posted
First start with a grey background, med to light. This can be water base if you want it to dry quickly. Go to a marble & tile store and see what different colors granite comes in, it is almost an infinite variety, not just grey. Home Depot has kitchen counters set up in real granite, for example. Mix in separate containers the 2 or 3 other colors you want to use, one of which will be black. Get a sponge. It doesn't have to be a natural sea sponge, they cost more than manufactured ones, either will work - I like to get one with large openings. Tear the edges so you don't have any straight lines and pick out some extra holes from the center area. Dab one color at a time all over the surface, with the sponge, ALWAYS turning and rotating the sponge so you don't get recognizable repeating patterns. The more you dab the smaller and tighter the patterns will become. You can wait between colors for drying times or not - up to you - a blend/mix is good. Sometimes you may see a vein or crack running through granite, which can be faked nicely with a feather dragged through on edge. When it's dry varnish. Petroleum base varnishes will yellow, water base ones supposedly do not. Have fun - it's only paint.
Posts: 1859 | From: / | Registered: Nov 1998
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I forgot something important. That's what I get for flying off the handle with a quick response... Before you put the sponge in paint dampen it with some water so it will be soft! In fact keep a bucket of soapy water close by to wash out the sponge whenever it gets full of a particular color and it will work better and last a long time. You should be able to reuse the sponge this way. If it's a cheap sponge from the 99 cent store it doesn't matter, but one of those big sea woolies can run $20 or more. Also if you want to have faster drying times, of course, use water base paints. You can get those little plastic botles of Acrylics at a craft store like Michael's for under a buck - they come in a lot of colors and will be more vibrant when varnished over than the One Shot. Draw back is they will also leave you with more texture, but you can combat this with an extender - such as Floetrol = $5 a quart! Any major hardware/paint store.
Posts: 1859 | From: / | Registered: Nov 1998
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Plus we put a light spray of dots in a dark and light colors over this. Use an undercoat spray gun. They are cheap... about $20 or so from your automotive supplier.
Use only 15 or 20 pounds of pressure and practice on something else.
We did my daughter's car like this with one shot and it looked great!
-dan
-------------------- Dan Sawatzky Imagination Corporation Yarrow, British Columbia dan@imaginationcorporation.com http://www.imaginationcorporation.com
Being a grampa is one of the the most wonderful things in the world!!! Posts: 8761 | From: Yarrow, B.C. Canada | Registered: Nov 1998
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posted
you can get spots...from a spray can also...take an exacto knife and stick the point into the spray nozzel couple times...and it will make the paint splatter when you spray!
-------------------- joe pribish-A SIGN MINT 2811 longleaf Dr. pensacola, fl 32526 850-637-1519 BEWARE THE TRUTH.....YOU MAY NOT LIKE WHAT YOU FIND Posts: 11582 | From: pensacola, fl. usa | Registered: Nov 1998
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posted
I would suggest using oil base paint because it can be "erased" using mineral spirits. I've done alot of faux painting and it's real easy to start over using oil paints. I even "erased" a complete wall one time. I would also suggest doing a final sponging using the darkest color in the design as it ties everything together. Good luck and maybe you can post a picture when you're done!
-------------------- Mike Wilson Aztec Graphixs Buffalo, N.Y. Posts: 10 | From: Buffalo, NY | Registered: Sep 2001
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posted
On top of all that, if the piece isn't that big you could get that splatter effect with a tooth, or a biggerhandled brush, add it in your paint, use your finger or a stir stick, aim where you want the dots and come across the brush, that's it. Have fun!
-------------------- aka:Cisco the "Traveling Millennium Sign Artist" http://www.franciscovargas.com Fresno, CA 93703 559 252-0935 "to live life, is to love life, a sign of no life, is a sign of no love"...Cisco 12'98 Posts: 3576 | From: Fresno, Ca, the great USA | Registered: Dec 1998
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