Painter Girl

Wall Unit Progress Continues

Good progress yesterday.  I am more than half done with this Wall Unit.  Here you see the Lusterstone finish on the end shelf piece.

Below is a close up of the finish and a view of the top portion of the Wall Unit.  Today, I will bring the doors that I have finished in my studio and hopefully complete this project.

Last Saturday, I gathered with four decorative artists/friends, in Susan Siefer's wonderful studio, to have a Play Date. We all purchased Melanie Royal's Faux Marquetry Modello kit and spent the day creating some great sample boards.  You can read more about this day and view some photos of our creations over at Stencil Talk and also on Melanie's blog, Design Amour.

Guest Decorative Painter

Today I am featuring a very talented decorative painter, Chris Smith, of Stenciling Etc.  Chris and I attended the Decorative Painting/Faux Event together last week.  I asked Chris if she would be so kind as to write a review of the 3 classes she took, so today she will discuss the Grottesca class.  Here is her review in her own words:

"The class I took with Nicola Vigini was called Italian Ornamentation: Grottesca.  I really wanted to improve my skills in this area, and learn from the Master.  Nicola is an internationally recognized faux and decorative artist.  He is originally from Rome and was schooled at the Institute Superieure de Peintre Decorative in Paris.  He operates Vigini Studios Inc., and also a decorative painting program in Italy.   
Grottesca is a style of ornamentation coming from ancient Roman fresco painting.  The designs are of arabesque-like figures of flora and fauna motifs, within architectural details. (panels, moldings, etc.)
Generally the designs chosen are put on the surface by tracing or pounce patterns, or stencil.  It is done in a very light color, just to impart the pattern being used.  All the work following is hand applied using a variety of color, and brush strokes.  Most of the pattern is symmetrical, with minor differences, sometimes inserting monograms, or other personal details.
Shadow and lighting is taken into consideration , just as you do for trompe l'oeil work.
It was a great class, but we could have used a few more days just to listen to all the historical information that Nicola has to share."

The photo above is the sample board Chris made in Nicola's class.

Just to show you want an incredibly talented decorative painter Chris is, here is a good example of the quality work she provides her clients:

Chris did this work last winter with muralist Kim Senior, another incredibly talented woman!  Kim did the mural and Chris did the ornamentation.  Chris says, " In this design, the picture was copied from a magazine article, and I designed the ornamentation to go around it.  The ornamentation was done in Grisaile, and the work was then framed in a custom mahogany frame trimmed with gold leaf. " 

Chris will be back here again to discuss her other 2 classes.  Stay tuned.  Thanks Chris!

Class Review: Creative Countertops and Beyond

Today I thought I'd give you an overview of the 2 day class I took at the Decorative Arts Show/The Faux Event, last week in Atlantic City.  "Creative Countertops and Beyond" was taught by the very talented, Nancy Jones.  Nancy is the owner of Artworks!...Spokane and has been a decorative painting instructor since 1985.  Let me tell you, this woman is the definition of the word "organize"!  Basically, all I had to do was show up with a trowel for this class.  For those of you who have taken classes in a convention setting before, you know you usually have to haul half your studio with you and then whatever you forgot, is what you need.  Nancy supplied everyone with not only all the supplies and materials needed for this class, but also, very thoughtfully included a ziplock bag with granola and energy bars for us to eat over the course of this two day class.  I am still pouring over the incredibly detailed notebook she gave us, which outlines everything we need to know about the 3 products we experimented with in class, Skimstone, E-crete, and Granicrete.

All three of these products can be used to resurface existing countertops or over existing floors.  They all have similar properties, but are 3 different systems with their own primers, bonding agents, colorants and sealers.   These products can go over surfaces such as vinyl shower stalls, ceramic tiles, Formica, etc.  They are waterproof, stain and scratch resistant.  They are great products to give new life to old countertops, tiles and floors when you are thinking of remodeling, but do not want to rip everything out and start from scratch.

The first three sample boards from this class I will show are all done with Skimstone.

 This is one of my favorites and I am thinking of doing this in my small  mudroom.  I currently have some pretty ugly vinyl tile back there that is just begging for some help.  I would like to do it like big, slate stones, with faux grout between the stones.  You'll be seeing this project happen here later in October!

I also love this finish which Nancy calls "Rustic Hemingway".  She designed this finish for the kitchen counters in a client's rustic cabin.  Since I am still in the middle of my own bathroom makeover, I was hoping one of the finishes from this class would be one I would want to use over my ugly ceramic tile floor.  I laid this board right down on my floor and it really works well.    I am thinking of doing this finish in 18" square tiles, on a diagonal.  Again, I will be posting this project here shortly.  The push is on to get this bathroom makeover done, so I can move on to the other zillion projects I have on my "to do list".

Finally, for the Skimstone series, this Multi-tone Transitional finish would be great on a countertop.  

This is an E-crete sample board with a finish called "Rocky Mountain Slate".  Again, great for a countertop or floor.  The possibilities with all of these products are really only limited to your imagination and creativity.  Any combination of colors can be used and the finish can be matte, gloss or high gloss.

