PAINT This! -- Upcycle Ugly Sculptures With Paint

While shopping for home decor, you might find sculptures that you are attracted to, but the color is all wrong. When I'm searching for home decor items, I ignore the color of the item and purchase based solely on the design. I don't buy anything I don't love, and I don't care what color the art is because I know I can paint it whatever color I want. You can too!

These are the products I used for this project. All products are available at Hobby Lobby or Michaels.

Gesso is key! I always start with a base coat of Gesso. It is PURE BLACK, and completely opaque. It dries to a matte finish. The best black paint you will ever use. It also cleans up with water.

Precious Metals Premium Leafing Finish has a thin watery consistency, and it is semi-transparent. Two coats will become opaque.

Liquid Leaf is literally like painting with liquid metal. Reminds me of the Terminator guy who was made out of liquid metal from the movie Terminator 2. It dries quickly and you must use a paint thinner to clean your brush. (I use a cheap china brush from Home Depot and throw it away so I don't have to bother with cleaning the brush.)

FolkArt Metallic Paint is super easy to work with. Semi-transparent, can be used as a wash if you dilute with water. You can clean your brush with warm water. I used the color called "Titanium."

Rub'nBuff is one of my favorite metallic rubs. A tiny dab will go a long way. I use my finger to rub in metallic highlights, or add shading. The more you rub, the more it shines!

STEP 1: Paint one coat of Black Gesso.

STEP 2: Squeeze a dot of Silver Rub'nBuff onto a paper plate. Swirl your fingertip in the paint and rub with your finger where you want to add silver highlights. (use sparingly!) I brought out the details by highlighting the eyebrows, eyelids, nose, lips and chin. Without this step, your black sculpture would lack dimension.

STEP 3: Continue rubbing Silver Rub'nBuff into the hair using a very light touch.

STEP 4: Using a "throw away" China paint brush from Home Depot, paint the top with the Liquid Leaf.

  

Voila!

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Sculpture Number 2

STEP 1: Paint base coat with Black Gesso.

STEP 2: Paint one coat of silver leaf to face and don't forget the ears and neck.

STEP 3: Apply Rub'nBuff with your fingers to accent the hair.

STEP 4: Use a brush to paint the face with FolkArt metallic paint in "Titanium." I thinned the paint with a little water so it behaved like a wash over the silver paint. The color looks similar to pewter.

Voila!

You can apply this technique to any object.
Experiment with paint and have fun!