hand-painted kitchens, furniture & period property decorating

Posted: 20 Aug 2013 01:31 PM PDT

The post Faux Marble and Marble Effect Painting appeared first on Traditional Painter

Traditional Painter for Yorkshire, Lee Simone, is a specialist painter and decorator with a very artistic streak. (He inherited his talent from his father, Neil Simone, an accomplished artist.) Lee shares with us his passion for faux marble and marble effect painting.

When I was introduced to the art of decorative painting nearly 15 years ago, I instantly fell in love with faux finishes and faux painting. To paint an illusion that ‘tricks the eye‘ really appealed to me and seemed to suit my style of fine art painting perfectly. A quality faux finish is not only a piece of art, but can also offer a practical solution to logistically difficult areas. Where a natural product might be too expensive or difficult to install, faux finishes can offer the perfect means of achieving just the look you want.

A bit of decorative painting history

Over 3000 years ago, the Ancient Egyptians became fascinated by colour and decorative painting. They employed almost every technique we use today, pioneering marbling, wood graining and faux stone work. Their artists spent years discovering different coloured pigments and studying the form and pattern of specific marbles, wood and stone.

Nowadays many of the finest faux finishes across the country were painted during Victorian times, when new found wealth was being invested in the arts. Master craftsman would spend years ornately faux painting the grand houses of the time.

For my part, I too have spent years experimenting with oodles of techniques, materials and paints. Spending hours playing alchemist in my workshop and reading dozens of books. Things didn’t always go to plan but then that’s the fun of decorative painting – sometimes even the less successful attempts opened up a new possibility or took me in a new direction.

Now, with tried and tested techniques in place, it’s all about expanding on the basics and tweaking things for a particular finish.

Faux Marble

Faux marble is perhaps the most decadent and luxurious of all the faux finishes and is definitely one of the most popular. There are dozens and dozens or different types of marble, each with their own intricacies and form. Some of the most popular hand painted marbles are Sienna, Vert de Mer and Carrera.

Materials and Tools for Faux Marble Painting -

When I take on any type of faux marble project, there are some essential bits of kit that I nearly always use. These are; oil glaze, oil paint (tube or pigment), white spirit, real feathers from various different birds, hog hair brush, badger hair softener, natural sponge, cling film, an old toothbrush, various artist brushes and lint free cloths. See MyPaintbrush for starters

Here are a few examples of faux marbling I’ve done over the years

Faux Marble Roll Top Bath

Close up of a Faux Marble Fireplace

Faux Marble Effect Walls

Faux Marble Fireplace

Faux Marble Walls

If you fancy having a go at faux marbling, then I wholeheartedly recommend it – it’s great fun and makes you really appreciate paint on a different level. Just a quick heads up about veining though – this can be the make or break of many a faux marble finish, as there is good and bad veining practice…

Good veining

Good Veining

- although the vein may split at intervals to form quite complicated patterns, two veins of the same tone should never cross.

Bad veining

Bad Veining

- although really oversimplified, the common faults are: parallel lines, wobbly veins, cobweb effect and lines that are broken.

Good luck with the experimentation, if you fancy having a go!

Lee Simone hand painted kitchens yorkshire

Based nr. Harrogate, North Yorkshire, Lee Simone began Imaginative Interiors in 1999 and now travels throughout Yorkshire transforming and rejuvenating furniture and kitchens to the highest level.

Alongside beautifully hand painted kitchens and furniture, Lee can also offer you outstanding specialist paint effects, faux finishes, murals and trompe l’oeil.

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Faux Marble and Marble Effect Painting