Decorative Painting
How-To Reference Guide
Confused by comma strokes? Befuddled by floating? For help with techniques from antiquing to stroke blending, consult the step-by-step explanations and photos in our special reference guide. Browse the guide or click on one of the techniques listed here to take you right where you want to be.
Antiquing
This is a process of spreading a glaze made of thinned paint (usually a dark color such as Burnt or Raw Umber) or antiquing medium over a painting to create the appearance of age. Be sure to apply a protective varnish before antiquing so the glaze doesn't soak into the painting, allowing you to wipe off the glaze if you don't like it. |
 1 First thin the paint (the thinner the paint, the lighter the antiqued effect) using turpentine or a similar thinning medium for oils, and water or water-based glaze medium for acrylics, then brush the mixture over the painting. |
 2 Using a soft cloth, buff the antiquing color and wipe off the excess. |
 3 Leave the design area lightest and the darkest color in the corners and along edges. Repeat this process until the color is as dark as you wish. |
Back-to-Back Floats
 Dip a corner of the brush into a puddle of paint. Stroke back and forth on the palette to spread the paint through the bristles on that side of the brush.
Step 1: Apply a brush stroke with the paint-filled side of the brush along the center of the area you want to shade or highlight.
Step 2: Then flip the brush over and repeat, mirroring and overlapping the first stroke. Soften the two strokes into each other. Make sure the strokes overlap a bit. Otherwise, a ridge of paint will form between them. | |
Broad Stroke
 To create this wide, straight stroke, keep your fully-loaded brush (usually a round or flat brush) in an upright position and touch the surface with the tips of the hairs. Apply gentle pressure so the hairs flatten out. Then, stop and pull the brush straight up, leaving a clean, crisp edge. |
Chisel Stroke
 This stroke is helpful for creating thin lines, such as a leaf vein. To start, load a flat brush with paint. Holding the brush in an upright position, slide the chisel edge toward you, maintaining even pressure throughout the stroke. As you approach the end of the stroke, slow down and lift the brush straight up off the surface. Your finished stroke should be the same width throughout. |
Comma Stroke
The comma stroke can be used to create an endless number of designs, such as the petals of mums or daisies, or a strokework border. A comma stroke can be angled to the left or right. |
 1 Press down the tip of a fully-loaded brush (flat or round). Pause momentarily to allow the hairs to flare out and create a rounded head. |
 2 Begin pulling the stroke, gradually releasing pressure on the brush. The pulling motion should come from your shoulder, not your wrist or arm, to ensure a fluid stroke. |
3 Near the end of the stroke, let the hairs of the brush return to a natural point. Stop and lift the brush straight up. |
Crackling
To obtain a cracked appearance, use a store-bought crackling medium and follow the package directions. For most mediums, you'll basecoat the surface and let dry, apply crackle medium, let dry until tacky, then paint another paint color on top. As this coat of paint dries, cracks will develop and the first basecoat color will show through. (For one-step mediums, you'll basecoat the surface, let dry, and apply crackle medium. As the medium dries, fine cracks develop.) |
| There are several looks you can achieve with the crackling technique. If you like fine cracks, for instance, apply a thin layer of paint over the crackle medium. For larger, bolder cracks, use a thicker layer of paint. If you want cracks going in the same direction, brush on the final paint layer in that direction. For random cracks, apply the paint in a loose, slip-slap motion. |
| For best paint flow, use a synthetic bristle brush--rather than a foam brush--to apply the crackle medium and the final coat of paint to your project. When applying the final coat of paint, go over an area only once or you'll disturb the crackling process. |
 1 Here, the top coat was applied with a brush in a swirling motion. |
 2 In this example, the top coat of paint was brushed on in a single direction. |
 3 For this look, the top coat of paint was applied with a roller, then patted with plastic wrap while still wet. |
 4 This top coat was applied with a roller. |
C-Stroke
This stroke can be used in many ways. To paint the stroke, load your brush with thin, flowing paint. |
 1 Stand the brush on its chisel edge and draw a line. |
 2 Without lifting your brush, begin turning it inward and down (as if you were writing the letter C.) Apply pressure on the flat of the brush while dragging it so the stroke becomes wider. |
 3 Begin releasing the pressure on the flat of the brush while curving the stroke around and inward to form the bottom of the C. |
 4 Pull the brush up until only the chisel edge rests on the surface. Drag the edge inward to finish the stroke with a thin line. |
