Faux Painting Finishes 3

Antiquing	Color Washing	Crackle	Frottage	Gold Leaf
Metal Patinas	Plaster	Sponging	Stenciling	Venetian Plaster

The frottage faux painting technique is accomplished with the use of paint (oil or water based), glaze, and sheets of paper or plastic. The base coat is painted and left to dry. A second glaze coat of a different color is applied liberally, a sheet of paper or plastic is placed over the surface and rubbed smooth, the paper or plastic is then peeled away form the surface, and the process is repeated until all surfaces have been covered. This faux finish is useful for murals (for nondescript backgrounds or to distress the ground coat when creating faux marble).

There are two types of gilding, water-based and oil-based. Oil gilding is less difficult. A transfer gold leaf is used in oil-gilding. The transfer leaf is applied to an almost dry, gold sized, surface. The gold sizing comes in different drying -time formulas. Oil-gilding cannot be burnished or polished, but varnishing gives it a nice high gloss. In water gilding fine leaves of gold leaf are applied to a finely, gesso surface. Sometimes the gesso is colored. All surfaces must remain completely dust and dirt free, it is then painted with a mixture of denatured alcohol, water, and size. The gold leaf is applied to the surface, and when dry it is burnished and polished to a high gloss. Gold leaf and transfer leaf are great base-coats for a tortoiseshell faux finish.