Color Stories

Did you know that Annie Sloan's colors all have a "back story"? Having just returned from our Annual Chalk Paint® Stockist Conference, I was reminded of these stories by Annie - here are some favorites...

AUBUSSON BLUE

This elegant shade of blue is named after the small town of Aubusson in central France, famous for its tapestry making. The color is designed after the distinctive grey blue traditionally used to make the tapestries, and found in classic 18th and 19th century Aubusson rugs, as well as Scandinavian painted furniture. It is an elegant color that works well with many colors as it is a dark neutral but in particular it works with Paris Grey.

GRAPHITE

Graphite, while almost black, is not a simple, hard color but instead a mellow, sophisticated color. It is a soft black made with purplish blues and brown. When waxed with dark soft wax it becomes a beautiful black similar to dark slate. 

Adding Old White makes a sophisticated grey or an elegant charcoal.

VERSAILLES

This soft, delicate, lightly yellowed dusky green from the 18th century is sophisticated and gentle, yet fits well with modern pieces. This color picks up other colors quite well and changes character accordingly. When paired with Louis Blue, lightened Henrietta, Cream, and Old White it goes back to the French Court of Versailles, but with Provence, Duck Egg Blue, and Coco this color becomes sassy and modern.

ARLES

The inspiration is the rich glowing yellow is the color associated with the town of Arles in the South of France. It is a rich yellow ochre with a hint of orange and with Old White added the color is warm and gentle. A very sophisticated yellow.

COUNTRY GREY

Made from combining white and greenish raw umber, the result is a cool, putty color. It is generally seen as a more rustic color, which makes it perfect for a country look, rather than the more sophisticated Chateau Grey. This color is terrific on its own; however, it can also be mixed into another color to make it paler. It 's terrific on its own or for distressing as a top coat with Cream or Scandinavian Pink underneath. 

Want to learn more about Chalk Paint®? Then join me at our next Chalk Paint® Workshop - Beyond The Basics, Tuesday, June 3 at our Richmond shop. For more information and to register:

REGISTER HERE

or you can stop by either shop to register.

Happy Painting!   Rachel

Chalk Paint® and supplies are available at my two shops:

4323 Irvington Rd., Irvington, VA and 

19 S. Belmont Ave. (in the heart of Carytown), Richmond, VA

Directions to either shop

To see more tips, tutorials, photos: Paintbrush and Pearls

Want to see more? Find Rachel on:

SHOP ONLINE  |  FACEBOOK  |  PINTEREST  |  BLOG  | TWITTER

Creating Shades and Tints of a Color

We all love Annie's colors right out the can, right? But what if you want this color just a tad darker or lighter?

Here's how to easily do that. 

To make a color a shade or so darker, just add Chalk Paint® in Graphite to the color. In the example below, I've mixed 1 part Aubusson with 1 part Graphite, but you can add in any proportion.

Aubusson Blue

Graphite

equals Shade of Aubusson Blue

To make a color a shade lighter or a tint of the color, I've added Chalk Paint® in Pure White to Aubusson Blue. Again, I've used 1 part of each, but you can use any combination.

Aubusson Blue

Pure White

equals Tint of Aubusson Blue

Try this with your favorite Chalk Paint® color.

Want to learn more about Chalk Paint®? Then join me at our next Chalk Paint® Workshop, Tuesday, May 6 at our Richmond shop. For more information and to register:

REGISTER HERE

or you can stop by either shop to register.

Happy Painting!   Rachel

Chalk Paint® and supplies are available at my two shops:

4323 Irvington Rd., Irvington, VA and 

19 S. Belmont Ave. (in the heart of Carytown), Richmond, VA

Directions to either shop

To see more tips, tutorials, photos: Paintbrush and Pearls

Want to see more? Find Rachel on:

SHOP ONLINE  |  FACEBOOK  |  PINTEREST  |  BLOG  | TWITTER

Next

CHALK PAINT® WORKSHOP

"The Basics"

Join me for our next Chalk Paint® Workshop on Tuesday, May 6 in our Richmond Shop.

You will learn four basic techniques for painting plus how to use Annie's clear and dark soft waxes. This Workshop is not just for beginners - if you've been painting and have questions, this is for you too!

All supplies are included - just come ready to learn and have fun!

REGISTER HERE

Happy Painting!   Rachel

Chalk Paint® and supplies are available at my two shops:

4323 Irvington Rd., Irvington, VA and 

19 S. Belmont Ave. (in the heart of Carytown), Richmond, VA

Directions to either shop

To see more tips, tutorials, photos: Paintbrush and Pearls

Want to see more? Find Rachel on:

SHOP ONLINE  |  FACEBOOK  |  PINTEREST  |  BLOG  | TWITTER

Glad You Liked It!

I've been teaching a Chalk Paint® Workshop for a few years now and am always grateful for the feedback I get. So, today, I thought I would share an email and photos from a "graduate".

"Hi Rachel, 

I attended your workshop a few weeks ago. I was so pleased with the class and your simple instructions, I am going to chalk paint all of my oak and pine furniture.

 I did my antique BOW triple dresser using OLD WHITE and light distressing w/soft wax. I re-did the brass knobs with oil rubbed bronze spray paint. It’s a complete transformation!! I LOVE IT!! 