Last, but not least, is the Granicrete series of boards.  These 2 boards show just a glimpse of the possibilities with this product.

    

All of the samples done in this class were only sealed with one quick coat of sealer, due to time constraints for drying.  If you visit any of the the 3 sites linked above for Skimstone, E-crete or Granicrete, you will see the various finishes offered.  Also, I have been working in the studio with my friend, Stacy Queen on a series of Granicrete samples.  Once they are all sealed, I will be posting some more pics of those boards so you can see some different finishes.

It was a great idea to experiment with 3 different concrete surfacing systems, but the class got a bit rushed and hectic by the middle of day two.  We created a total of 8 sample boards.  I'd suggest adding a 3rd day or limiting the samples to 2 of each product for a total of 6 sample boards over 2 days.  Nancy has such a wealth of information to share, I'm sure it's hard for her to try to edit, clearly wanting to give her students as much information as possible.  These product lines are an investment and many lines cannot be purchased unless you have had some training.  If you are a decorative painter and are thinking about expanding your service offerings, I highly recommend a class with Nancy Jones.  Check out her website for her class schedule.

The Decorative Arts Show

I have been here in Atlantic City all week attending The Decorative Arts Show/Faux Event at the Atlantic City Convention Center.  Today is my one and only day off before I head home tomorrow so thought I'd try to post at least a little bit of the vast information garnered from this event.  For me, this convention was much more fun and successful than the SALI convention I attended in July.  Now let me stress that my classes at the SALI convention, previously reviewed here, were excellent, but the convention experience on the whole in Charleston, was less than excellent.

The Decorative Arts Show people know how to do a convention right.  The class selection was excellent.  What worked much better here than in SC, was the fact that all classes were held M,T,F, & Sat and the trade show was open on the only 2 days that there were no classes held.  This gave all of us plenty of time to leisurely visit all vendors and play with their products.  What I really liked was the fact that you could actually do layers of products on your sample boards, doing a few layers the first day and return the 2nd day to add more or make new sample boards.  The two full, uninterrupted days also allowed you to get to know the vendors and their products and ask all the questions you needed to have answered.  You could see others experimenting with the products and see how they were using it, and what questions/concerns/ideas they had.

The other area where the Decorative Arts Show/Faux Event organizers have it right is when it comes to networking opportunities.  We were wined and dined almost every single night at open cocktail parties for all attendees.  Here we were able to connect with all attendees, those who took classes, the instructors, vendors and organizers.  It was fun to hear about everyone's class experiences, talk to the instructors, vendors and just make some new friends.  This was a great opportunity to hear what is selling in other parts of the country, discuss techniques, pricing, and all the good and sometimes not so good aspects of our business.  Congratulations on a job well done, Sue, Tamara, Linda, Julie and Eddie!

I feel I am going home with a lot of very useful information and samples from the 2 day class I took and the trade show.  Today is my one day off, so I am taking a much needed break from the Convention Center and exploring the grounds of the Marriott's Fairway Villas at Seaview, where I am staying with my friend and fellow decorative painter, Chris.  I will be posting more product and class information over the next few days when I return home.

Cleaning Stencils

I hate cleaning my stencils.   They usually tear or bend, so unless it's really clogged or heavy with paint, I just gently wipe off while wet, and that's it.  Some stencils, like these pictured from the day care center job,  I use repeatedly, so I do need to make the effort to clean.  Over the years I've tried several methods, but I can't say any of the methods really worked great.  Then, a few weeks ago when I was doing that Beacon Hill ceiling job, Stacy had a product called Krud Kutter with her that we used to clean our trowels.  It worked so well, I immediately thought I should try it on my stencils.  I found this product at my local Home Depot.  What I like about it is a) it actually works and b)it has no strong odor to take my breath away, such as Simple Green. 
 

 

Class Samples, Part 3 of 3

The third class that I took while attending the Sali Convention in Charleston, SC was also with Helen Morris.  This class explored some unconventional stencils and stencil techniques.  We made a lot of fabulous samples on heavy duty wallpaper liner and Roc Lon.  Roc Lon is a great fabric to work with because it can be cut with scissors and does not fray, so no need to hem.  Later in this post, you will see a floor cloth I did using Roc-Lon.

These samples show the use of a "Silhouette Stencil".  The one on the left is mine... and done incorrectly!  The one on the right is Helen's, done correctly.  When using a Silhouette Stencil, the 2nd overlay brings in the background color and really creates the design.  Now just to show you that when it really counts, I actually CAN do the design correctly, I will post the Alium design I did for that recent Commercial Job. 

This Alium design is a great example of one of the Stencil Library's Silhouette Stencils.  It is a 3 part/overlay stencil.  The 2nd overlay is done using the dark brown wall color you see here and that magically forms the design!

I also made a very fun floor cloth in this class with Helen.  The design is from one, giant stencil.

The design was done on a square piece of Roc-Lon and then cut out around the flower edges.  I am going to add a little color to this design and you will see it appearing at a later date when I reveal my latest home improvement project... a little bathroom makeover.

