Sunday, July 6, 2008

The Blues




Here is one of a set of two chairs; both with be painted and upholstered the same. I love the fabric pattern--I was looking for something mod, fun, and bold; the poor thing needed some love & perky-ness. This set will be available through Majestical Roof artists' boutique in Old Town Pasadena. I'm so excited that they want to display multiple pieces I've created. Now I really have to get crackin'!
The fabric I used was purchased online thru jcaroline creative Paint is Dutch Boy Clarity, which is a more eco-friendly latex paint (yay!).
Let me know what you think!

10 comments:

  1. I saw your chair on Design Sponge today and just wanted to say great job! I love how you continued the fabric print onto the chair back. It looks fantastic!

    I blog The Daily DIY which is a daily list of all the DIY projects from around the blogosphere. I've linked to this project in todays 5pm issue. If you ever have any more DIY projects and would like to have them included, just let me know!
    Best, Rachel

    ReplyDelete
  2. Well I personally love it! I love how you mimicked the pattern of the fabric with the white paint. I'm sure I could figure out the hard way to do it, but there must be an easier way. Did you have a stencil made or something? Just curious. It's beautiful and I love the colors.
    ~Tiffany

    ReplyDelete
  3. lovely! Very happy indeed.

    I'd like to ask about how you transfer your design to the furniture and then paint it. I'd like to customize a window seat and our bathroom walls. Would you consider brief tips/instructions/tutorial? I'm guessing I can make my own stencil on paper held down with temporary adhesive, but I haven't tried it. And I'm not sure how to get a good solid fill on the shapes. I enjoy silkscreening (with paper stencils) but on a 3D object... no clue. help?

    ReplyDelete
  4. Thanks so much for the great comments! I appreciate it! I'd be happy to tell you how I did the painted part: I could have used a stencil (probably actually easier for most), but was too impatient to cut one, and I'm always concerned about the paint seeping underneath and then the need for tedious touch-ups. I simply scanned a portion of the cloth, printed it, rubbed transfer chalk onto the back of the printout, then traced the pattern onto the chair (after securing in place, of course). So it's kind of old-school carbon copy method, but it works, and is easily removable/washable, if you mess up your lines). Luckily, I have a pretty steady hand, so it worked well enough without a stencil.
    The design is white paint and the base color blue lightened with white. (The color is "Building Block Blue" from Dutch Boy Clarity.) I reupholstered using new eco-batting (organic and made from bamboo, but actually really soft and cushy), and an eager staple gun. : )
    I'd be happy to answer more specific questions, if you have them. So glad you've enjoyed this--I appreciate you comments, very, very much!

    Smiles,
    Leona

    ReplyDelete
  5. that is really helpful, thanks Leona!

    I'm not sure I have such a steady hand, though! I guess on 3D items, doing it by hand is really necessary. I want to do some on the wall, too ... should be interesting. :) I also saw some great screenprinted cabinet doors on d*s. I'd love to do that to our boring ol' white cheap kitchen doors.

    I hadn't heard of that batting -- good to know.

    I've been checking out jcarolinecreative's fabrics. BTW, does your fabric have black in it, or is that a dark brown?

    Last question for now - any particular kind or size of brush that you use for outlining and filling? I can't imagine getting it all smooth and even inside the lines, even if I could draw a good strong outline. And I think you said you used a good eco latex paint for both paint and chair...

    anyway, looking forward to seeing more of your stuff. :)

    ReplyDelete
  6. Hi, Daphne--
    The colors on the fabric that I used are black, white (duh), light blue (duh again), a med/dark lime green (almost an avocado color), a light key lime green, and a dark-aqua-almost-teal color. I chose to paint the chair frame blue, because black or white seemed almost too easy & predictable; avocado would be too 70's carpet-looking...the blue just seemed to make it the happiest. : )

    I think I know what cabinets you're talking about on d*s--I loved those, too!

    I used just a very fine-haired artist's brush (coarser hairs leave texture/indent lines). the white detail is just a crafters paint, but I did have to do a couple layers of it to make it opaque and smooth.