I wish I had distressed a little more and maybe used the dark wax on the details. But my first project went well, I did it inside my living room, no fumes, no mess! It was GREAT!

Thank you so much! Hope to attend an advance class in the future."

I think she did a great job on this piece, what do you think?

I noticed she painted the piece right in the room as we discussed in class. And, she can add more clear wax and then dark wax if she wants to at any time.

If you haven't taken any of my Workshops, I offer a Basics and will be adding a new Workshop - Beyond The Basics.

Watch for my NEW Chalk Paint® Workshop - Beyond The Basics - coming in June!

Spring Workshop Schedule
Tuesday, May 6 - The Basics
Tuesday, June 3 - Beyond The Basics

Learn more about the Workshops

Happy Painting!   Rachel

Chalk Paint® and supplies are available at my two shops:

4323 Irvington Rd., Irvington, VA and 

19 S. Belmont Ave. (in the heart of Carytown), Richmond, VA

Directions to either shop

To see more tips, tutorials, photos: Paintbrush and Pearls

Want to see more? Find Rachel on:

SHOP ONLINE  |  FACEBOOK  |  PINTEREST  |  BLOG  | TWITTER

Wet Distress with Chalk Paint®

Wet Distressing is one of those techniques that I like to use when I am painting a vintage picture frame or furniture with carvings and details. Rather than distressing with sand paper and risk destroying the ornate carvings, using the wet distressing technique helps to preserve those features.

I'll show you how to turn this mirror into the one above.

1) First, paint your piece with Chalk Paint® - just one coat will usually do since we will be removing some. (If you are distressing from a second color, first paint the base color and let thoroughly dry before this step.) I am using French Linen and just one coat since I am going to distress down to the original gold frame. 

2) Let the paint almost dry - you want the paint to be dry but not hardened. It should feel dry to the touch, but just so.

3) Using either a damp cloth or baby wipes (surprise!) gently wipe off the paint from the areas you want to show the underneath, such as the edges and raised areas. I like to use baby wipes because they have just the right amount of moisture. If you have let the paint dry too much and are finding it hard to wipe off, then gently sand using a high (600 grit) sand paper to distress. (This is the same buffing sponge that I use to buff.) Be careful not to sand down the carvings.

4) Wax with Soft Clear Wax or as I am doing Soft Dark Wax over the Clear Wax to give it an aged look. This is where the Ultimate Waxing Brush really shines making it easy to wax into those crevices. You can even use Aging Dust if you prefer that look.

Wet distressing works really well on old gold frames where you want the original gold to peak through as I am doing on this frame. Best of all, you didn't even need to sand.

Note: if you want more of the gold or underlying color to show through, another option is to use a Dry Brush Technique, but more about that later!

Happy Painting!   Rachel

Chalk Paint® and supplies are available at my two shops:

4323 Irvington Rd., Irvington, VA and 

19 S. Belmont Ave. (in the heart of Carytown), Richmond, VA

Directions to either shop

To see more tips, tutorials, photos: Paintbrush and Pearls

Want to see more? Find Rachel on:

SHOP ONLINE  |  FACEBOOK  |  PINTEREST  |  BLOG  | TWITTER

Learning a new Chalk Paint® Technique - Frottage

One of the things that I really like about using Chalk Paint® are the dozens of different ways the paint can be used. Although I tend to use the "basic" techniques most often, I am always eager to learn a new one! So, when Annie (in her latest blog), spoke about "Frottage", I was intrigued. 

What is Frottage? It is a textured look frequently found in Swedish homes, caused partly by how the paint peels away from the surface over time. This technique can be used on furniture and walls as well (think I would really like this effect on a wall).

Annie reveals how to achieve this look in her latest blog HERE. There is also a great step-by-step in Annie's book, Color Recipes which we have at both shops and our ONLINE SHOP.

I can't wait to try this myself - I'll let you know how it turns out!

Happy Painting!   Rachel

Chalk Paint® and supplies are available at my two shops:

4323 Irvington Rd., Irvington, VA and 

19 S. Belmont Ave. (in the heart of Carytown), Richmond, VA

Directions to either shop

To see more tips, tutorials, photos: Paintbrush and Pearls

Want to see more? Find Rachel on:

SHOP ONLINE  |  FACEBOOK  |  PINTEREST  |  BLOG  | TWITTER

Workshop Tuesday, April 1

Join us for the next Chalk Paint® Workshop Tuesday, April 1 in our Richmond shop. You will learn four basic techniques for painting with Chalk Paint® plus how to use Annie's Soft Clear and Dark Waxes. Plus, I will also demonstrate a few other techniques! 

To register for the workshop, stop by either shop or click below

Happy Painting!   Rachel

Chalk Paint® and supplies are available at my two shops:

4323 Irvington Rd., Irvington, VA and 

19 S. Belmont Ave. (in the heart of Carytown), Richmond, VA

Directions to either shop

To see more tips, tutorials, photos: Paintbrush and Pearls

Want to see more? Find Rachel on:

SHOP ONLINE  |  FACEBOOK  |  PINTEREST  |  BLOG  | TWITTER