If you would like to read more about Helen's classes and her Charleston experiences, click here.

Class Samples, Part 2 of 3

 The next class I took was taught by Helen Morris, of the Stencil Library.  While I have taken classes from Melanie before, this was my first class with Helen.  Helen is just a delight.with her shocking red hair, bubbly personality and fun British expressions!  Her classes are packed with projects and taught at an easy pace.

This class was all about using stencils from the Print Room Collection.

All of the projects we did in this class were done on heavy wallpaper liner using only black and white paint, mixing shades of grey.  The exercises showed us how to use the multi-part stencils and different composition ideas.  Here you see 3 oval frames, one with a full face, 1 with just the lips and cigarette, and the 3rd with just the nose.  The same  picture was copied 3x's and used differently in each frame.  A stenciled background of bamboo was added.

Here are 2 more examples of a design cut out and pasted on top of a stenciled frame.

Another fun way to use these frames is to insert postcards from vacations!  This would be a fun grouping on a hallway wall.

Class Samples, Part 1 of 3

I decided the best way to feature the samples from the 3 classes I recently took at the Sali Convention in Charleston, SC, would be to post about one each day.  Today I will show you the samples made in the class taught by Melanie Royals " Faux Marquetry Decoration With Modellos".

This was a 4 hour class that was fast paced, fun, and resulted in some great sample boards to show my clients.  Melanie is the consummate pro when it comes to teaching.  She is well prepared, easy to understand and packs a lot into her classes.  I took this particular class for two reasons.  One, I want to do some of these designs in my own home and Two, I know this will be a very easy sell to my clients once they see the boards.  Ok, I guess there is a number Three. I really try to include the art of stenciling as much as possible in all of my work.

The first three designs shown here are all done on wood sample boards to simulate a wood floor.  The designs are Melanie's Modellos with a stain application.

No matter how I photograph this one pictured above, the colors are just not showing up true.  The leaves are really a pretty shade of green, the background a light wood, and the darkest color is a rich, chocolate brown.  I love this pattern and think it may be one I use in the center of my living room floor.

This cube design pictured above is very fun to do, but you do need to pay attention to what you are doing here while applying the stains!  This would look great in a hallway or on a piece of furniture.

 

This border design (sample laying on my own wood floor), is another pattern that would work well on floors or furniture.  Another use would be to put it on the risers of stairs.

This last photo above, shows a stained design done on a cork tile.  This tiles can be done before or after they are installed.

Both the wood and cork methods are sealed for durability.  Click here if you would like to see more examples of Faux Marquetry!

Design Boston 2007

I just returned from spending the last 2 days at "designBoston 2007" at the Boston Design Center. For 2 days I was treated to inspirational and informative lectures, incredible food and drinks, and a great opportunity to network with local designers.  All of this... for free!  Yes.. for free!  I came home at the end of each day loaded down w/fun freebies from all the vendors and my head spinning with ideas from all I had seen and heard.  The first day, Wednesday, I was only able to stay for part of the day, due to other obligations.  But... lucky for me, the morning lecture was Patrick Frey, President of Pierre Frey, presenting French Style/Global Influence.  Mr. Frey was a most gracious and inspirational speaker with just a wealth of information about fabrics and the history of his company, started by his father.  He brought with him, many very old samples of fabrics from his company's archives and explained how these older designs are reprinted and adapted for today's current trends.  This hour presentation flew by and I came away feeling I had learned so much from this man who is clearly very passionate about his work and company! A big thanks to Martin Group Fabrics who sponsored this lecture.

Today, I returned to the Design Center and was able to spend the entire day there. The morning began with a very fun lecture entitled, "From the Runway to the Hallway, The Way Fashion Influences Color Trends".  This was presented by Sherri Thompson, Director of Marketing and Design for Sherwin-Williams.  Sherri had a fun slide show which featured current clothes fashions juxtaposed w/the current paint colors.  Btw, Sherri is one of the people who gives names to all the paint colors. Haven't you ever wondered who has that job?! She claims the first few hundred colors are easy to name, after that, a good bottle of wine helps!

These two lectures were the two that were the most benefit to me.  I have been exploring using stencils in combination with paint, plasters, metallics, textured materials, etc. to mimic wallpaper and fabric in creative ways.  Now I am really eager to get back into my studio to experiment!  Ugh... I just remembered what a mess my studio is in at the moment!  Maybe this will be inspiration to clean it up! ;-)

Did I mention all of the food and drink that was served throughout these 2 days?!  I think I gained 5 pounds!  Everywhere you turned, someone was offering up appetizers, delicious pastries, ice cream, champagne, wine, etc.!

The last presentation, the keynote speaker, was Dara Caponigro, Style Director of domino Magazine.  After some technical difficulties, Dara's slide show featured shoots from the magazine and her take on the design trends featured in domino.  A cocktail reception followed, but I was beat, had clients to call, so headed home.

A big thank you to Marc Bordet, Bordet Interiors, for signing me up for this event and another big thank you to the Boston Design Center for all their hard work!