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Dry-brushing made simple (and beautiful)

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First of all, thanks for all of your nursery input and to everyone who made it to my ginormous yard sale.  It really made my day.

Today I have a quick transformation of a yard sale find of my own to share.  I LOVE how paint can truly transform just about anything from something dated, ugly, or boring into something fabulous.

sunburst 5

I am especially a fan of all the great textured looks you can achieve with paint.  There are so many great techniques to add depth and interest to painted projects – washes, glazes, dry-brushing, distressing, waxing, layering…

Several months ago I found the cutest little gold sunburst mirror.  It was fine as it was but to me it was just crying out for a bit of texture.  So I whipped out some Annie Sloan Chalk Paint and went to work layering on different colors.

painted sunburst mirror

There are several great things about this technique:

  • You don’t have to use chalk paint – you can really use just about anything.  I chose chalk paint because I just love the look it gives and I already had some.
  • It is easy and fast.  When you dry-brush, you don’t have to worry about covering everything or being perfect – you kind of just slap the paint on.
  • It looks seriously awesome when you are done.

drybrushing paint layers

Dry brushing made simple

  1. I don’t have a great before picture, but here you can see the cheapy gold finish it had to start.  I did tape off the mirror before I began to make clean up easier at the end.
  2. Take your base color (in this case Pure White) and dry brush it onto the frame.  Dry brushing is pretty much what it sounds like. Dip the brush slightly into the paint and then wipe most of it off against the edge of the can.  Then wipe a little more excess off on a piece of newspaper or paper towel.  Then lightly brush the remaining paint onto the surface.  The paint will be a little thicker in some areas and in others, the original color will show through – this is what you want, that is what gives it texture.
  3. Take your second color ( Providence) and basically do the same thing.  It is up to you how thickly you want to paint on this color – just play around with it.  You really can’t mess up with a project like this because you can always add more layers.
  4. Finally, take your base color again and lightly dry brush over the top of everything.  This will help the colors blend together a bit and give that awesome depth and interest.

painted sunburst mirror 2

I love how weathered and broken-in the final finish looks – beautiful! (And no one has to know how easy it was).

Are you a texture fiend like me? What is your favorite technique for getting a textured finish with paint?

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4 Comments

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How to have a hugely successful yard sale »

Comments

  1. Audrey says

    August 6, 2012 at 6:25 pm

    hi Carrie … love the star-burst mirror. Great job on the painting tutorial. So happy that you are expecting a boy … what an adventure that will be.

    So LOVING my “I’ll Fly Away” sign.

    Hugs, Audrey Z.

    Reply
  2. AngelaECS at Number Fifty-Three says

    August 8, 2012 at 9:04 am

    Thank you for sharing this tutorial. The mirror looks wonderful! I found you at Primp and I am your newest follower. I look forward to exploring your blog more.

    Have a great day!
    Angela

    Reply
  3. Donna Wilkes says

    August 8, 2012 at 10:51 pm

    Great post on dry-brushing. I use that along with several coats of paint and sand and sand and sand… You get the picture!

    Distressed Donna Down Home

    Reply
  4. [email protected] From the Heart says

    August 9, 2012 at 9:16 am

    Love how your mirror turned out and great tutorial on dry-brushing. I purchased several frames the other day with the intent of redoing them, not sure exactly what I will do with each one but I love the color combination that you did for your frame.

    Reply

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