Jul 09 2010
Try New Painting Techniques
If you are planning to paint a room in your home, consider using one of the many different painting techniques rather than simply applying a coat of paint to the whole room. One of the most fun techniques to apply is the sponging on technique. Sponging on is one of the easiest methods of painting out there, so anyone can do it. If you don’t want to breathe in any harsh fumes, check your local store for non-toxic glazes.
With the sponging on technique you can give your room texture and depth all while using a simple sea sponge that you can find at your local hardware store. Before you get started you should make sure to tape off all surfaces that you don’t want to get paint on them. The first step is to paint the entire room whatever color that you want the base coat to be. A great neutral base color is a light gray in a satin finish in latex paint. You will want to let this coat of paint dry overnight. The paint that you will be sponging on should be darker in color than the base coat. You could use just about any color that will go with the light gray. You could use a dark blue, sage green or even a light yellow. If you want to mix some liquid glazes in with your paint you could do that as well. This will add a slightly different effect.
Before you begin your sponging, you should definitely practice on some sort of board first. You don’t want to jump straight into this project only to find that you don’t like what you are doing. While it is only paint and you can paint right over it, you don’t want to waste your time doing extra work. Once you have practiced enough to get the hang of your technique it is time to begin. One great tip when working with a sea sponge is that you should brush the paint onto the sponge, rather than dipping the sponge into the can of paint. You can now start sponging the paint onto the wall. Don’t press too hard on the wall. Keep your touch light so that the sponge pattern still remains. While you are working with the sponge you should also keep it rotating. This way you will always be changing the pattern that is appearing on the wall. Overlapping your blotting will also keep your wall from becoming a consistent pattern. The idea with sponging is to keep the paint on the wall a completely random array of paint. If you feel the sponge is becoming overloaded with paint, wash the sponge out and start over. While this might be different from working with raku glazes, it’s really not all that different.
Working with paint on the wall is not much different from working with a canvas. To get started on any art project with non-toxic glazes or raku glazes, visit AMACO. Whatever liquid glazes you might need AMACO is the place to find them. Your room will look completely different with a visit to AMACO!