    And I just tried an experiment ( you got me thinking--ow!: ) ). Instead of taping paper down, you could try this: I had some contact shelf paper that I cut a sample shape out of , then painted over it (just like you would a stencil). The shelf paper is thinner, adhesive-but-easily removable, and depending on the 3D shape, should be relatively easy to place around curves and corners. You would still have to be careful of paint seeping under the paper's edges;however, you should be able to take an X-acto knife and scrape the tiny bit of seepage away. Tedious, but I can't think of anything more precise (that I already know how to do, that is). If you have any contact paper, go ahead and make a couple sample stencils and practice to see if you can get the results you want. (That's what I just did before I sat down to write this). : )

    Have fun, and if you don't mind, please send me a photo of whatever project you end up doing--I'd love to see finished project!

    ReplyDelete
  7. Wow, what an amazing job! I love before & after projects and your looks fantastic. Well done!! :)

    ReplyDelete
  8. Thank you Leona!! I'll try the stencil method after our camping trip.

    Your fabric strikes me because it would match our bathroom well. It's an old one with black and white tiles. It was suggested that we paint it pale grey but we decided to go with the retro look it already had and painted it a bright blue. This fabric (used in the window curtain) could pull together the blue and the black and white. Do you remember what it was called? (sorry to keep asking you these questions!!) I didn't see it on the jcc site. I'm also thinking of screenprinting some fabric myself because the room is so small and busy already... most fabrics would overpower it I think.

    I'll get some better quality brushes, too. Thanks again!

    Daphne

    ReplyDelete
  9. Sure, Daphne! And no, I don't ind the questions at all.

    The fabric is called "Spa Feeling Groovy" (they have a purple version as well as the blue).

    Good Luck! Enjoy your camping trip and your diy remodel--would love to see a photo when you're done!

    Best Wishes,
    Leona

    ReplyDelete
  10. Daphne--
    Don't know why I didn't do this in the first place, but here's a direct link to the fabric at Jcarolinecreative.

    http://www.jcarolinecreative.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?

    Best,
    Leona

    ReplyDelete

Sunday, July 6, 2008

The Blues




Here is one of a set of two chairs; both with be painted and upholstered the same. I love the fabric pattern--I was looking for something mod, fun, and bold; the poor thing needed some love & perky-ness. This set will be available through Majestical Roof artists' boutique in Old Town Pasadena. I'm so excited that they want to display multiple pieces I've created. Now I really have to get crackin'!
The fabric I used was purchased online thru jcaroline creative Paint is Dutch Boy Clarity, which is a more eco-friendly latex paint (yay!).
Let me know what you think!

10 comments:

  1. I saw your chair on Design Sponge today and just wanted to say great job! I love how you continued the fabric print onto the chair back. It looks fantastic!

    I blog The Daily DIY which is a daily list of all the DIY projects from around the blogosphere. I've linked to this project in todays 5pm issue. If you ever have any more DIY projects and would like to have them included, just let me know!
    Best, Rachel

    ReplyDelete
  2. Well I personally love it! I love how you mimicked the pattern of the fabric with the white paint. I'm sure I could figure out the hard way to do it, but there must be an easier way. Did you have a stencil made or something? Just curious. It's beautiful and I love the colors.
    ~Tiffany

    ReplyDelete
  3. lovely! Very happy indeed.

    I'd like to ask about how you transfer your design to the furniture and then paint it. I'd like to customize a window seat and our bathroom walls. Would you consider brief tips/instructions/tutorial? I'm guessing I can make my own stencil on paper held down with temporary adhesive, but I haven't tried it. And I'm not sure how to get a good solid fill on the shapes. I enjoy silkscreening (with paper stencils) but on a 3D object... no clue. help?