Double Loading
To double load means to carry two colors side by side on a brush. Double loading lets you apply two colors to a surface in a preblended form, cutting down on the amount of blending you have to do. |
 1 Begin by stroking one side of a brush (usually a flat brush) through a dab of paint, saturating the hairs with paint. (Always load the lighter of the two colors first.) |
 2 Stroke the brush's other side through the second color of paint, saturating the hairs with paint. |
 3 On a clean area of your palette, stroke the brush back and forth using very short strokes to force the paint through the hairs of the brush. |
 4 Turn the brush over and stroke it again with the same short stroke until the color is blended to a smooth transition across the brush. |
| A successfully double-loaded brush will have a gradual blend of two colors with one color one one side of the brush, one color on the opposite side, and a blend of the two colors in the middle. |
Dry Brushing
This is a method for highlighting or shading a painting using a scant amount of unthinned paint in the brush. Because this technique is hard on brushes, it's best to use an old, worn-out flat brush. |
| 1 Stroke your brush through a dab of paint to fully load it, then pat the brush on a paper towel to remove most of the paint. |
| 2 Touch the brush lightly to your painting, working it back and forth in a loose slip-slap motion to create shading or highlighting. There should be no visible start or stop lines. |
Floating
This technique is used to create a subtle transition from soft color to no color on an area. To begin, dip a flat brush in water, extender or painting medium (for oils, use Turpenoid) and blot the excess on a paper towel. |
| 1 Dip a corner of the brush into a puddle of paint and stroke it back and forth on your palette, spreading the paint through half the hairs of the brush. |
| 2 Place the paint-filled side of the brush where you want the darkest color. Using a smooth, gliding stroke, apply the color. The paint should glide onto the surface smoothly, blending evenly from dark to light with each stroke. |
Flyspecking
This technique produces random drops of paint that work well as falling snow or just a decorative speckled finish. |
 Dip an old toothbrush or a spattering tool into thinned paint. With the loaded brush positioned above the surface, pull your thumb or a palette knife across the bristles to spatter the paint onto the surface. Experiment with the pressure you apply on the bristles to create large and small speckles. |
Linework
Linework can be everything from scrolls and cross-hatched lines to decorative lettering and simple outlines. |
 1 Thin your paint to an ink-like consistency. Load your liner brush, saturating every hair of the brush with paint. |
 2 Holding the brush in an upright position, apply light
pressure, letting the paint flow off the tip. |
Masking
This technique is used to cover an area (or areas) of a painting surface to prevent paint from touching it. A mask of contact paper or frisket (a masking fluid often used with watercolors or acrylic washes) can be used, for instance, to keep an oval or circular shape unpainted when basecoating the rest of the surface. |
 1 To mask an area with contact paper, cut a piece into the shape you want to remain unpainted. Peel off the backing and stick the paper on the surface, pressing the edges firmly so that paint can't seep underneath. To use liquid frisket, shown here, apply it using a paintbrush to areas you want to remain unpainted and let it dry. (Wash the brush right after applying frisket.) |
 2 Apply the paint. |
 3 Carefully peel off the contact paper mask, using a craft knife to lift the edge. Use an eraser to gently remove the frisket. |
Mopping
This technique is used blend and soften wet colors (particularly oils). A mop brush can also be used to clean up ridges of paint that may form around the outline of an object. |
| When mopping, choose a mop brush that fits the size of the area to be covered, and gently dust the mop brush over the paint from the edge to the center of the object. The tips of the hairs should barely touch the surface. Wipe excess paint off the brush with a paper towel, and mop again as needed. |
Painting A Wash
A wash is an application of paint that has been thinned with water or painting medium to make it transparent. In general, a wash is applied over a basecoat to add color and give depth, while still allowing the basecoat color to show through. |
 1 Thin your paint until it's a watery, transparent consistency (thinner than ink). |
 2 To shade an object, apply the paint over an existing base color. The thin wash will glide on easily over the surface and deepen the basecoat. |
 3 A wash can also be applied over an area which hasn't been basecoated to establish its shape. Shading and highlighting can then be added on top of it. |
Pat Blending
This technique allows you to blend one area of paint into another to create a gradation of tones. |
