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I have found a high demand for wood graining garage doors over the past several months so I thought I may as well show what I have been doing with the overhead door demand. This is all acrylics with a UV protective topcoat to keep from fading and the product line I used here has held up very well.

These doors I did about 5-6 years ago and they still look like the day I did them…….

I have seen many attempts to this technique, where oil base products were used and I would just like to warn everyone who is looking to get this done, that you should read the manufacturers label on the backside of your garage door to make sure you, or who ever is going to grain, or even repaint your door, to apply the right product. Most door companies will void your warrenty if you use the wrong product.

In Florida it is not recommended to use oilbase products on metal overhead doors or any metal door for that matter, because it will crack, peel and actually break down quite rapidly because of the extreme elements that are common down here in Florida.

My latest door was done about 6 months sgo and as you can see its holding up very well against the direct sun hitting it every day

So , now that I have seen what the quality of the product line is I will recommend this line in my” How to Faux” video segments called

“Amazing Accents”

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In my quest to bring something new to decorative art, I thought it may be best…. 

to bring this  technique I learned many years ago to get a couple of basics things out to everyone who really want to learn. This technique will even show a couple of tricks to those who thought they knew . Being that I am getting into the teaching scenario I am posting  a small sampling of another one of my dvd’s that I have put together. Again I am on the color theory kick, as usual, so like in my “Fantasy Marble” DVD I talked quite a bit about the subject of color value which is part of  my “Amazing Accents” series. 

 I thought I would put this technique  in this group because it takes color value one step further and would go so well with the others. Oh , you thought you were done with color value after my marbling video?, no not quite theres still more……..In this segment of the “Amazing Accent” series is still about color value but with the “Broken Color” technique  it’s not only going to give you knowledge about color value its going to give something else thats important about value which is  “Opaqueness and translucency” which is the reason why this finish works so well on its own or as a background to others. 

So click on the play button below and let this 8 minute segment tell you more…..

 This is a great “Bread & Butter” finish that is cost effective because there is no glaze that is added to the paint so already your saving yourself a bundle, and for the DIY people this is an easy to learn finish, it just takes a little practice as in anything else. The important thing about it is knowing how to choose the right values of color that are used. Now, I know what you’re thinking , “I already know about color theory and how to mix colors”, uh huh, we’ll see , I use to think that many years ago myself until I got into a position to where I could not fix a treatment after bragging, “Oh,I can match anything “ and found myself against a finish that I couldnt because there was yet something more that I didnt understand about color ………yes it’s true , been there and done that…… because believe me, I had to start some where once too, although it was many years ago, the only difference is, that your getting first hand information with your purchase of the dvd or the download and your not going to have to buy dozens of quarts of paint to be able to do this finish comfortably like I did.

This video will be available in two formats A downloadable format which is a little lesser quality and the price will reflect that and also as a DVD which will have to be shipped through my online store at Art Faux World  http://www.artfauxworld.com  when it becomes available  at the end of July

This is about color value like I said and even the DIY person will walk away from this lesson understanding more about color than the pimply faced kid behind the counter at the paint store…….how many times has that happened to you?  uh huh……..thought so…..Im no master but I do know the important things lol

As in everything else there are a few rules to this finish you should stick with when your learning to handle a large wall with this technique, which are. You dont need to worry about drylines. You can stop in the middle of the wall and pick up where you left off the next day. And if done correctly, you generally just have fun with it, So here’s a sample of it for you to get a look at for now and I should have the DVD ready for mailing by midweek

For the companion 60 minute video for $24.95 on “Basic Wall Painting” get instant download by clicking on the “Buy Now” button below

Take a look at what I have pulled out of the backroom! These are some Foils that I have used for some really cool accent finishes that I will be bringing out on video

These are 2ftx5ft samples of 10 different colors with a couple of halogram foils

Arthur, Got the video today. I must say, you are a real artist. The column you did was amazing! I am real excited to try this technique. I might be able to give it a try while I still have my broken ankle. Anyway, I had a few questions. First, I have two smaller columns that I had sprayed with oil based satin Impervo. Would that be a suitable base on which to begin applying the glaze? I thought you said that you used oil based paint as a base, but wasn’t sure. Also, I don’t have a lot of aqua creme, would I need to use two cups or can I scale down the proportions of aqua creme to color? Anyway, thanks for all of the help. I will send pictures when of my progress when I start.

Thanks,

Ross

Once again, thanks for the help. As far as your video, (I should have told you I didn’t like it and demanded my money back! ha!) no seriously, I think it was very good. What you are teaching is an art, not a 1, 2, 3 step processes, so the best way to convey that is to just let the viewer watch what you are doing. I don’t think most of us are worried so much about the editing, as what we can learn from the content. Anyway, nice job!

I can tell that this process is not going to be easy. But, that is ok, as I think the results will be worth the work. Usually, I tend to take the harder route anyway on my projects.

Anyway, I am glad I ran across you and your website as you have been extremely helpful!

