Tuesday, July 12, 2011

Texturing

I like this type of texturing, especially if you want the look of rough hewn rock, like I did for my tower.  It is fast and kind of fun.  (My husband calls it tedious and mindless.)  You'll probably have most of the supplies on hand but you may want to try is out on a scrap piece of wood or cardboard, just to make sure you like the effect.  The biggest drawback is that it does use up a fair amount of paint so have extra on hand.

You will need:
 a stack of kleenex- how many depends on how big of a surface you are covering
paint
scissors
paintbrush- I used a 1" brush but a little larger or smaller is ok.
A stiff stencil brush- do not use the sponge type.  If you don't have a stencil brush, use another paint brush.

First, take a piece of kleenex and separate it.  Take one ply and squeeze it, squish it and wad it into a ball.
Then very carefully, unwad it and shake gently.  What you want is a piece of kleenex with lot of wrinkles, small, medium and large.

You may want to have several pieces ready as this goes fast.  Next, paint a section of  your surface with a medium to heavy coat of paint.  I found that a 5x5 inch section worked best but it depends on your project.
Now, very quickly lay the kleenex on top of the painted surface.  Load your stencil bursh up with paint and start tapping on the kleenex.
 
Now, move on to the next section.  It's ok to overlap.  Once it dries, it may need a little touch up just in case the kleenex didn't stick to your base coat.  If you missed a spot or would like a heavier texture, just repeat the process but with a lighter base coat.   Once your are satisfied, take a scissors and trim the edges.  
It is also easy to texture any seams you have when you join two pieces together.  Take two thin strips of kleenex, place along seam and start tapping.  I was able to texture my tower this way in less than 4 hours.
And there you have it.  Some people may not like this kind of texturing, I just offer it as an alternative.

Well, I'm off to finish up some painting and may do some surfing so ,
Til Next time!

1 comment:

  1. Tissue paper (like what might come in a shoe box if you don't want to use new) also works really well with this technique. Sometimes, the facial tissue disintergrates in moments, depending on the brand, but the tissue holds up a bit better. Ron Mummert taught me this years ago and I still have the Tower Room I made at one of his workshops using the tissue

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