| 1 Once you've placed the two colors to be blended, place the flat side of your flat brush on the darker side of the two areas. |
| 2 Using short strokes, pull the flat surface of the brush into the lighter area of color to create streaks of color. |
| 3 Continue to form streaks of color until a middle value begins to emerge where the two colors blend together. |
Scumbling
To create texture, apply two or more colors to the painting surface. While still wet, use a filbert brush to blend with a slip-slap technique. Don't overwork the area; the individual colors should still be visible. |
Side-Loading
To side-load means to carry paint on one side of your brush (usually a flat brush) and water (the most common acrylic medium) or a solvent such as turpentine (for oils) on the other. It's a fast and effective way to add shading and highlighting to your painting subject. |
 1 Dip your brush in water or floating medium (for acrylics), then blot the excess on a paper towel. Stroke one side of the brush through your paint so that half becomes saturated with paint. |
 2 On a clean area of your palette, gently stroke the brush back and forth to force the paint and water to blend together. When stroked on your surface, a successfully sideloaded brush will produce a graduated tone--dark on one side blending to no color on the other side. |
Stippling
This texturizing technique is generally used to create fur and foilage. |
 1 To stipple, load an old, worn-out brush with a dark- or middle-value, basecoat color, dabbing it on the palette to remove excess paint. Holding the brush in an upright position, "pounce" the color (tap it with an up-and-down motion) onto the surface. |
 2 To create depth, stipple on a slightly lighter-value color next. Don't overdo this step; you'll want to make sure the darker value can still be seen. Depending on what you're stippling, you may want to stipple a small central area with an even lighter value next. |
S-Stroke
This stroke can--like the comma--be angled to the left or to the right. Among other uses, a border of S-strokes makes an attractive decorative trim on projects. The following instructions explain how to paint an S-stroke angled to the left. Simply reverse the instructions for one that angles to the right. |
| 1 Fully load a flat brush with paint thinned to a flowing consistency. Angle the tip of your brush toward the upper left corner of your surface, keeping the handle straight while you paint a thin, downward line from 11:00 to 4:00. |
| 2 Gently change direction to form the middle section of the S and drag your brush down toward 7:00 while gradually increasing your pressure on it so the hairs fan out. As you reach the center of the stroke, gradually release your pressure on the brush while continuing to pull. |
| 3 Now begin in gently lean the brush slightly toward 5:00 as you slowly lift the brush back to the tip. Continue to drag the tip toward the right and lift it off the surface to complete the stroke. |
Stroke Blending
Stroke blending enables you to softly blend a number of colors together. To paint a red apple, for example, you'd place light values (white and yellow) in the center of the apple, surrounded by various shades of red. You'd then use the stroke-blending technique to blend these colors together. |
 1 Once the colors to be blended have been placed, start at the top of the area with the chisel edge of the brush touching the wet painting surface. Lightly pull your brush down, blending the colors as you move the brush. |
 2 Continue these strokes, following the object's natural shape. Keep your strokes light so you don't wipe paint off the surface. Wipe your brush on a paper towel every few strokes. |
 3 Additional color may be added as you stroke blend. Simply pick up color on your brush and lay it over the areas you've already blended, following the same stroke direction as before. After you've stroked from the top of the object down, turn the painting and stroke in the other direction. |
Using a Drier
Add cobalt siccative, a drying agent, to each patty of oil paint on your palette in fractions of a drop. If the paint isn't workable for at least eight hours, you're using too much.
Dip a palette knife into the drier, and bleed off the excess on the side of the bottle. Touch the knife tip next to each patty of paint. If too much comes off of the knife, don't mix the entire amount into the paint. Use a clean palette knife to mix a "freckle" of the drier into the paint. The drying time will be six hours to overnight, depending on the particular pigment and relative humidity. |
Walking a Float
To extend the width of a side-loaded stroke, walk back into it from the transparent side toward the color. The color will blend into the brush as you go. Then reverse direction again and walk the brush back outward. The result will look like one, wide stroke with a smooth transition from no color on one side to full color on the other. |
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