Easy Textures you can do

With materials from the Home Improvement Store

This lonely little kitchen corner, in our Guest Cottage,  needed a bit of "interest".

This lonely little walk into my cellar needed a little humph.

My kitchen walls needed texture.  Straw from a nearby field was the ticket. 

The hall fireplace needed a textured chimney piece.

The entrance hall needed a stone wall. 

Empty spaces above windows needed a trumeau.

The "Fresco" to the Cellar.


In a hallway of the Castello Estense, Ferrara, Italy, you can admire an ancient Fresco at close quarters. 


What a surprise!  Except for the image, my frescoes have the same texture and appearance as those that I have painted and have shared with my students at our local college workshop.

All of the above examples I have created with dry wall compound  and builders sand.  

Here is how to paint a fresco swag.

Mix 12 cups of builders sand with one box of dry wall compound.

Apply with trowel in broad strokes (not circles). 

Let dry, draw design onto wall with acrylic paints.

Note: You can use a stencil if you're not sure of your success in free hand painting.

When dry, cover (yes) your art work with a thin layer of your dry wall mixture. Let dry. Wet an ordinary kitchen sponge and scrub across the parts you want to reveal or " bring out".  

Last layer, mix dark beer with colorant (artist gouache, universal tints, or dirty paint water) and with large soft brush, cover the entire surface.  Use colors such as burnt umber and burnt sienna for an antique look. 

See what you can do?  

Have a wonderful weekend my dear 

Blogging Friends,

Gina