Hello people. I love some good creative Valentine art. Check out my link below to find out the details of the contest to see if you'd like to take part in it. If not, stay tuned and you can help vote. Thanks!
http://fineartamerica.com/contests/a-valentine-for-a-special-someone.html?tab=overview
Saturday, January 29, 2011
Sunday, January 16, 2011
Interior Walls: Painting the Edges Freehanded
Someone recently asked me how I paint my edges so crisp where the wall meets the ceiling or trim. I thought I'd share with you all, since I think nearly anyone is capable of it. Since I have a lot of experience painting interior walls of homes, I figured out a technique where I no longer need to use a straight edge or tape. If the condition of a house isn't perfect and there are layers of old paint or sagging of old ceilings, a straight edge is useless and tape is just a pain. I also don't like that you can't see the end result right away when using tape. Here is my approach at painting the edges with brushes. I hope this is helpful.
First off, I have several brushes at hand. I posted links of images below that will help you understand what kind of brushes I use. For really old and rough edges, I often use a small square topped artist brush with soft bristles, about an inch in length (See the orange-ish colored square topped brushes in the photos to the following links).
Variety Pack Artist Brushes
More Variety Pack Artist Brushes
Sometimes I have to use an even smaller size, all depending depends on what I am dealing with. I like to get a package of a variety of sizes like the package below(similar in size of what people use to paint in water color) and get them relatively cheep in the painting section at art stores like AC Moore. For a newer home in decent condition, I will probably use a brush from somewhere like Home Depot that is professionally cut and tapered at the edges (See the links below for samples). It is still good to get a package of those variety brushes for details.
Painters Brushes
More Painters Brushes
When dipping the paint, you only want to dip your brush in about an inch or less, scraping any excess paint off before putting it to the wall. Sometimes it helps to angle the brush so that the ends of the bristles press closely to where the wall and ceiling meet, like the way you hold a dust pan when you are trying to sweep the last bit of crumbs onto the pan. As for corners, I just get in there with one those little art brushes.
Okay so if you are really working with some rough edges or you are having trouble painting neat because your hand is shakey while holding the brush, and you are not seeing an even look when you step back, here's one more tip but you must be careful when doing it. This is particularly good for where the wall meets the ceiling. Take a small flat brush from the art brush package. You can use a rounded top brush if you'd like. Dip the brush with a thin layer of paint and just lay it right in on the edges where the ceiling and wall meet. Pull the brush along the edge and allow for a very small amount of paint to get on the ceiling edge as you pull the brush along. Yes, you are going to get paint on some of the ceiling, but I'm talking like a milimeter (about the width of a pennie) and no more than say 3 milimeters. The harder you press the brush the more you will get on the ceiling, so try to avoid that. This trick seems to hide a lot of the flaws in where the wall meets the ceiling.
Let me know if this was helpful. Thanks for tuning in!
~Angelique
First off, I have several brushes at hand. I posted links of images below that will help you understand what kind of brushes I use. For really old and rough edges, I often use a small square topped artist brush with soft bristles, about an inch in length (See the orange-ish colored square topped brushes in the photos to the following links).
Variety Pack Artist Brushes
More Variety Pack Artist Brushes
Sometimes I have to use an even smaller size, all depending depends on what I am dealing with. I like to get a package of a variety of sizes like the package below(similar in size of what people use to paint in water color) and get them relatively cheep in the painting section at art stores like AC Moore. For a newer home in decent condition, I will probably use a brush from somewhere like Home Depot that is professionally cut and tapered at the edges (See the links below for samples). It is still good to get a package of those variety brushes for details.
Painters Brushes
More Painters Brushes
When dipping the paint, you only want to dip your brush in about an inch or less, scraping any excess paint off before putting it to the wall. Sometimes it helps to angle the brush so that the ends of the bristles press closely to where the wall and ceiling meet, like the way you hold a dust pan when you are trying to sweep the last bit of crumbs onto the pan. As for corners, I just get in there with one those little art brushes.
Okay so if you are really working with some rough edges or you are having trouble painting neat because your hand is shakey while holding the brush, and you are not seeing an even look when you step back, here's one more tip but you must be careful when doing it. This is particularly good for where the wall meets the ceiling. Take a small flat brush from the art brush package. You can use a rounded top brush if you'd like. Dip the brush with a thin layer of paint and just lay it right in on the edges where the ceiling and wall meet. Pull the brush along the edge and allow for a very small amount of paint to get on the ceiling edge as you pull the brush along. Yes, you are going to get paint on some of the ceiling, but I'm talking like a milimeter (about the width of a pennie) and no more than say 3 milimeters. The harder you press the brush the more you will get on the ceiling, so try to avoid that. This trick seems to hide a lot of the flaws in where the wall meets the ceiling.
Let me know if this was helpful. Thanks for tuning in!
~Angelique
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