Hi friends,
I continue my adventure into the blending technique world. There are so many ways to play and explore it. Today I am going to show you one more.
The story of this chest is a cute one. Remember this other bohemian chest I painted? Well, even after I sold it, I kept receiving messages from people who had seen it on my Instagram or Etsy Shop, asking if I had another one of those for sale. One of these people was this lovely lady from South Carolina, who wanted a storage chest to gift her granddaughter for her 13th birthday. She decided to place a commission order and I went on a quest for a pretty piece that I could paint for her. I soon found this large, beautiful Lane chest not too far from my house and we agreed it was the perfect one for the project.
The original idea was to replicate the finish of my previous bohemian chest, but my client and her daughter went back and forth on the subject and concluded that their soon-to-be teenager would grow out of those colors in a few years, so they decided to go for something more neutral. The final choice was shades of gray. Well, you know I love me grays too right my friends?
I prepared some samples of possible finishes and mailed them to her. Once she picked one, I went to work.
Only the preparation of this piece took me three days! There was a lot of scratches, missing veneer, and a huge piece of the front left foot was missing. I had to rebuild that foot with wood filler.
When I was halfway done with the painting, I decided I should record the process because there was a good chance the final result would be nice enough for a tutorial, so I made this video.
Here are all the supplies I used and some affiliate links* for your convenience.
I don’t know how this technique is called, but I decided to name it “texturized blending” because I blended two different colors using a lot of water, and at the same time, I added some texture by dabbing the surface with my chip brush instead of brushing it smoothly as I usually do.
After I made all the repairs and cleaned the chest throughout, I applied a coat of shellac and let it dry for about an hour. It dries super fast.
Next, I used my high-quality brush to apply a base coat of antique white over the entire piece. I normally start painting with my pieces upside down to make sure I don’t leave any spots without paint.
I let the base coat dry overnight, then started the fun part. The actual blending.
To achieve this texturized, blended look, I poured a little bit of my two colors (white and gray) on a paper plate, to make it easier for me to mix them on my brush.
I used a very old, worn-out chip brush for this process. The worse the bristles, the better the texture they give.
I wanted a smoky, cloudy effect, so I just kept dabbing my wet brush with both colors, starting from the center and expanding to the sides. I chose to leave the edges and the bottom parts darker, but you can go with whatever pattern you prefer.
I kept my brush wet at all times, by spraying water directly on my brushes, and not on the piece. The water is what allows the colors to blend smoothly, and avoid harsh lines between them.
I painted the legs with a mix of ash, which is the dark gray, and a metallic color called Black Pearl, by Modern Masters.
This chest had these beautiful appliques, and I thought I needed to do something for them to pop, so brushed a little bit of silver with a small artist brush.
The last thing I did after all was dry was to seal it with General Finishes top coat, satin.
The final touch, which was one of my client’s request, was to paint her granddaughter’s initials on the chest lid. I showed her some design options I found on the internet, then drew the one she chose on the lid using a transfer paper. I painted the monogram in a mix of Black Pearl and Ash, using a small artist brush.
And now, all the pictures!
I’m shipping this beauty to Georgia (where my client’s granddaughter lives) in a few days. My client is very happy with the final result. I hope her dear girl will appreciate such a thoughtful gesture from her grandma.
Let me know what you think! I hope you enjoyed this tutorial. If you have questions, leave them in the comments and I will reply to all of them.
Thank you so much for reading!
Pat.
I’m sharing this post on this awesome link parties!
Silver Pennies Sunday Link Party
* If you buy an item through my affiliate links, I receive a small commission from Amazon. There is no additional cost to you.
It is gorgeous, Pat! I know she’s going to love it! You’ve really out done yourself on this one!
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Thank you so much Lisa. I also love how it turned out. I really hope she likes it.
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Absolutely Beautiful. I don’t know how you do it, but every time I think you’ve reached the epitome of perfection you find a way to go a step further! I have to find a piece to try this technique on. I’ve learned so much from you. I never think I can do it but always seem to be able to with your tutorials. But, this one may be the one technique outside of my talents. I sure hope not because she’s a beauty! I loved the colors used in the cloudy chest with bird pulls too. I love love love gray but those blues have been speaking to me ever since you published it. I love and admire your work. Please keep on teachimg me!
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You always brighten my day with your comments! This technique is easier than it looks. You should definitely try it. Thanks once again for your kindness and support. I’m still looking forward to seeing your creations out there. 🙂
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Wowza, what a beauty. This technique is beautiful and the little extra touches like the silver and the monogram are perfect.
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Thank you so much, Julie!
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Absolutely gorgeous piece. You’ve outdone yourself. Great tutorial too!
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Thank you so much Mary!
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How pretty! I especially love the monogram on top! Thank you for sharing the step by step directions. -Marci @ Stone Cottage Adventures
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Thank you so much Marci! I also loved the monogram idea from my client.
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Just beautiful! I need to repair a ball foot that has a partially missing ball. Can you tell me how you made the repair
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Thank you Mary! I did it with easy molding (silicone molding). Placed the molding on the good foot then built the missing part with Bondo Wood Filler and glued to the broken one. I’m planning to make a tutorial for that. Good luck!
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OMG, I love, love, love this project. Totally fabulous. I want this
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Thank you so much, Ivory! It will always be one of my favorites.
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Wonderful job! I specially like where you did the silver highlights. I also like me some gray ha ha !!
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Thank you so much Marian!
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Just beautiful!
I think it’s my first tutorial video and it gives me hope to w learn more and that it is possible.
I’m working on decluttering my house and trying to make a change with my life style and to create more.
Thank you!
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I’m glad to hear the video tutorial inspired you to try. Good luck with the declutter. It’s hard work but if feels good after it’s done!
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Hey lady u r the BOMB …the piece is beautiful
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Thank you so much, Dee!
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I’ve done a lot of furniture refinishing but I’ve never used shellac before painting. I curious about what it does for the outcome?
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I started using shellac as an alternative to primer. I prime most of my pieces before painting them to ensure paint adhesion and prevent bleeding. However, oil-based primers are messy and have high levels of VOC. Shellac is non-toxic and not messy at all.
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