From easiest to hardest…and by hardest, I mean the most time and/or product consuming.
1. Decoupage is the easiest. Start with a base coat of paint. Find a paper design that you love and decoupage it onto the surface. You can do the drawers, or go more discreet by adding it to the sides. Once it dries, Finish the entire piece with a coat of wax.
2. Image Transfer takes a little bit more time but is just as easy as decoupage. Paint your piece and allow it to dry for 1-2 full days (that’s what takes time). Then, apply your image transfer design of choice. Finish off with a coat of protective wax.
3. Stenciling offers a simple approach with big impact. The most often made mistake in stenciling is having too much paint on your brush or roller when you go in for the stencil. Less is more! You want to remove most of the paint before you start stenciling.
4. Taped Designs can be a fun way to get creative. Use tape to make fun, geometric designs. You can add pops of color or go for symmetry in design. The more symmetrical you want your design, the more time consuming it is.
5. Decoupage and Hand Painted Elements are for those that want something that feels a bit more customized than just gluing paper to your piece. Add hand painted elements over and around your decoupage artwork to make it feel like a seamless, hand painted piece of furniture.
6. Embossed Stenciling is a pretty easy design element, but depending on how large of a surface you are doing, it could be a multi day process. Paint a base coat on your piece. Use embossing paste or polished plaster with your stencil to create a raised design. Once it dries (usually overnight), paint your next one or two coats. Finish with colored wax to emphasize the embossing.
7. Single Color Hand Painted Florals are a great way to explore hand painted elements. Florals and leaf designs are pretty easy to work with and allow for a lot of interpretation. By using one color, you don’t have to worry about carrying a big product load or adding shading.
8. Lastly, Hand painted designs probably offer the biggest punch but are by far the most time consuming and product consuming. I like to find an image that speaks to me and use it as a starting point. Start with a base coat of paint and then chalk your design. Once you get a rough idea of what you want to paint, start going in with color. A piece like the one pictured can take well over a week of deliberate painting until it’s finished. So, this is not something for the impatient person!
What will you try?