Thanks,

Ross

Ross,
Don’t worry, you will see, once you get going, how easy it really is, it’s just a little overwhelming at first, just be quick with the first couple of steps for your background and once you get past that, it will start to “talk” to you and you will actually start to see where there should be veining just by how the colors flow. I had a class once where there was a woman that was just having a difficult time doing her first layer because she was trying to make it look like marble to soon and didn’t understand that the first layer was just a toning layer, so I told her
“Here’s how you do it, Put your glaze on”…….
She says, “Well, how do you know where to put it?”
Me, “You don’t” “and that’s not important right now, so don’t worry about that so much, ………close your eyes, …now, put your glaze on”………she does……”now open your eyes”
She says, “Ok…..it looks like mess now what?”………
Me, “You see where you put your glaze on, right?”………
“Uh huh”
Me: “Now close your eyes again and hit it with that sponge and don’t think about it, just does it”……….
Well she did it and she started off kind of slow with it and I told her, “Don’t be afraid of it, just do it, it’s only paint…..don’t spend a lot of time with this because it’s going to get covered up again anyway”……
Me: “Ok, now, open your eyes” she says…..”Oh, wow!” “Did I do that?”
“Yes you did”………”Now break up the spots that look like the sponge marks because remember, in nature nothing is perfect or repeats itself as the same size or shape and blend it with your badger brush, but don’t over work it” ………”Now step back and look at it………..” “Pretty, cool huh?”
The badger brush is one of the most over used tools in faux finishing and I see a lot of untrained faux painters take some of the most beautiful work and just ruin it because they feel this a rule or maybe it’s a natural reaction to the left side thinking again, who knows, but it’s an undisciplined reaction that is automatic that they do when it’s not necessary.
Anyway, she ended up creating the best looking marble sample in the class
This teaching technique built her confidence, because she was having that battle with what all creative individuals fight with, where the left side of the brain competes with the right side which inflicts doubt and prevents you from stepping outside of your comfort zone where your creativity lays. Creative people think outside of the box and are willing to take on challenges outside of their comfort zone, and once you understand how to work with both sides of the way you think you can, with practice, determination and with no fear accomplish anything……
That little tool I gave her boosted her confidence and even though her left side was telling her “Oh you can’t do this, look at it!, this really sucks!, Her right side was telling her to keep trying and add a little here and put a darker color there and she kept going despite of what was going on with the left side and she was able to push that doubt far enough in the background to keep trying, and because she knew all along that she could do this. Once you have an even balance of the way you think I believe anything can be accomplished, which is why I know so many different techniques and art forms. I am always venturing out for more because I know I can do anything, for instance, I taught myself video editing and now I record, edit, and produce my own “How to Faux” DVD’s, because I am at peace with and understand the never ending battle of the left and the right but that’s a whole new post, To bad the leader’s, and the politicians of the world couldn’t understand the creative psyche of the right and left side of the brain and how to use this tool to create a beautiful master piece.
Instead it is being used as a tool for greed and personal gain which in my opinion is where the “right wing and left wing” political terms have come from. The irony of it is very surreal to me, almost to the point of being evil, but again I am only an artist with an opinion and a dream of maybe one day all the leaders of the world really look at the artists way of expressing their thoughts, creativity, and ideas to be utilized instead as looked upon as just another painting, or just another sculpture, but they just can’t see past the evil that has actually masked the good that could become of it…….
Think about it……..
Peace!

Ok. Ok. I know I am pushing the limits of blog posting here but I wanted you to know that in addition to the dining room work I am doing, there are also a couple of columns I am adding a fantasy marble technique to.   I thought I would post a couple of pictures to see if guys have some interest in learning this procedure.

What I’ll be showing to you can be a cost effective way to “do something” with those columns  if you are faced with is scenario.  No one likes “boring columns” in a fancy house. (Chuckle)

One of the most important aspects of marbling is be able to both identify and understand marble structure. Consider in your mind that  if you don’t understand the subject then how can you expect to capture the realism through  faux work?

There are two basic styles of painted marble.  One is the Italian style and the other is French.  Both have totally different looks but what you need to know is that one is not easier than the other to paint. I will go more into the details and nuances of each on a later blog but this gives you all a little incentive to do some research in the meantime.  For now we are going to talk about the fantasy marble technique which is really an American way of executing a marble finish that basically insults the European purist artists to put it bluntly. (Chuckles) So with that being said,  here’s a couple of photos of the ones I will be finishing up this week.

As you can see this is the start of the structure of the veining which gets more refined as the project progresses.

The first step is to bring in the drifts with a quick glazing to create a sense of movement and form which I show you in detail during the instructional DVD. This step is really is a quick and simple process if you do it abstractly, without trying to make it look like anything, which is one of the main mistakes most make because of thinking with the right side of their brain.

The other two pictures below are showing a bit further along in the process where the veining is much stronger. This is achieved by changing your color value. Please remember this is only a one color fantasy marble where you are just using some of the basics when executing this technique.

Changing color value is critical. I have always liked using this system to keep in touch with my marbling skills and it actually improves my ability to render the finer and rare marbles which are far more complex and intricate.

There are many finer points and details to understand about the nature of  marble just as there is about wood graining, murals, trompe loeil and the other various forms of decorative painting. The key is to master one and practice them all as often as you can to keep adding to your skill set.

Replicating nature is where decorative art obtained its roots and therefore certain rules must always be observed, otherwise you will end up with something that looks like a  smeared “barber’s pole”  which I have seen so much of starting in the early parts of 2000 when the housing industry was starting to lean towards the “flipping craze.”  Not only were the ones executing the finishes not educated enough in the decorative arts, but the ones who were flipping the properties for profit didn’t care. They were focused on the increase of  “return” rather than the quality and splendor of art form itself  so it didn’t matter what it looked like, as long as it could be stated that the house is “Fauxed” to increase the home value.  I often regret using the word ”Faux” in my business name because it is such a contradicting word when it is associated with the common words like “painting” and “artist.”

To the well educated I probably look like a buffoon when you look at the phrase in English and realize it means “false painter” or “fake artist.” It also doesn’t help your case when you are trying to reach out and convince these  high profile / high end clients that can actually afford to allow you to really showcase your talent, knowledge and artistic mastery…

What do you guys want to know about marbling? Do you think I should do a start to finish video? Does anyone have any marbling stories to share?