Easy Gold-Leaf Effect On her picture frame, Sally Jesse Raphael used a gold-leaf finish. But gold leaf is delicate and sometimes difficult to work with, and according to DIY Crafts expert Debbie Stapely, it's possible to achieve the same effect without using gold leaf!
Materials:
Craft paint
Gold glaze
Brush
Plastic bowl or other container for glaze - Using ordinary crafters paint, first apply a coat of black (figure A). Let dry.
- Next, you'll add a gold glaze (available premixed from a crafter's supply store). Pour a small amount of glaze in a bowl, dip the brush in it, and then remove most of the glaze by pressing the bristles of the brush against the side of the bowl ( figure B).
- Brush the glaze over the black paint on the frame (figure C) and let dry.
Hanging Tip The rule of thumb for hanging a picture is to measure about a third of the way down from the top of the frame (figure D) and add screw eyes and picture-hanging wire. Wrap the wire through the eye a couple of times, then twist the wire around itself (figure E).
For more information on picture hanging, go to www.diynet.com.
Web extra: More on picture frames with Sally Jessy Raphael Q: Why did you first start making frames?
A: Well, I paint pretty fast. Not as fast as my mother, who could do like two or three paintings a day. But I paint pretty fast. And frames could be very expensive when I was just starting out. Q: Why do you still make frames?
A: Since the beginning of time, when you buy antiques or you buy an "old" painting, it's worth much more if the artist chose the frame. It's that you've chosen that look, that color scheme, that feeling for that frame, in line with what you had in mind in the painting. Q: How many houses have you restored?
A: I've done 27 houses. Obviously, not all those were mine. I've done some for friends. I've done a store. I've done things like that. Q: How did you learn to do this stuff?
A: I just learned to do it. I'm not an accomplished plumber or an accomplished woodworker. I just know the basics of electricity and plumbing and woodworking so I know what somebody else is doing, and whether they're doing it right. Q: Why do you still do it yourself?
A: After you first start doing it yourself, you never really stop, because the amount of savings is so monumental. But realize, by the way, those plumbers and electricians deserve every penny for what they quote to you. Q: Do you have a favorite place to paint and work with wood?
A: The basement. I paint in the basement. And it's dank and it's cold, and nobody goes down there. I do my woodworking out in the woodworking studio in the barn. Q: Do you have a particular painting style?
A: I wish I did. What happens with a lot of painters is to be looking for a style. I can pretty much go to a gallery showing and I come home and paint like that person. I have to get through that. So now I am coming up with something that is mine that does not look like anyone else. Q: Why do you enjoy working with wood?
A: It's creative. It's creative as anything. There is something that clicks in your head. There's the creativity of it and then there's the pride and there's the satisfaction. Q: How do you find the time for woodworking?
A: You make the time. You just make the time. And everyone has time with all the labor saving things that you have around the house. If you want to do it you do it. It's much easier when the children aren't very young. I did a lot with a baby on one hip and a kid pulling on my leg.
RESOURCES :
Picture Frames in an Afternoon
Model: 0806937548
Author: Kaye Evans
Country Living Handmade Frames: Decorative Accents for Your Home
Model: 068816773X
Author: Editors of Country Living Magazine
Making Picture Frames
Model: 1550745050
Author: Linda Hendry
Fantastic Frames: Over 60 Unique Framing Ideas
Model: 0865734186
Author: Creative Publishing International
Make Your Own Fun Frames!
Model: 1885593643
Author: Matt Phillips
Fine Woodworking: Making Picture Frames
Author: Stuart Altshuler
# 014032
The Taunton Press Inc.
Website: www.taunton.com
How to Make Your Own Picture Frames
Model: 0823024520
Author: Hal Rogers and Ed Reinhardt
The Decorated Frame
Model: 1579903398
Author: Joe Rhatigan
(October, 2002)
To order this title from Amazon.com, click here.
Sterling Publishing Co. Inc.
Website: www.sterlingpub.com
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