Thursday, February 4, 2016

The Crown Jewels, Artistic Paint Finish Video and Tutorial



Artisan Enhancements Fine Stone is a plaster product with a stone like texture.  I came across a photo once where an artist had used this medium to incorporate sea shells into an artistic paint finish and the thought crossed my mind, why not jewels?


Ever since the idea came to mind, I have been dying to create a bejeweled crown using Artisan Enhancements Crown stencil and Fine Stone!  Here's the short video I made of the project unfolding.  Make sure your speakers are turned on.  I found the perfect song to go along with this piece!  




If you enjoy this video, I hope you will consider subscribing to my YouTube Channel!  I am in the process of filming more projects that I hope will spark interest and inspire others to try their hand at some new paint finishes and techniques!

Now, if you were intrigued by this video and really would like to create your own bejeweled crown or put some of the techniques I showed to use, I am going to walk you through the steps with a little more detail here.



1.  Paint a wood cabinet door on off white color, creating texture in the paint finish by moving your paint brush in various directions as you cover the door.

2.  Once the paint has dried, lay down the Script stencil from Artisan Enhancements and stencil a few areas of the door to create a backdrop for your crown.  I used a lavender paint color with the Script stencil.

3.  When your stenciled areas are dry, you can position your crown stencil.  It's a good idea to also lay out your jewelry on the stencil at the this point to get an idea of the design you want to create.  I used three strands of pearls, parts of a head band, a vintage brooch and an old shoe clip.  If you follow me on Instagram, you might have seen where I played around with the arrangement of these pieces before I set them into the Fine Stone.  

4.  Artisan Enhancements Fine Stone is naturally white in color.  You may want to tint it with a little paint for your crown.  I added a small amount of dark grey paint to my Fine Stone before smoothing it over the Crown stencil with the Color Shaper tool.  As soon as you have covered the stencil design completely with Fine Stone, remove the stencil.

4.  While the Fine Stone is still very wet, position your jewels into place, setting them directly into the Fine Stone.  If you can, go ahead and allow the bejeweled Fine Stone to dry overnight.  By this time all but one of the jewelry pieces were completely secured to my crown.  I simply added a little epoxy to the back of the one piece that didn't adhere well and then gave it several more hours to dry.  I had time to put this aside and wait, but if you were in more of a hurry, a hairdryer would help speed things along.

5.  Artisan Enhancements Scumble is a tintable glaze.  To add dimension and play on the texture of the painted background, create a grey glaze by mixing 5 parts Scumble to 1 part grey paint.  Brush this mixture over the entire door, wiping it back immediately with a damp sponge.  Have a clean, damp cloth handy for the remainder of the project in case the glaze or any other product clouds your jewels.

9.  Allow the Scumble glaze to dry before applying Artisan Enhancements Leaf & Foil Size to select areas of the crown design and the border of the cabinet door with a small paint brush.  Choose areas that you will want to highlight with metallic foil.  Allow the product to tack-up.  This takes about 20 minutes.

10.  Lay down pieces of metallic foil, shiny side up over the areas where the Leaf & Foil Size was applied.  Gently burnish the back of the foil with a stiff brush and remove the foil.  I used the Silver and Pewter foils for this piece.

11.  Finally, seal your entire piece with a thin application of Artisan Enhancements Clear Topcoat Sealer, using the designated Top Coat Brush.



I love this photo of Marilyn from Gentlemen Prefer Blondes!  My best friend and I watched this classic movie many times during our high school years!  It made us feel especially glamorous as we did our hair and make up for school dances!  The song brought back such fun memories!

Thank you so much for your sweet visit today!

Best Wishes and Blessings,
Amanda





Sharing With:
Home Sweet Home at The Charm of Home
Feathered Nest Friday at French Country Home
Show and Tell Friday at My Romantic Home
Treasure Hunt Thursday at From My Front Porch To Yours