Creating Paint Effects

You can create a wide range of effects by using paints and glazes. Use paint for designing patterns and deceiving the eye with colour and perspective. Use glazes for their semi-transparent quality to produce depth and translucence.

Considering Options
- Simple paint effects can have just as much impact as those involving more complex techniques. If you are a beginner, choose a simple effect that uses coloured emulsions. You can mix coloured glazes, and attempt more extravagant finishes, as you gain experience.

CHOOSING EFFECTS
Selecting methods
- There are two main methods of creating paint effects. Either a tool is dipped into paint or glaze and then applied to a wall, or a glaze is applied to a wall with a brush and a tool is pressed into the glaze. The former is an "on" technique; the latter is "off". Even if you use the same glaze and the same tool, a different finish will be achieved depending on which method you employ.

Applying a base coat
- Always apply a base coat. Light shades are best, since you can then build up colour; eggshell or emulsion are ideal.

PREPARING TO PAINT
Roughing it
- Examine all walls carefully. Rough, textured walls are ideal for sponging, which disguises defects, while smooth, dead flat walls will show stippling off to its best.
Assessing suitability
- Choose ragging or bagging rather than rag rolling on a wall that has pipe-work or switches. Rag rolling needs a constant motion, not frequent interruptions. Joins are difficult to disguise.
Getting ready
- Make sure that all materials and tools are ready for use, since once you start a wall you should finish it without interruption. If you do not, some areas will dry before others and the joins will show.

Types of Paint Effect
- Whichever paint effect you choose, make sure that you have all tools and materials to hand. Try to maintain consistent hand movements from one wall to another for an even overall finish.

Sponging on
- It is probably the easiest paint effect to create. Emulsions or glazes can be used. Natural sea sponges are the ideal tools to work with, although synthetic sponges can be substituted.
Sponging off
- A mixed glaze should be used for this effect. A sea sponge must be used since substitutes tend to smudge the finish. This is a natural progression from sponging on in terms of difficulty.
Ragging
- It involves a similar technique to that of sponging, except a crumpled, lint-free cloth is used instead of a sponge. A mixed glaze should be used for the best results.
Bagging
- It involves the same technique as ragging, except a plastic bag is used instead of a rag. This creates a more sharply defined texture compared to the fabric alternatives used in ragging.
Rag rolling
- With rag rolling, a rag is rolled down the wall to create the effect of tumbling material. It is best to rag roll off, since uniformity and consistency are difficult to achieve when applying on.
Stippling
- A stippled effect is created by pressing the bristle tips of a stippling brush into a wet glaze. The technique is only suitable for glazes, and continuity is important to prevent joins or overlaps.

Colour-washing

Colour-washing is probably the oldest paint technique. Use a large paint brush to apply a highly diluted glaze to wall surfaces. This will produce a translucent finish through which the base coat shows, creating depth and texture.

Stabilizing a wash
- A wash should have the consistency of highly diluted paint. To prevent it from running off the walls, add a small amount of PVA to the mix to help it adhere to the wall surface.
Adding depth
- Apply several coats and vary colour slightly to create a wonderful feeling of depth. Warm colours will give a glow to any room.
Choosing walls
- Apply a wash to a rough surface to create texture. The colour will clear from the peaks but build up in the troughs, creating a great textured finish.

MAKING GLAZES

A glaze is the medium for creating paint effects. It is distinguished by its ability to hold patterned impressions and long drying time that allows you to create an effect. Glazes have traditionally been oil based, but modern acrylics are popular and are often supplied ready mixed.

Colouring Glazes
- Mix colours before adding to glaze.
Mixing acrylic colours
- Use an artist's brush to mix acrylic colours. Mix the colour first on a surface such as a paint-tin lid, and make sure it is the right shade. Decant the basic glaze into an old jam jar, and add the acrylic colour to it.

Calculating Quantities

Diluting colour
- For a good acrylic-based glaze, five to ten per cent of the mixture should be colour and the rest glaze. Add the colour to the glaze and mix thoroughly. A clean jam jar is ideal for mixing small quantities of colour in this way, since you can screw the lid on tightly before shaking the colours to mix them well.
Estimating amounts
- Glazes go much further than standard paints. Dilute acrylic glazes with a small amount of water to increase the coverage of the glaze. Estimate how much you will need by halving the amount of standard paint you would require to cover the same sized area of wall.

