How to Disguise a Not so Smooth Wall

Do you have one of those walls, with nicks and bumps and just all round tired looking wall? Maybe you removed very old wallpaper and its left a wall that either needs to be replaced with new drywall or plastered.

Well, if this project was not in your budget this year, then why not try working with it, instead of covering it up! Have you ever done a faux finish? painted a mural? well both of these methods are great ways to extend the life of a "not so nice wall".

First of all, make sure you wall is clean and dry, and any loose bits have been removed, then decide on your color theme. A mottled look is a great quick way to give the wall some life and a old world plaster look, and you can achieve this by painting the lightest color first. Your color theme should be of similar colors or just different shades of the same one for a mottled effect.

While that is drying, get your next colors ready in small trays and add some glaze, (this extends the drying period to give you time to work with it) or if you can't get any glaze, thin the paint with a tiny bit of water, but you will have to work fast. Once your base coat is dry, start dabbing on your next color and find the effect you like, or take a cloth and basically "wash" the wall lightly with it, and keep adding other colors that are part of your theme.

You should end up with a mottled look, that can appear like old plaster, and with your walls lumps and bumps this will actually help give it the look! You can experiment with different techniques, you can drag a dry paint brush through the wet paint to give a linen look.. just try different ideas, you have nothing to lose, this wall will look way better no matter what you do at this point! So don't worry if you are not a great artist, this makes for a nice bit of artwork when done and extends the life of the wall.

Another great way is to paint a mural pick something simple to begin with, and then make sure you have the colors needed a quick hint, you don't want to be spending hundreds on all different colors of paints, just pick a simple scene that can use different shades of about 3 colors or whatever you have around your house if using latex, you can mix them to get your shades such as for trees, or sky or water make your mural simple and not too busy, and have fun! Depending on where this wall is, you could also let older kids become artists!.. especially since they love to paint on walls anyways, and this would definitely become a conversation piece!

About Author:
Diane Palmer http://www.make-crafts-for-cash.com/donnadewberry.html is a website by Diane Palmer, with more than 15 years in the crafts business. Learn creative ways to make and sell crafts, online, craft shows, fairs and more Turn your craft hobby into a business!
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com

WallDreams Paint Ideas! Sponge painting and colorwashing in a low sheen medium tone are good ways to camouflage minor imperfections as well as using a tissue paper or paper bag effect. But it's always a good idea to correct as many of the flaws beforehand with scraping, spackle, and sanding (aka - old fashioned elbow grease), unless a plaster (not a Venetian plaster) is being applied for an "old world" look.

Part of the "camouflage" effect of a faux finish or painted wall decoration (garland, vining, scrolls, a mural, etc.) is that it pulls the eye to the focal point and away from the wall surface. As always, the higher the sheen of the paint, those bumps, holes, ridges or a bad paint job basically glow in the dark. As a final disquise, a well-placed piece of furniture or picture hung on a wall over a boo-boo always works too.

Keep those brushes clean!
Donna of WallDreams

Faux Painting Finishes

Faux and Decorative Painting Sponge painting

Sponge painting is great because it is easy, fast, requires little paint and materials, and did I mention it was easy? It can be used on walls, furniture, and accessories, and can give instant facelift to dull objects.

Don't let anyone convince you that you have to go buy an expensive sea sponge to do this. I've used plastic grocery bags, cloth diapers, even old clothing…(Ok, now it's called ragging, same technique, more subtle look.) But you can use a plain old kitchen sponge, and here's the secret….tear away all the hard edges of the sponge, even tear chunks from the center to give it an irregular appearance.

Now choose your paint, and sponge! Remember to sponge sparingly at first, you can always add more later. Also, dab the paint off on your plate first, you only need a little paint on the sponge, or it will be too gloppy. Practice first on a paper bag, and remember to change the direction of your hand occasionally, the idea is not to get a pattern going.

Try combining sponge painting with stenciling or decorative painting, tape off a border and use it just there, you can even sponge paint over glassware with the new glass paints available at your craft store.

Marbelizing

There is a very simple technique to marbleizing that is popular in the home decorating world today, and you won't believe how easy it is until you try it. Simply choose two to four colors of paint within the same color scheme, one light, one medium, one dark.

