WOOD PREPERATION

First look for any spots on the wood that need to be filled with a wood putty. Fill all the knot holes and dings in the wood. Allow the putty to dry before sanding. (Read the direction on the container to see how long you should allow the putty to dry before sanding.)

After the putty has fully dried, sand with a medium grit sandpaper. Then sand again with a finer grit sandpaper. When you are satisfied that your wood is smooth enough, wipe the wood with a tack cloth or a wet paper towel, to remove all the dust. (I my self like the paper towel.)

Now you need to seal the wood to prevent the grain of the wood from raising. I have seen many projects ruined when this step has been left out.

For wood that has a lot of knots in it, I recomend JoSonja Tannin Block Sealer. For wood that is basically free from knots, any clear sealer is fine.

After wood is sealed, use a fine grit sandpaper and lightly sand your project again. Remove dust with a damp paper towel or tack cloth.

PATTERN TRANSFER

Trace pattern onto tracing paper. Place tracing paper over your project, trying to match it up the best you can.

Secure the pattern to your project with tape. Slide some graphite paper between the project and the pattern and begin tracing the pattern onto your project, adding only the lines that you will need to apply the basecoat.

After you have completed tracing the pattern to your project remove the pattern and the graphite paper.

NOTE: Do not throw away the pattern that you traced you will need it again after you have completed your basecoating.

BASECOATING

Ok now the fun begins. I bet you never thought that we would get to this point...

Apply two to three thin coats of paint. (Three is better in my opinion.) Allow each coat to throughly dry before moving onto the next coat.

Be sure to dampen your brush before painting everytime. This gives you a real nice satin smooth finish.

Now that you have gotten all your basecoating done and your project is throughly dry. You can repostion your tracing paper over your project and tape it back on to apply the rest of the pattern.

TECHNIQUES

SHADING

Shading is how you make certain areas darker. This can be done by either floating or stippling.

FLOATING

To float you dip the corner of your flat brush into your paint. Stroke your brush back and forth till you see the color gradually fade to a clear color.

STIPPLING

To stipple I use a stippling brush. They are round and scruffy looking. You dip your dry brush into your paint but only get a small amount of paint onto the brush. The less paint the better. Then I pounce my brush up and down on my paper that I am working on till my brush gives me a very light powdery color.

DRY BRUSHING

Dry brushing is very similar to STIPPLING. You load your brush the same way as for stippling. It is used for creating Rosey checks and for Highlighting.

STENCILING

Load your brush the same as what you would for STIPPLING and DRY BRUSHING. Apply your stencil to your project and pounce your brush up and down. (TIP:They do sell an adhesive for holding your stencils on your project. I do use one at times. It can be a life saver.)

SPLATTERING

I love this effect on my pieces. To do this use and old toothbrush that has been dabbed into thinned down paint. Put your thumb on the bristles of the tooth brush and move your thumb towards you. (TIP: The thinner the paint the bigger the splatters. The consistancy is up to you. Do a few practices before you apply this to your project. I also do this technique in a box to keep the mess contained. It does tend to go everywhere. Also remove jewlery and roll up your sleeves.)

Line work

This technique brings your work to life and gives it personality. Use a liner brush with watered down paint or a pigma pen (I do not like the pens myself. If you use a pen for this technique make sure that your paint is completely dry.) There is no end to what you can do with this technique. Dots, wiggly lines, dashes, curves and yes boring straight lines.

DOTS

Use the hard end of your paint brush dipped into paint. Redip after you dot to keep the dots the same size. You will need to wipe off your paint brush from time to time.

DOLLY PARTON HEARTS

Apply two dots side by side and then with the other end of your brush drag down the dots to a point. Makes great hearts.

SPONGING

This is something that I do not do often. It does have a nice effect for some projects though. To do this get your sponge wet and wring it out till it is practically dry. Dab the sponge into your paint. Then dap it onto a paper towel or onto your papered work area till you get the texture and color that you want. To get a mottled effect use more then one color.

Plaids

I personally havent concured this. There are two ways to make plaids. One is to use a stencil. Follow the instructions for dry brushing when using a stencil. The other is to use a liner brush and make wiggly, curved or straight lines. Paint stripes going up and down and then across your project. (TIP: I would really practice this one before putting it onto your project.)

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