Traditional Tip:
- Mixing a traditional glaze
For 1 litre add 600 ml white spirit to 300 ml boiled linseed oil and 120 ml white, oil-based undercoat or eggshell. Tint using artist's oil paints.

Sponging
- Whether sponging whole walls or selected areas, such as beneath a dado rail, this effect transforms the look of a flat wall surface. A single layer of sponging produces a subtle, airy pattern, while multiple layers produce a busier, bolder effect that has greater depth.

Sponging Successfully
Removing excess
- When sponging on, decant the glaze on to an old plate or rimmed paint-tub lid. Dip the face of a damp sponge into the glaze, and remove excess by drawing the sponge across the rim; otherwise the first impression will be thick and blotchy. If you do apply too much, reapply some base colour.
Rotating the hand
- Rotate the hand into a slightly different position after each impression to keep the pattern random.
Sponging corners
- Tape a small piece of sponge on to the end of a pencil to enable you to reach right into corners.

Using colour effectively
Sponging dark on to light
- Use a light base coat and gradually apply darker shades on top to produce a highly distinctive pattern. The colour of the final coat applied will always be the most dominant.
Sponging light on to dark
- use a dark base coat and apply progressively lighter shades on top for a translucent effect. You will see a larger colour range since the light colours will not obliterate preceding coats.

Stippling
Stippling is a subtle paint effect, using a brush to create the impression of a textured surface that may range from a light, velvety appearance to a coarser finish, depending on the size and compactness of the bristles. This is a time-consuming technique, but very satisfying.

Choosing Brushes
Using specialist brushes
- If you can afford one, buy a stippling brush, which is ideal for stippling since it consists of a thick wad of bristles.

Finding an alternative
- For a less costly alternative to a stippling brush, trim the bristles of a wallpaper-hanging brush with sharp scissors. Make a dead flat pad of bristles so that all the ends will be in contact with the wall.

Stippling Effectively
Working in sections
- Apply glaze in areas of about 1 m2, using a large paint brush. Cover as evenly as you can, then dab the stippling brush lightly on the wet glaze.
Creating uniformity
- Work from left to right and top to bottom. Do not overlap stipples because they will appear as more heavily shaded areas.
Preventing clogging
- After each area has been stippled, wipe the head of the brush with a lint-free cloth to remove excess glaze. A build-up of glaze will create a patchy effect over the wall.
Adding depth
- Use a slightly darker glaze in the corners of a wall than towards the centre to create a feeling of depth.

Time-Saving Tip: Glazing with a roller
- Use a fine mohair roller to apply glaze to a wall. This is much quicker than using a brush and therefore allows more time for creating an effect. Do not overload the roller, or the glaze might run.

Ragging
- Ragging is similar to sponging, except that a crumpled lint-free cloth is used rather than a sponge. Ragging "off" is easier and more effective than ragging "on". With the latter, cloths become clogged up with glaze, producing a rather gummy, patchy finish.

Creating the Effect

Building up pattern
- Using a damp, scrunched-up rag, apply light pressure on the glaze. Change your grip frequently to produce a random pattern. Return to missed areas before the glaze dries. Rinse the cloth regularly.

Shielding Surfaces

Avoiding smudges
- Hold a strip of card against the adjacent wall to prevent the edge of the rag from smudging colour on to it. Move the card down as you paint. Wipe the card regularly to avoid a glaze build-up.

Bagging
- Use the same technique as for ragging, but substitute a plastic bag for the lint-free cloth.

Choosing bags
- You will need a ready supply of bags to hand so that you can throw one away and pick up a new one as you need to.
Experimenting
- Different types of plastic create different effects: do not be afraid to experiment.
Softening edges
- Bagging creates an angular effect. For a more understated look, gently brush the bagged surface. Use a softening or wallpaper-hanging brush.

Rag Rolling
- Rag rolling requires a more ordered technique than simple ragging, because the effect created is one-directional: it mimics falling material. It is ideal for areas such as those beneath dados and in wall panels, since it is difficult to execute uniformly over large areas.

The above techniques are easy to use. Take your time and enjoy!