Faux
finishing is done in a variety of manners: color washing, textures,
tromp l’oeil. In this article will discuss broken color techniques.
The
basic technique is the application of one or more glazes applied
over a base coat. The effects may be an imitation or replication
of a real material such as marble, tortoiseshell, leather, fabric,
stone, semiprecious stone (such as malachite or lapis lazuli)
and wood graining. These are what I would call true faux (French
for false) techniques.
Another
group of faux finishes replicate the wages of wear and time on
surfaces. They would include crackle paint finishes, aging patinas
on wood and metal, liming, antiquing, distressing of walls, cabinets
and furnishings.
A
third group is what I would refer to as “broken color techniques.”
They do not replicate any natural material or process but impart
their own characteristics to walls and furnishings. They are most
often referred to as faux finishes, but in truth they are just
unique finishes in their own right and are not meant to fool the
viewer as an imitation of a real finish.
Broken
color techniques you will probably be most familiar with are ragging
and color washes. But the range of techniques is only limited
by the artistic community’s imagination. I say this because
new techniques rarely spring from thin air but techniques are
constantly evolving and being shared through the internet, workshops
and publications. New products come out from time to time adding
to what is already a field with limitless possibilities.
As
stated earlier broken color is the application of one or more
glazes over a base color. The glaze is a nearly transparent material
with pigment suspended in it. This allows the base color to show
through. The glaze may be applied and manipulated through a variety
of techniques.
The
glaze(s) are generally applied with rollers or brushes in areas
small enough to be manipulated before the glaze begins to setup
or become tacky. Rags or sponges can be pressed into the glaze
to blend the glazes and to create a texture on the wall. The surface
may be further enhanced by the use of a badger brush which will
soften the marks left by the sponge or rag. A parchment like texture
may be achieved by the use of a large stencil brush.
Further
depth may be added with additional applications of glaze layers,
allowing each one to dry between applications. This is the same
type of depth that a fine artist working in oils on canvas can
achieve because of the building of transparent layers of color.
There is no short cut to applying the separate layers, but the
depth is amazing.
There
are subtractive techniques as well. Glaze is applied over an area
and a material such as plastic or newsprint in is pressed over
it and removed taking some of the glaze with it.
Dragging
a dry brush vertically down the wall through the wet glaze produces
a softer informal effect. It will have handmade quality in it
due to the unsteady hand. Similarly some sort of comb may be drug
through the wet glaze to leave a vertical stripping over the wall.
Allen
Monsarrat is a faux and decorative finisher who works in Knoxville,
Tn. and the surrounding area. He may be reached at (865) 363-2722.