Using a regular paintbrush, dip the brush into all the colors. Now simply pounce the paintbrush over the surface to get a mottled effect. It might help to keep a picture of a piece of marble nearby to refer to. Use the different colors to add shading, or tone down an area you think is too bright. When finished with the surface, take a small artists liner brush, dip it into either the lightest or darkest color you used, (thin with a little water, if necessary) and paint veins by dragging the brush over the surface, wiggling it as you go. Don't go overboard on the veining. Remember also to bring the veins over the edges for a realistic finish. I think sealing it with a gloss clearcoat or polyurethane gives the most authentic look of polished marble.

Crackling

Crackling is very popular as aged finishes have become so much a part of showcasing warmth and history in our homes. It can be done without purchasing expensive crackling kits. Crackled finishes are a simple chemical reaction. All you need are two colors of latex paint, one a base coat that will peek through, and one a top coat, that you will see the most of, and household glue. That's right, direct from your kid's art box. Sand and prime your piece if necessary, then paint with your base coat. Remember, this will be the color the will just peek through, so it's best if it contrasts with the top coat. Let dry. Now mix household glue with equal parts water, and brush onto your base coat. This can be done easiest with a foam brush. Allow the glue to dry until just tacky, about 30 minutes.

Now for the reaction part. Brush on your top coat directly over the glue coat. Don't brush over any one area more than once, you will ruin the crackle effect in that area. You should start seeing the crackling take place within a minute or so. The size of the crackles has a lot to do with your technique in applying the top coat, so experiment a little first. Long, smooth strokes tend to produce larger more dramatic cracks than short strokes, and if you really want a subtle effect, try sponging or ragging on the final coat. Allow to dry overnight. If you wish to further antique your work, simply dab or brush it with some wood stain, then wipe off. Repeat until you get the look desired. You can seal with polyurethane or clearcoat, or coat it with common furniture wax.

About Author:
Kathleen Wilson is the Editor of a free ezine called The Budget Decorator, dedicated to the "budget impaired" home decorator. Visit her at http://www.thebudgetdecorator.com/ for more free projects and ideas, and for info on her workshop.
Article Source: http://www.articlestree.com/

Featured Video:
Sponge Painting


http://www.fauxfun.com/
Sponge painting demonstration given on the Sheryl Bordon Show showing how paint a geometric sponge wall finish

WallDreams brings you information you can use - when doing it yourself is the only way to go!

Decorative And Faux Painting Is Fun But Don’t Start Until You Read This

I think decorative and faux painting techniques look great, are fun to do, and add a personal statement to a room. I’ve been adding my personal look to the walls in my homes ever since my husband and I purchased our first “fixer-upper.”

When I first starting using faux and decorative painting techniques on the walls in our home it was a financially motivated action. We didn’t have a lot of extra money. I couldn’t afford new furniture or flooring for a room but I could afford to buy some paint. But just painting the walls a solid color seemed boring to me so I started exploring faux and decorative painting. It didn’t take me long to get hooked. Why do I like faux and decorative painting on walls so much?

1) It’s an inexpensive way to change the look of an entire room. Paint is the most economical way to change the look of a room.

2) A painting technique on the walls minimizes and hides cosmetic flaws such as surface cracks and less than perfect patching jobs.

3) It’s easy to change when you’re sick of it. Repainting a room that has paint on the walls is a whole lot easier and much less time consuming than stripping wallpaper off walls and preparing those walls for paint.

4) It adds your own personal look and style to a space. Color and texture are fun and interesting. An entire home painted the same off-white color is dull and boring to me. A faux painting technique can evoke any mood you want in a room whether it’s a Tuscan look, retro 70’s look, a country look, something elegant, a cheery bright look for a child’s room, or any other look you want.

5) The choices of techniques and paints are nearly endless. Some of the more popular technique choices include: sponging, ragging, dragging, color washing, stenciling, crackling (http://www.decorativepaintingzone.com/faux/cracklingfauxpainting), marbling, gilding, wood-graining, spattering, feather-dusting, and stippling. You could also use one of the specialty paint products on the market today such as Venetian plaster to create the look you want or buy a faux painting kit such as a Woolie painting kit to help make your project as fun and easy as possible.

While I highly recommend faux or decorative painting, there are a few things I’ve learned since I’ve started faux painting that I’d like to share with you. Some of these items are things to “not do” that I’ve learned the hard way. Others are tips and suggestions that were helpful to me.

1) Go to your local paint store or decorative painting store and look at the samples they have. For example, Home Depot has lots of different booklets and paint chips with faux paint finishes on them for you to look at and even take home to look at in your lighting. That pretty metallic finish on a paint chip in the store make look garish when you get it home and look at it in your home’s natural lighting.

