Host Kathi Cardinalli shows how to paint a wooden cabinet with an Italian villa image to create a bold trompe l'oeil effect.
Materials:
wooden cabinet, preferably with two doors
sandpaper or palm sander
a variety of paintbrushes
white latex paint for primer
latex paint (in reddish-orange )
clear acrylic glaze
acrylic paints (brown, black and cream)
pencil
ruler
painters tape
Steps:
- Lightly sand cabinet and wipe off dust.
- Paint with a coat of white paint on it, then let dry.
- Apply one coat of reddish-orange paint and let dry.
- Mix together equal parts of glaze and reddish-orange paint with a touch of the brown acrylic paint to create a colored glaze.
- Apply a coat of glaze on the painted cabinet. Let dry well. Apply glaze to the cabinet with a dry-brush technique. This will create depth and give the surface texture.
- With a pencil and ruler, draw in windows and doors on front and sides of cabinet to give it the look of a villa (figure A)--some square or rectangle windows, some arched windows and doors. Look at a book of house designs for inspiration.
- Use painters tape along the drawn edges to make it easier to paint. Fill in window areas with black paint (figure B).
- Come into the black-painted areas about one-half to one inch, and mask off with tape. Paint this area with a mixture of black and cream to make a very dark gray (figure C). Paint window-edge areas with this color to give it a dimensional look. Let dry well.
Tips
- You can use any house-style design you like. Look at books and/or magazines for ideas.
- You can alter the colors, depending on your home decor.
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