Bringing Furniture to Life - With Art!
So it’s fair to say I have definitely discovered my love for painting and being creative, hence The Imperfect Parlour, but I have to be honest and say I was never good at art or painting at school. It is something that has crept up upon me in later life!!
I have always been in complete awe of the people that can really paint, put brush to canvas and create beautiful unique artwork. So I asked myself the question; Does beautiful art need to be limited to canvas and displayed on the wall.....the answer; absolutely not!!!
Feeling quite passionate about this subject it has seen me come out of my comfort zone somewhat and have a go at blogging on the topic - in an attempt to highlight the true talent and vision that goes into creating such masterpieces. And what better way to do it than on a project for my twins bedroom!!
Allow our talented in-house artist, Suzana Alexander, to take us through her step by step creation of what starts as an old plain chest but transpires into “Marvin the Octopus Treasure Chest”! Let’s follow his journey.....
The Process
Taking a damaged second hand purchase with lots of potential (with the intent of repairing the broken handles at some point) we apply a custom mixed blue of our trusty Annie Sloan paint, to give the chest its base colour, with the idea of representing the ocean.......
Before
After 2 Coats of Blue Chalk Paint
It is then passed over to the lady who will make the magic happen and I have to say I am extremely excited about this, never mind the kids!
Suzana checks the surface to ensure that the paint will adhere to the surface, usually no primer required with chalk paint she says!! Using a pencil she lightly sketches the outline of the octopus. (Even after years of painting apparently this helps to ensure the look of how it will be and then allows for changes to be made before the actual painting starts!)
Marvin literally taking shape!
Choosing to use acrylic paint due to the fact that it dries quickly, Suzana begins to bring Marvin to life.....
After the initial coat has been applied, Suzana will go over him again another 2 times adding his details and blending where required.
As Marvin begins to take shape, Suzana is enjoying working on him so much that she cannot put down her brush. She continues to work on Marvin for 2 full consecutive days. 24 hours is required before Marvin is later waxed to seal his finish back at The Parlour where he will at least stand a chance of some protection against sticky little hands!!!
Et voila!!! What a beauty!!!! Marvin is truly fantastic and we feel sure that the treasure will be well protected in the ocean!
In Suzana's words “hand painted artwork is truly unique, people will take a lot of joy from looking at it and what makes it really beautiful are the imperfections and the love that person has put into the piece”
As for my kids, well they absolutely love Marvin! He makes a stunning feature in their bedroom and he is helping to keep their toys tidy - well for now......
For inspirational ideas on fabulous furniture art check out our pinterest page via our website or click this link https://www.pinterest.com/imperfparlour