2) Consider taking a class before doing your first project. Some paint stores and home improvement stores, such as Home Depot, offer free faux painting clinics and workshops. You can also find some very good faux painting classes for a reasonable fee by looking in your local paper or doing an Internet search.

3) Practice your technique on a piece of scrap wallboard before doing it on your wall. This is especially important if you are blending colors. A few years ago my son wanted his bedroom painted. He wanted me to use a Woolie (a great faux painting tool available at most paint supply stores) to blend together a burgundy and a caramel color. Each color looked great by itself, but when they got blended together too much a dark fuchsia color emerged. And anything resembling pink was not something my son wanted on his wall!

Because I had been faux painting for years I didn’t listen to my own advice about trying the technique on a piece of scrap board first nor did I buy sample sizes of paint to try out. I bought gallons because I wanted to save time. Luckily the store agreed to exchange the paint for me free of charge but we did have to paint over a wall and wait for it to dry before starting over with new colors.

4) Remember that the texture of your walls will dictate, to some extent, what faux painting techniques you can and cannot use. If your walls are smooth you can do just about any technique you want. But textured walls are very common, especially in newer homes. You may see striped walls in a brochure or on a sample wall and decide that’s what you want to do in your home; but if your walls are textured it’s going to be nearly impossible to achieve straight lines for your stripes. Keep in mind that faux finishes on paint chips from a store are done on a smooth surface. They will look a little different (but may still look very nice) if you do that same technique with the same colors on a textured wall.

5) If you’re going to do a faux technique in an entire room don’t start on the wall that people will first look at when they walk into the room. That means don’t start on the wall directly across from the doorway. Unless you’re a professional, it takes a little while for you to get your technique perfected in a room. Put that less than perfect start in the least noticeable part of the room.

6) If you get tired while painting and need a break, don’t stop in the middle of a wall. Stop at a corner. If you stop in the middle of the wall and don’t come back to work on the project again until after the paint is dry, you’re going to have a noticeable line on the wall. It won’t be pretty.

7) Think twice about mixing your own color with paint you have at home unless you are absolutely positive you’re going to have enough paint to do the entire job. If you mix your own color and run out of paint before you finish it will be time-consuming and challenging to match that color. You might be able to match it because many paint stores have specialty machines that can match a paint chip you take in, but if you’ve mixed together two different sheens of paint (for example let’s say you mixed a flat paint and a satin paint together) you’re going to have a hard time reproducing that same sheen. In some cases it may not be noticeable; but in other cases it will.

If you’re a beginner, start with an easy paint technique. Sponging is very easy and looks great. Another favorite of mine is the Woolie I mentioned earlier. There are a couple of different types. I like the Woolie roller best. It’s really easy to use and the results are fantastic. It comes with a short video. Watch it before you start painting. If you’re not going to watch the video before you buy your paint, there’s one important thing to remember. Buy paint colors that are at least two places away from each other on a paint strip. For example, if you pick out a paint strip with 5 yellows on it, don’t buy two colors that are right next to each other because they will be so close in color that you won’t see much variation when you put those colors on the wall and start to blend them.

About Author:
Dorrie Ruplinger is a featured writer for http://www.decorativepaintingzone.com. Visit the web site for more information on decorative painting and faux painting
Article Source: http://www.isnare.com

WallDreams brings you information you can use - when doing it yourself is the only way to go!

Italian Lime Plaster Decorative Wall Finishes Add Old World Charm

The use of Italian decorative plaster has become an increasingly popular decorating technique in homes across America. It's a versatile medium that can be used in a number of ways to create dramatic wall and ceiling effects, and its use has been growing in recent years around the country.

Italian decorative plaster generally consists of a thin veneer of slaked lime putty, which is then mixed with quartz, marble, or kaolin and colored with pigment. It's then applied in a variety of ways to produce room treatments that resemble those that used to be found almost exclusively in northern Italy for nearly a thousand years.

However, even though it has been commonly used in northern Italy for millennia, lime plaster is among the world's oldest building materials. In fact, there is evidence to show that its use may date back as far as 9,500 years in the area that is now known as Jordan. Over the centuries, the Romans began to mix lime plaster with marble dust as a fine application over a coarser type of lime and sand aggregate, similar to the technique used in modern decorating techniques. Its use has been nearly continuous around the world from that time on, especially in Italy and other parts of Europe.

