As an interior designer I had the opportunity to work on some of the most exquisite homes. Some of my favorite projects involved painted surfaces and when the opportunity presented itself to add some character and charm to my own somewhat "bland" looking home it was so much fun. Our home has a comfortable, cozy feeling and today's project is completely inspired by our own home decor.
This little terra cotta planter base is so easy and quick to make! I would love to see you give this a try!!! So many of the images, especially the Shady Tree Studio ones are PERFECT for this project and this technique. Also once again I also got to dip into those buttery, luscious pots of Studio Line paints - that made me a happy girl!
This is the doorway between my kitchen and dining room. I was so fortunate to work with an artist that was simply amazing. I shared a sketch with her and I kid you not when I tell you that she completed this project in no less than three hours! Now that's talent! I could probably do this and so I am blessed, but it would take me a year of Sundays' (not just a month of them - LOL)
In addition I had her paint these terra cotta planter bases using some of the fruits that we included over the doorway and kitchen sink window.
As you can see there is an assortment of different fruits and vegies on the plates. Sorry for the crumby pictures, but I took them at night and forgot to bring my proper flash home with me. The other three plates the pic is even worse and so I am going to just leave that one out.
Today I want to share with you how incredibly easy it would be for you to create some one of a kind art for your kitchen soffits, shelves, laundry room, or even garden shed. I believe that if you put a top coat on these that perhaps you could even use them outside on your patio, but I need to check with Claudine before I start telling "tales" of this nature :)
To begin stamp your image on the terra cotta using Brilliance Ink. I then heat set it to speed up the dry time. I would also like to suggest these wonderful round acrylic blocks for helping you align these images in the center of your surface. I simply eyeballed the center, once I had my stamp mounted in the center of the block, but you could also use a quick pencil line on the terra cotta surface if you are a complete perfectionist.
Next you will need to use gesso to cover the entire stamped surface. Terra cotta is quite porous and with the translucent quality of this paint the white base will help bring a quality look to your completed project. You will want your brush strokes to create a rounded shape being the gesso does help provide texture to your project base as well.
Allow the gesso to dry before moving on to the next step.
I then mixed up a couple of green colors using the color chart that Claudine has provided. This is a handy tool that I have printed off, covered in laminate using my Xyron and then hung on the wall next to my work surface. I need to remember to take a picture of this when I complete my next project and share this with you because I find that it is an extremely helpful tool for quick mixing.
As you can see in the photo above the paints are somewhat translucent, which makes them so very easy to blend without getting muddy brown colors. By using a combination of mixed colors and layered colors I was able to create my very own painted art piece!
As you can see I use both the paint "pots," as well as the lids. Before using the paints I give them a good shaking. I then use wooden skewer sticks to take paint from the pots and add them to my little mixing palette.
As you can see I use these sticks repeatedly. I know it's kind of quirky, but I love seeing the odd mix of colors on the sticks. Once they are dry you can use them again without any problem.
The little white palette can be purchased at Michaels and if I remember correctly is very inexpensive. I recommend cleaning this right after completing your project for ease. It's kind of like doing the dishes, if you wash them immediately it is SO much quicker than if you let the food dry in place before beginning your clean-up task.
The last tool you see is my little "water bucket." This is a collapsible container that has a sponge in the center. Cleaning my brushes between colors is so easy when I have this on my work surface. Once it is cleaned and dry you can squeeze it into a very small space. I LOVE things that squeeze into small spaces - LOL!
In hindsight I wished that I had added more yellow to my pear, in fact I think I probably will still do so. That's the joy of painting, you can always rework it if you aren't quite happy with your final colors.
As a final note I would like to recommend that you figure out how you will display your plates before you begin. It is tricky finding hangers for pots that have to deep an edge. So put all your pieces together before beginning so that you will be able to display your art once completed.
Thanks for stopping in here at the CLASSroom and I hope that I've inspired you to try your hand at creating your own home decor using the Shady Tree Studio images and Studio Line paints!
