“Honestly, I just love to play with the paint!”

I promised I’d take you on a deep dive into the painting techniques I used to take the dresser makeover project to the next level, so here’s the rest of the story for this gorgeous Pink Bureau!

But wait - did you miss Part 1? Go back and watch the video here and you can read the step-by-step instructions here. Do you know what I’d do? Watch and read - both. Yep - because this is a visual project with so much spontaneous creating you’ll want to absorb it all.

The video for Part 2 is short and a little different. I’m not talking you through every step because there’s so much freedom to be creative with a project like this one. And that’s the fun part, in my opinion! So relax and watch the video all the way through before you worry about mastering these techniques.

Then read on for all the tools and supplies I’ve used and some step-by-step instructions below! The beauty of the painting techniques I’m showing you is all about you rolling up your creative sleeves and experimenting. And let go of the outcome! I won’t tell you how many do-overs I had on a few parts of this project (let’s say “a lot.”)

But you can’t tell I wiped away paint and started over when you look at the completed dresser makeover. So don’t stress, just create!

 

 

 

HERE’S EVERYTHING I USED IN THE PAINTING TECHNIQUES FOR THE DRESSER MAKEOVER PART 2!

All products that can be purchased from Serendipity.House are clickable links that will take you right to the product!

• DIY Paint Big Top Topcoat
• Water Girl Spray Bottle
• Cling-on Paint Brushes
• DIY Paint Sampler Brush
• The Turquoise Iris VIP 6" Brush
• DIY Paint in Kissing Booth
• DIY Paint in Cowgirl Coral
• DIY Paint Stain + Glaze in Dark + Decrepit 
• DIY Paint in Golden Ticket
• Multiple soft clean cloths
• Old Toothbrush

INSTRUCTIONS FOR PAINTING TECHNIQUES USED IN MULTIMEDIA DIY DRESSER MAKEOVER

STEP 1: ADD THE BASE COAT

First, let’s recap what I did in Part 1 to get to this point. I started by covering the dresser with DIY Paint Salvation Solution and then painted it with DIY Paint White Swan. 

Next, I got busy with some:

• The IOD Air-Dry Clay + TiteBond Glue
• The IOD Kindest Regards and Fronds Stamps
• The IOD Birdsong, Acanthus, and Heirloom Roses Moulds
• The IOD Painterly Floral Transfer

Once I had the texture and movement the way I wanted, I covered it all with DIY Big Top Topcoat. Don’t skip this step, because some of the painting techniques would be a disaster if the clay wasn’t sealed.

I started the paint blending process by using DIY Paint in Kissing Booth as a base coat over the entire dresser. While applying the base coat, I made sure to get the paint into all the nooks and crannies of the castings, stamped clay, and textured clay. (Min 0:42)

Don’t panic about painting over the transfers - it’s all part of the plan! Once the entire dresser is covered, let it dry completely.

STEP 2: PAINT BLENDING - DRY BRUSH TECHNIQUE

Grab the DIY Kissing Booth and Cowgirl Coral and start applying brush strokes of one color and then go back and apply the next color in the same way. (Min 1:27) 

Now, trust yourself and the process on this next step. Take the Water Girl Spray Bottle and a wide dry brush. First spray the water across the area where the two paint colors were just added. Immediately start blending the paint with the wide brush, stopping to wipe excess paint off the brush often.

Continue to repeat spraying the water and blending with the brush as many times as you feel is needed to get the look you want. If you watch the video, it may seem like I’m repeating this a lot and I am! I love playing with the paint!

Now that you see we’re using water in this technique you probably understand why it was important to seal with the Big Top before launching into paint blending. Otherwise the clay would have re-wet and softened.

I go back and add more swatches of Kissing Booth and Cowgirl Coral, spray with water, and wipe with the dry brush. Blending, blending, blending. With this technique, I don’t need to do any sanding. (Min 3:12)

 

STEP 3: WIPING THE PAINT OFF THE TRANSFERS

When I get to a point that I’m satisfied with the blended paint, I grab a clean, dry soft cloth. It’s time to wipe back the paint from the roses I applied with the IOD Painterly Floral Transfer. You won’t believe how many times I wiped the paint off and went back to paint over and start again. 

The good news is there’s no plan and it didn’t hurt or ruin the project by my doing this. So if you don’t like how this step, or any step, is looking - go back to square one. I give you permission!

As I wiped the paint from the rose transfers, I realized having a photo to pinpoint their location would be super helpful! (Hint Hint) Watch at min 3:45 as I begin to wipe back the paint and then touch up the areas that I didn’t want exposed.

Once the rose transfers are exposed, I move on to the remainder of the dresser, blending the Kissing Booth and Cowgirl Coral across the stamped clay area and the rest of the dresser with the wide dry brush.

I finish up my paint blending step by sealing the dresser with a coat of DIY Paint Big Top Topcoat and let it dry.

 

STEP 4: HIGHLIGHT THE STAMPED CLAY

Now I add DIY Paint in Golden Ticket to the lettering on the stamped clay, and on the fern frond I stamped alongside it. I use a small brush to better get it into all the crevices, using a ‘dabbing’ stroke. (Min 8:53) 

I use a soft, dry cloth to wipe back the Golden Ticket, leaving it to highlight all the letters and fine details in the stamped clay. (Min 9:13) The layers of blended paint and colors is adding to the overall texture of this dresser project!

 

STEP 5: BUILDING DEPTH WITH DIY PAINTS STAINS + GLAZES

The next step involves DIY Paints Dark + Decrepit Stain. I apply it over the textured areas of clay, the bird castings, and the leaf castings. (Min 9:54) You’ll see that I use that dabbing technique with the brush to make sure it’s in all the crevices. 

Once the area is covered, I use the soft, dry cloth to wipe back the Dark + Decrepit.(Min 10:39) Then I use a damp cloth to lighten and clean the edges across the textured area and the bird castings. You can also see where I feathered in some Dark + Decrepit shading around the drawer edges. Just play with shadowing and shading- have fun with this part! It’s when the piece really comes alive! 

STEP 6: OUTLINES AND DETAILS WITH DARK + DECREPIT

While the video shows the finished look and doesn’t break down these steps, let me explain what I did on this step. I took a fine paint brush, dipped it into the Dark + Decrepit and just drew a line around the edge of the roses. 

I did this on all the Painterly Floral Transfer roses on the dresser. Note the lines of the Dark + Decrepit that happened here and there across the roses. I loved it! So - naturally - I grabbed an old toothbrush, dipped it into the Dark + Decrepit and went wild!

Not really! What I actually did was run my fingers across the bristles of the toothbrush while I held it in front of the dresser. Dark + Decrepit speckled across the rose transfers - not too heavily - just enough to add to the depth of the textured piece.

Don’t forget the dresser legs. I embellished them with DIY Paint Golden Ticket. One final coat of DIY Big Top over the entire dresser and it’s complete!

I hope you take the time to try some of these painting techniques on a project soon. Once you get started, let your creativity have the wheel!

P.S. Get in on the Serendipity House Reward Points to earn money off future purchases by clicking the blue icon in the bottom right corner of the Serendipity.House home page.