One of the most common phrases used when referring to Italian decorative plasters is the term Venetian, although it's also used to refer to nearly all types and techniques of decorative plaster work by many decorators. In America, Venetian plaster refers to both pure slaked lime and lime plaster that has been modified with acrylic polymers. The latter type of plaster is quite durable, but a number of Venetian plasters that are sold in the large home improvement centers bear little resemblance to true Italian plaster. Some of those products may contain no marble or lime, which means they aren't really plasters at all. In fact, there are no American companies that make true Italian decorative plaster.

Regardless of the type of Italian decorative plaster you choose, it can be used to create some strikingly beautiful and dramatic effects when done correctly. Go online or visit your local decorative paint center and talk to a knowledgeable person about how to work with plaster and where it can be used to its fullest effect, and then you'll be ready to begin incorporating some of the elegant beauty and old world charm that this ancient technique can add to your home.

About Author:
See slides of Italian plaster finishes at http://DecorativePaintFinish.com
Copyright © 2008 Jeanette Fisher

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Jeanette_Joy_Fisher

WallDreams brings you information you can use - when doing it yourself is the only way to go!

Faux Painting: Choosing Your Faux Finish

Faux Painting is the fastest growing form of decorative painting there is. If you are reading this article, you’ve probably been searching the web to find the most affordable and easiest way to “do it yourself”. There are a lot of different faux finishing techniques besides the well known sponging or ragging, but before you decide to start any project or buy any faux painting tools, there are a few important things that should be thought out clearly before you start faux painting in order to avoid major complications or problems that might delay or completely derail a work in progress. I have been a professional faux painter for 10 years now and after literally faux finishing hundreds of walls, I think I can save you saying “oh no!” a few times.

Before you choose what faux finishing technique you want to faux paint your wall with, ask yourself the following questions:

1) Is the finish going to look too busy or patchy overall? Remember that when you are looking at a small sample, it is different than looking at it over large areas. That’s why you should always practice on a large poster board first. You might want to paint a couple of boards and place them on the wall and then stand back to get the full effect before you proceed to faux paint the wall. Make sure if you are going with a patterned type of faux finish that it does not clash with the decor in your room. Sometimes it’s best to go with a simple color washing faux finish that incorporates all the main colors in the room and blends nicely in the background.

2) How high are your ceilings? If the technique you are going to use requires using a roller or brushing on more than one color, you should use a scaffold instead of dangerously carrying up multiple trays up a ladder. However, if you can’t fit a scaffold in the area, then you will have no choice, therefore get your climbing shoes on because you will go up and down that ladder a lot of times.

3) If the method you are going to use requires using 2 persons, make sure that both of you will be able to fit in the working area, especially if you have to fit a ladder in there, too.

4) In choosing your faux finish and the faux painting tools you are going to use, keep in mind that in small sections or tight areas, the tools might not fit. Therefore, it’s best to keep those patterned faux finishes to walls that don’t have too many fixtures on them.

You don’t want to spend a lot of money on faux painting tools and precious time learning a faux finishing technique, only to find out that you will not be able to achieve the finish on your walls due to insufficiently taking time to consider these important questions first. Through the years, I have eliminated offering certain faux finishes to clients depending upon these critical factors. I hope and pray that this article has made you think about some key questions that can save you a ton of heartache and frustration in planning your first or next faux painting project.

Because I understand how difficult it is to properly execute the necessary steps that certain faux painting methods or systems use, I have through the grace of God, developed a faux painting system that I believe addresses all the problems that one can encounter on most jobs. If you are interested, visit my website for more information.

About Author:
Sandy Silva is a professional Faux Painter and Muralist. Her company, Murals & Faux Painting, Inc. in the Miami area has been in business for 20 years and has been dedicated to the decorative wall painting profession for 10 years now. Buy her DVD workshop which comes with 5 tools....one being patent pending. The workshop includes tips like this one. Her web site is http://www.muralsandfauxpainting.com/kit.html
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Sandra_Silva


Video:


Before deciding what Faux Finish you want to paint your walls with, here's a video clip with some important things to remember. Order your DVD Faux Painting kit at www.MuralsandFauxPainting.com

Applying A Faux Marble Finish To Surfaces

Real marble can be extremely expensive. But with faux painting techniques, you can create the look of marble at a price that you can afford. You don't even need to be a professional painter to get great results!

