The Handmade Fair ~ Upcycling with Chalk Paint workshop....

In my last post I mentioned I attended an Annie Sloan Upcycling workshop at the Handmade Fair. I'm giving it it's own post as I learnt some great tips that I wished I knew about when I first used Annie Sloane's Chalk Paint.

Annie Sloan

Chalk Paint adheres to almost any surface and doesn't require priming or sanding. Annie Sloane is an artist and developed it 20 years ago when she had young children and didn't want to have to wait for things to dry and was frustrated with the lack of paint options available at the time.  It is called Chalk Paint because of its velvety, matte finish.

We were given a large candle stick to paint with Napoleonic Blue Chalk Paint.

It is a different approach to normal paint. I like paint strokes in the same direction and when using chalk paint for the first time I didn't realise the technique is to move the paint brush in all directions. So when I was slap dash in the workshop it was much easier....

One coat painted

When I first used the paint I kept getting air bubbles, to stop this I need to have shorter, slow strokes and not be aggressive or slap the paint on.  So when applying chalk paint you need to relax, be liberal and lavish with the paint and not be a perfectionist!

Chalk Paint is thick so you shouldn't need more than one coat and you can also create texture.  If you prefer a smooth finish just add water and apply in the same direction as the grain.

We needed a little longer for the paint to dry but we were running out of time so when I applied the wax where the paint was wet it did rub away, so make sure the paint is dry before waxing. 

When waxing use a cotton rag, work small areas at a time and don't apply too thickly. The wax becomes touch dry very quickly but the 'curing' process takes 5-21 days depending on the ambient temperature. 

To give a distressed look, we removed a little of the paint using sandpaper after waxing.

The finished piece!

I was really happy with the finished candlestick, I just need to find a place for it at home.  I was even happier that I managed not to get blue paint on my white top, phew! 

There are more ways to use Chalk Paint, you can apply two coats in different colours for a two colour distressed look. You can also mix paint to create a new colour so there are endless shades available. This paint does give you a lot of creative freedom.

Annie Sloan only supplies and supports independent stores, which I think is great.  Most of these stores run workshops to learn all the different techniques you can do with this paint. This workshop at the Handmade Fair only touched the surface!

Have you used chalk paint? I'd love to hear about the projects you have used it for.

fizzi~jayne x

Psst.... Tomorrow is the last day to enter my giveaway! To enter click here