chalk'-looking lettering:

Determine what you want to say, and what font to use, and how large it will be,

then print or draw it onto plain white paper - use pen or pencil.

Flip the paper over, and use a white crayon to color across the back 

of entire area where the words are on the front.

(Make it a pretty thick coat of crayon for it to work best.)

Flip the paper back over, carefully set it in place on your chalkboard surface -

wherever it is that you want the words to be situated - 

and then use a pencil or ballpoint pen to trace back over the original lettering.

Put as much pressure as you can on it without tearing the paper OR moving the paper.

When you've traced the whole word, carefully lift the paper straight up.

You'll have a perfect outline in white crayon of your lettering.

Now just fill it in with white paint (if you want it permanent) or with white chalk.

I used very small brushes to apply flat white paint on mine,
then I added detail using a black fine-point sharpie marker.

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faux terra cotta paint finish

this 'before' and 'after' shot shows how you can transform pumpkins -
plastic, foam, resin, cement, or ceramic! -
 into terra cotta (clay) classics with this easy paint tutorial
(it's very similar to my popular faux concrete pumpkins paint tutorial)

Supplies:
pumpkins made from plastic, cement, resin, styrofoam, even glass
(the small styrofoam pumpkin used in these photos is from Dollar Tree Stores,
the larger one is a foam 'Funkin' from a thrift shop)
acrylic / craft paint in white, brown, and orange - matte finish

cup of water

palette (I use a plastic plate)

paint brushes - flat/wide for base coat, pointed/thin for details
a thin soft cotton rag or towel

Instructions:

Step 1:
mix the orange, white, and brown paint to create a 'terra cotta' hue -
use a plant pot or other real terra cotta piece as reference.
(the pumpkin seen in the top left photo here is a real terra cotta pumpkin)

then basecoat the entire pumpkin with this color. 
TIP: styrofoam pumpkins tend to need two coats.
they work best if you apply the paint in two opposite directions - brush coat 1 from the top, coat 2 from the bottom.

Step 2:
mix some white paint into the terra cotta color paint on the palette,

then add a bit of water to make the paint a runny 'wash' consistency.

use a large flat brush lightly loaded with the paint wash.
with a light touch, apply it to the raised areas on each pumpkin ridge.

apply the paint to one ridge at a time - then quickly use the soft cotton rag to lightly rub the paint,
smoothing it along the ridge to soften the edges of the paint so they fade out.

(I left the stems unpainted until the end so I could use them as 'handles' while painting)

Step 3:

 mix more white paint into the 'wash' on the palette. 

using a smaller detail brush, paint the grooves of the pumpkin with the wash,
just as you did with the raised ridges in the last step.
paint one or two grooves at a time - then quickly use the soft cotton rag to lightly rub the paint,
smoothing it along the groove to soften the edges of the paint so they fade out.

TIP: i paint from the bottom up to the middle, rubbing each one with the cloth,
then i paint from the stem down to the middle.

if you plan to use your painted pumpkins outdoors,
i recommend spraying them with matte clear sealer.

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faux concrete paint finish

Supplies:
styrofoam pumpkins (this canteloupe-sized pumpkin is $1.00 at the Dollar Tree)
acrylic / craft paint in white, black, and dove gray - matte finish

cup of water

palette (I use a paper plate)

paint brushes - large for base coat, smaller for details
and A SECRET INGREDIENT to be divulged later!

Instructions:

Step 1:
First, basecoat the entire pumpkin with white paint. Let dry.

Step 2:
Mix some gray paint into white paint on the palette,

then cover the pumpkins completely with this color.

(I left the stems unpainted until the end so I could use them as 'handles' while painting)

You will now be working in a 'Wet on Wet' paint technique, 

which means you will move on to the next step before the paint dries completely...

Step 3:

 Pour some straight gray paint onto the palette. 

Mix in a bit of water to create a runny consistency, to create a 'wash'.

Using a smaller detail brush, paint the grooves of the pumpkin with the gray wash,

and also the whole bottom (underneath) of the pumpkin.

Before the paint dries,
Step 4:
Add a little bit of water to the pale gray paint left on your palette (from step 2)

and brush it with a 'scrubbing' motion over the edges of the dark gray lines in the grooves.
You want to smooth out the edges, not cover all of the dark gray.

Leave some of the dark gray visible on the bottom of the pumpkin.
At this point, I painted the stems with the dark gray color.

Still working with wet paint over wet paint,
Step 5:

Add a bit more white paint to the lightest gray to make a very light gray wash.

Use the smaller detail brush to 'scrub' the white paint
across the top edges of the ridges on the pumpkin.
Blend this color in well so there are no divisions of color on the pumpkin - just smooth transitions.

While the paint is still wet...

Step 6:
Now is when when we bring in the SECRET INGREDIENT!
It's FLOUR. Bleached flour.
Yes, really....

Wet a small brush with a tiny bit of water, then pick up some flour and put it on the pumpkin, 

in the hollows and grooves of the pumpkin, where the gray wash is wet.
Wet your small brush and pick up more and more flour to get it all over the top and upper side surfaces.

 After the flour is on the pumpkin, use your fingers to press it into the wet paint and smooth it a bit.

Don't forget the bottom!

Let the pumpkin sit to dry for a few minutes.
The flour will absorb some of the paint's moisture, 

causing it to stick to the pumpkin.
After it is dry, brush LIGHTLY with your fingers to remove loose flour.
The flour left on the surface gives the finish the look of dry, flaking concrete.

It's not needed, but if you wish, you can spray the whole pumpkin with matte clear sealer

 or with hairspray. Works just as well!

 Your pumpkins will look like they are made of concrete, and they will weigh almost nothing!

This painting method will also work on plastic pumpkin buckets, 

making them look like hollow concrete planters & vases!
.(spray the inside of the bucket with gray outdoor furniture paint so it's waterproof)

I also used this method on a plain old styrofoam head form.... and it's awesome!

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faux weathered zinc metal paint finish

this technique is demonstrated here on heavy-duty aluminum foil,

to get the effect of weathered, aged zinc metal...

if you painted a surface (wood, plastic, foam) with a matte silver paint FIRST,

and let it dry, then you could continue with this method:

basically, my technique for this effect is a lot of thin coats of spray paint.

apply a few medium coats of Krylon hammered finish silver in a light 'mist'. 
repeat with a mist spray of flat black paint.

then hit the surface with a heavy spray of bleach mixed with water, 'till it's dripping on the surface.

follow that immediately with a heavy spray of hammered silver.

the bleach and water cause the oil-base paint to separate, or 'ciss', and form a pattern similar to zinc.

let dry, then spray the black in a light mist again -

followed by a heavier application of black with more pressure, to result in bigger 'drips' of paint.

one final very light mist of hammered silver finishes it off. 

this builds up the pattern in varied layers, looking more realistic. 

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