Getting Started
Spend some time looking at pictures of real marble slabs before beginning your faux painting project. This will help you get a better idea of what will work for your surface. These days you don't even have to travel to do that. Just do a search online for "marble" and you can find websites that give you a variety of pictures. There are a number of different methods used to create the look of marble. However, if this is your first faux painting project, intricate designs may be too much to tackle. Additionally, busy patterns can sometimes compete with other elements in the room. If you are going to apply this finish on a wall, then consider a marble look that has less veins that softly blend into one another. Your colors should match the existing room decor.

Tips for Marble Faux Painting Projects
The popular colors used in marble faux painting projects are burnt sienna or dark grey on a pale ivory background. When creating a faux marble finish, you'll need at least two colors of glaze. If you are working with black background, however, shades of white and green are best.

Adding texture to your base coat of glaze can be achieved by lighting dabbing the area with a balled up plastic grocery bag. Tone variations can be created by lifting off excess paint with a natural sea sponge.

Veins can be added to your work with a fine paintbrush, but you may also want to experiment with the different looks provided by making veins with a goose or turkey feather. If you want to make a stencil to guide your work, tear a strip of poster board and paint along the jagged edge.

Consider spending some time perfecting your technique first, on a sturdy sheet of poster board. However, don't be overly critical when trying to correct mistakes in your work. As a natural material, real marble is seldom perfect. Diverse looking veins in regards to thickness and intensity is important. Therefore, even a few minor mistakes can help give your faux painting project a more realistic appearance.

Working with a Faux Painting Kit
For those who are just learning about faux finishing techniques, investing in a faux painting kit can be a smart move. A kit gives you all of the necessary tools in one convenient location, plus detailed instructions to guide you through your home decor project. Even though many home improvement stores are limited in the variety of kits you might find, the internet is a great place to purchase one right for you. There are websites that show you the basics of faux painting which you can incorporate in achieving a faux marble finish, even if it is not included in the kit.

About Author:
Sandy Silva is a professional Faux Painter and Muralist. Her company, Murals & Faux Painting, Inc. in the Miami area has been in business for 20 years and has been dedicated to the decorative wall painting profession for 10 years now. Buy her DVD workshop which comes with 5 tools....one being patent pending. A separate DVD showing how to achieve 4 different marble finishes will be available soon on her website at http://www.muralsandfauxpainting.com/
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Sandra_Silva

WallDreams Paint Ideas!

A good tip is to paint faux marble where you would reasonably find marble in real life such as columns, floors, moldings, mantles, fireplaces, walls or countertops where the cost and wear of the surface would not outweigh the price of the real thing. Contemporary as well as classical and traditional design styles are great choices for marbling.

As marble is a clean, smooth stone, so must the prepared surface be.

Do some research on the many different types of marble and how they look - direction of color options, veining, and patterns so that the final faux finish* rings true. (*say that 3 times fast)

If marbling an entire wall, you may want to break the effect into sections or seams of several "blocks" of marble.

Marbling is a layering effect of color taking time, patience and practice to get optimal results.

Happy Painting! - Donna of WallDreams

*note: Image is a Faux Marble Shelf - Prospect Hill Plantation Inn, Trevillians, Virginia

Soft, Textured Walls - How to Achieve it with Rags

Into the 21st century, painting is an ongoing river of creativity. It would be, ostensibly, difficult to imagine a wall without paint. When a thin layer of paint is applied to a wall it converts to an opaque solid film. So basically, what you see is what you get. But when you apply the Rag Rolling technique to your paint job, not only do you achieve a soft, textured effect on a wall, you even add depth and excitement to an otherwise bland surface. This article will explore the different techniques used in creating that lustrous, textured look that can only be achieved with rags.

Now let's get the terminology out of the way first. Rag rolling and ragging are two different things. Rag rolling is rolling or ragging paint on; and ragging is rolling or ragging paint off. The finished product is totally different, however. I'll cover this in a minute, but before I do, please make a note of this: to see the effect you like best, use a piece of cardboard to try out both methods.

Essentially, the principles of rag rolling and ragging are pretty much the same. What will create the difference between the two methods are the shape of the rag and the shape it creates on the wall. Between the two techniques, you will get the appearance of a vertical pattern with rag rolling, whilst ragging will appear sharper in texture-more arbitrary, if you will.

Preparation is easy. With both techniques, you'll want to ensure that the rags you use are wrung first before you apply the rag onto the base coat on the wall. It is important that all of the excess paint--or water in ragging--is removed from the rag if you want to get the best effect. Have several rags to work with, and pour glaze onto a paint tray where you will be dipping the rags into. Give them a good soak. You will be using one rag at a time, so place the extra rags in a bucket and place a lid over them to keep them moist.

