Friday, October 11, 2013

Aging Statuary

David G brings us a look at aging statuary using oil paints and colored powders. It would come in handy for anyone looking to distress any kind of artifacts.

What you must remember is that the important part is to make sure the glaze is brushed in every little cranny; You don’t have to worry about how well covered the flat surfaces are. That doesn’t matter.
It doesn’t matter because you’re gonna rub it off anyways, slowly but surely, with a soft cloth. Do not rub so hard as to remove the paint from the recesses; Only remove it from the flat, elevated surfaces. The deeper the area, the more paint you wanna let settle down.


1 comment:

CoastConFan said...

The recipe for the dust overlay is pretty good. The only problem with the charcoal based mixture is that if the item is going to be touched, the charcoal may rub off on your hands & etc since it is adhered to the surface but still exposed to touch. You might try a clear matte overspray to fix the dust to seal it after it is thoroughly dry. I like his explanation on how to mix the different colored powders to get just the right color. Clearly he has thought this out.

Counterfeiters and fakers in the antique business use a fine house dust from a vacuum cleaner bag. It is applied with a spray bottle with water so the dust soaks into crevices deeply and this technique works well with absorbent materials. As a side note, if you want to make an Indiana Jones type grungy hat, this dust spray technique works well as the dust soaks into the fibers. This is the same technique used by movie prop makers to get that well used look into movie costumes.