Distressed Doors Tutorial: Paint effects on Patterned Fabrics II

 
Once you've prepared your stitched fabric surface, mount the quilt securely on a drawing board  with  2 inch masking tape ensuring it has a taut surface.

 
Pour a small amount of white gesso into a small container. Gesso is a primer, it seals the surface of the fabric so that it will take the acrylic paint better and adds to the effect of a plastered wall.

 
Apply the gesso with a fairly large paint or varnish brush to the surfaces of the ‘stones’. Allow to dry for a couple of hours

 
Paint the stitched monoprint door with a palette knife loaded with acrylic paint, working across the  stitching so the paint  stays on the surface of the fabric but not in the ditches.

 

On your palette, mix stone –coloured paint from cream (unbleached titanium is a useful colour) with a little of the blue used for the door

Apply sparingly to the gessoed wall areas with a palette knife. This helps to add texture and variety to the wall surface. In places, add some slightly darker colours at the base and edges of the stone.

Using a fine paint brush and a little black or Paynes Grey paint, extend the shadow area around the door into the cracks in the wall.

 

Paint effects in detail – the speckled look to the stones were achieved by dipping an old toothbrush into paint and flicking on the surface. Be careful –it’s a messy process!

 

Remove from board, trim to size and  bind or face the edges .Finally you may want to embellish with door knockers or  hinges  eg a hinge of copper ribbon  ‘rusted’ with a touch of cream paint .

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 I hope you've  enjoyed these series of tutorials on 'Distressed Doors'. As you'll have seen  I tend to  use  heavy body paints in a  very painterly way, adding texture to already stitched surfaces.
Some of you have already commented on the stiffness that this adds. I'm aware of using fabric medium with paints to give a softer 'handle' to fabrics but it's not a technique I use myself . If you have some  great ideas to share, get in  touch!