Rag rolling paint on involves rolling paint onto the base coat. You need to use both hands to do this properly. The technique is simple: just roll the rag down from the top to bottom of the wall. When the impressions fade, get another rag from the batch you prepared earlier. Make sure you overlap each strip as you continue to roll.

Ragging paint on involves applying a soaked and crumpled rag onto an already glaze base coated wall. Ragging can create a scattered effect, thus in order to achieve a concentrated effect, overlap areas when you apply the paint. Dip the rag, wring it, and then dab it onto the wall. When the color gets lighter, just dip it again and continue dabbing.

Rag rolling paint off is a technique that involves working with a freshly glazed surface and simply applying a wet-with-water but wrung rag to roll the wet paint off. Use a clean rag once your rag gets saturated with paint. Simply apply glaze in small sections and continue rolling the wet paint off. If you want a more subtle effect, wet your rag with water and wring out before rolling paint off. Once the rag becomes saturated with paint, start again with a clean rag.

Ragging Paint Off is similar to ragging paint on, except in this technique you dab the paint off. For a more subtle effect, wet the rag, wring out the excess water, and crumple the rag. And when it's saturated with paint, use a clean rag.

Creating illusions of fabric, stone, wood and other natural surface materials can be easily achieved using faux paint techniques such rag rolling and ragging. It is the way you apply these techniques to the wall that determines the texture. Whether you rag on or rag paint off, you will get a textured look in the end, but to see the effect you like best, try using a piece of cardboard to try out both methods first.

About Author:
Anthony J. Namata is a successful Internet Marketer and author of How to Become An International Gemstone Dealer and his popular online journal Diary Of An Internet Marketer
Shop for your favorite products and name brands AND help the world become a better place...Find out more at: http://www.maxmalls.com
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What is a Faux Finish

If you have any experience in terms of buying a new home or in building one for yourself, you have realized one thing: raw materials are expensive! There is a reason why materials such as marble, hardwood, rare woods such as mahogany and even finer paints drive up the prices of homes exorbitantly: hey are very hard to get a hold of, and very pricey as well.

Expensive and rare materials are nothing new, when it comes to adding value to a home. The marble pillars you hear of in Rome were no less expensive then than now; it was the rich people that furnished their homes with this type of decoration. Some people even make the argument that back when people lived in caves, a false finish added to the home in the form of art would increase its value!

In essence, that is what a faux finish is: an addition to a home which makes it appear more desirable either through its emulation of a certain type of in demand material, or which adds a sense of originality.

In particular, faux finish refers to a type of paint applied to a structure, either inside or out, which gives the appearance of a certain material. There are several different types of paint, each representing a material.

They include:

Marble, which can be either plaster or glaze.

Graining, which impersonates rare and exotic expensive wood types.

Venetian plaster, which looks textured but is in fact quite smooth.

In addition to the different types of materials involved, different techniques are also applied in order to create certain faux finishes. The brush technique will determine how the paint is applied and the appearance it creates within a certain room or on a certain exterior. By combining the type of material with a specific technique, it is possible to create a faux finish that is entirely unique to one’s own home.

Besides giving a value added appearance, faux finishes can be incredibly fun to experiment with as well as to apply. Homeowners everywhere will be satisfied when they use this ancient technique to improve upon the appearance of their homes!

About Author:

Rob Parker - When looking for a premium faux painting instruction class you should keep in mind the number of students in the class and professional quality of the tools.

Article Source: http://www.article-exposure.com

WallDreams Paint Ideas!

Clarifications in terms...

Faux Painting and Trompe L'Oeil are two terms used to describe painting techniques.

Trompe L'Oeil is a French term meaning to "trick the eye" referring to an art technique that is extremely realistic, with exact colors and shading creating an optical illusion of an object(s) to appear three dimensional. The look should be so realistic, that the viewer may have to reach out and try to touch it to see if it is real or not.

Faux Painting describes a wide range of decorative painting techniques that not only include stone, marble, wood, brick, slate, and metal but other materials such as linen, leather, burlap and denim. Faux is a French term as well, meaning "false" or "fake". By using paint and applying it to a surface, the artist can create the illusion of other materials and/or texture. A few other techniques including in Faux Painting are:

Distressing - giving the appearance of age and wear.

Strié - French word for "stripes" or "streaks", dragging through the glaze to create soft lines of color.

Crackle Finish - gives the look of aged paint with cracks intentionally created on the surface