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The projects are accessible for those with ordinary artistic capabilities, with some ambitious treatments to inspire the novice, and challenge the experienced. Paint is durable, washable, practical. It's quick and easy to use. By following the guidelines in this book, it can become the means to achieve a perfect look.
You supply the motivation. Country Living Country Paint: Traditional Decorative Paint Techniques by Eleanor Levie and Rhoda Murphy will supply the inspiration. The book walks you through choosing colors and then gives ideas for what to do with them.
Paint techniques covered include color washing, aging walls, sponging, ragging, striping, stenciling and even doing murals. But you might skip all this and read the last chapter first-preparing to paint.
There are many versions of ragging--in the first, which is similar to sponging, the paint is pounced onto the wall with a balled-up rag. In the second, wet paint brushed onto the wall, then blotted off with a wadded rag. Then there is rag-rolling, where a twisted rag is used either to roll paint onto the wall, or to roll wet paint off. In each of these variations the effect is obvious, and so ragging always looks its best if the basecoat and topcoat are tonally similar.
When you are selecting a rag to apply or remove the paint, it's wise to experiment on pieces of basecoated cardboard until you find a texture that will give you the effect you are looking for. Try old sheets, cotton T-shirts, chamois cloths, etc. But don't confine yourself solely to textiles: try paper bags, paper towels, or plastic wrap. The possibilities are almost endless. Obviously, you should use the same type of material for a whole project, otherwise your ragged walls won't have a consistent appearance. One word of warning: rags soaked in oil-based paints are a fire hazard, so don't throw them out until they are thoroughly dry.
Copyright 1998 by The Hearst Corporation
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