Author and decorative painter Sheila McGraw gives an out-of-date vanity a fresh look with an inventive technique called reverse stenciling. Stenciling is normally accomplished by applying paint on a cutout pattern to reproduce the pattern on a surface. In this method, cutout designs stuck to a surface resist a top coat of paint, leaving a silhouette of the pattern on the surface. Materials:
Piece of wood furniture
Latex primer
Cream-colored latex paint for base coat
Small paint roller
Flat-edged artist's brush
Painter's tape -- at least 2" wide
Acrylic iridescent paint in gold and copper
Acrylic accent paint in burnt sienna and burnt umber
Scissors
Sea sponge
Acrylic polyurethane
Paintbrush
The demonstrated example features a cream-colored base coat with silhouetted shapes in iridescent gold and copper, topped by a light coat of sponged-on burnt-sienna and burnt-umber paint. Choose your own paint combinations for a different look. - Sand the piece of furniture smooth and apply a coat of primer. Let dry.
- Shapes cut from wide painter's tape will act as pattern resists to make the silhouette pattern. Layer several pieces of painter's tape, and draw a shape on the top piece -- a star, a moon, a spiral or a leaf. Cut out the patterns.
- Load a flat artist's paintbrush with a combination of iridescent gold and iridescent copper paint. Paint random splotches of paint on the piece where the shapes will be placed (figure A). Don't blend the brushstrokes: allow them to remain visible to add texture to the finished piece.
- When the gold and copper paint is dry, peel the shapes from the layered tape, and stick one on each of the painted areas (figure B).
- Use a small paint roller to cover the entire surface of the piece with the cream-colored base coat (figure C).
- While the base coat is still wet, dip a sea sponge into a combination of burnt-sienna and burnt-umber paint, and pounce the sponge on the painted surface to add texture (figure D). Make waves of color if desired.
- When the paint is dry, carefully remove the pieces of tape to reveal the silhouetted shapes (figure E).
- Protect the surface of the finished piece with two or three coats of acrylic polyurethane, allowing the surface to dry between coats.
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