    ReplyDelete
  4. Thanks so much for the great comments! I appreciate it! I'd be happy to tell you how I did the painted part: I could have used a stencil (probably actually easier for most), but was too impatient to cut one, and I'm always concerned about the paint seeping underneath and then the need for tedious touch-ups. I simply scanned a portion of the cloth, printed it, rubbed transfer chalk onto the back of the printout, then traced the pattern onto the chair (after securing in place, of course). So it's kind of old-school carbon copy method, but it works, and is easily removable/washable, if you mess up your lines). Luckily, I have a pretty steady hand, so it worked well enough without a stencil.
    The design is white paint and the base color blue lightened with white. (The color is "Building Block Blue" from Dutch Boy Clarity.) I reupholstered using new eco-batting (organic and made from bamboo, but actually really soft and cushy), and an eager staple gun. : )
    I'd be happy to answer more specific questions, if you have them. So glad you've enjoyed this--I appreciate you comments, very, very much!

    Smiles,
    Leona

    ReplyDelete
  5. that is really helpful, thanks Leona!

    I'm not sure I have such a steady hand, though! I guess on 3D items, doing it by hand is really necessary. I want to do some on the wall, too ... should be interesting. :) I also saw some great screenprinted cabinet doors on d*s. I'd love to do that to our boring ol' white cheap kitchen doors.

    I hadn't heard of that batting -- good to know.

    I've been checking out jcarolinecreative's fabrics. BTW, does your fabric have black in it, or is that a dark brown?

    Last question for now - any particular kind or size of brush that you use for outlining and filling? I can't imagine getting it all smooth and even inside the lines, even if I could draw a good strong outline. And I think you said you used a good eco latex paint for both paint and chair...

    anyway, looking forward to seeing more of your stuff. :)

    ReplyDelete
  6. Hi, Daphne--
    The colors on the fabric that I used are black, white (duh), light blue (duh again), a med/dark lime green (almost an avocado color), a light key lime green, and a dark-aqua-almost-teal color. I chose to paint the chair frame blue, because black or white seemed almost too easy & predictable; avocado would be too 70's carpet-looking...the blue just seemed to make it the happiest. : )

    I think I know what cabinets you're talking about on d*s--I loved those, too!

    I used just a very fine-haired artist's brush (coarser hairs leave texture/indent lines). the white detail is just a crafters paint, but I did have to do a couple layers of it to make it opaque and smooth.

    And I just tried an experiment ( you got me thinking--ow!: ) ). Instead of taping paper down, you could try this: I had some contact shelf paper that I cut a sample shape out of , then painted over it (just like you would a stencil). The shelf paper is thinner, adhesive-but-easily removable, and depending on the 3D shape, should be relatively easy to place around curves and corners. You would still have to be careful of paint seeping under the paper's edges;however, you should be able to take an X-acto knife and scrape the tiny bit of seepage away. Tedious, but I can't think of anything more precise (that I already know how to do, that is). If you have any contact paper, go ahead and make a couple sample stencils and practice to see if you can get the results you want. (That's what I just did before I sat down to write this). : )

    Have fun, and if you don't mind, please send me a photo of whatever project you end up doing--I'd love to see finished project!

    ReplyDelete
  7. Wow, what an amazing job! I love before & after projects and your looks fantastic. Well done!! :)

    ReplyDelete
  8. Thank you Leona!! I'll try the stencil method after our camping trip.

    Your fabric strikes me because it would match our bathroom well. It's an old one with black and white tiles. It was suggested that we paint it pale grey but we decided to go with the retro look it already had and painted it a bright blue. This fabric (used in the window curtain) could pull together the blue and the black and white. Do you remember what it was called? (sorry to keep asking you these questions!!) I didn't see it on the jcc site. I'm also thinking of screenprinting some fabric myself because the room is so small and busy already... most fabrics would overpower it I think.

    I'll get some better quality brushes, too. Thanks again!

    Daphne

    ReplyDelete
  9. Sure, Daphne! And no, I don't ind the questions at all.

    The fabric is called "Spa Feeling Groovy" (they have a purple version as well as the blue).

    Good Luck! Enjoy your camping trip and your diy remodel--would love to see a photo when you're done!

    Best Wishes,
    Leona

    ReplyDelete
  10. Daphne--
    Don't know why I didn't do this in the first place, but here's a direct link to the fabric at Jcarolinecreative.

    http://www.jcarolinecreative.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?

    Best,
    Leona

    ReplyDelete