Never Rinse Your Brush!

That is written in stone....No pun intended!

I decided to go ahead and finish the end of the Clockwork Cottage this morning...Painting, that is.

Since the other end is already done in Antique White Ceramcoat, I thought it just might be a good idea to match it on this end.

I always do the thing that is furthest away first....Just as if I were doing a painting. In this case, it's the plaster wall. I simply gave that an all over coat, making sure to hit the edges of the stones.  I didn't paint the stones because I don't want that solid color to contend with.

I forgot to mention....For this project, don't use a fancy brush.  I get a grab bag of brushes from Walmart's art department.  It usually has several of these Chinese bristle brushes.  Really cheap and I don't care if I mess them up.

I started with a pallet of Trail Tan, Sage Green, Charcoal, Burnt Umber, Metallic Gold and the Antique white that I used on the stucco. (All Ceramcoat.)

Using the white as a basis for blending in the other colors, I just randomly push on the color with the brush...When I finish, there won't be much of the brush....Poor brush...

To begin, I use the trail tan and white, just adding paint to the brush as I go.  I do NOT rinse the brush.  If I see a spot that I think should be darker, I add a bit of Burnt umber.  Too dark?  Add some white and dab over it.

Don't worry if you get a bit of paint on the stucco.  Just rub it in with your fingers...If you are squeamish, use a paper towel or rubber gloves, but I don't guarantee that the effect will be the same.

Houses do get dirty.  Especially in the nooks and crannies around the rock work. 

I went back and made sure that I got color in all of the joints between the stones...Not necessarily one color there either.  Again....Dirt finds places to hide and dirt is not always the same color.

Here is a close up of the chimney top. I didn't paint any stones specifically, I wanted them to look like they came from the same pile.  There is a hint of color here and there.  There is even a bit of metallic gold here and there...Sunlight hitting the stone?

Just don't over do with the added colors and you will be fine....Remember...It's only paint and you can always paint over it.

I do take my time and step back to look once in a while to see where it's going.  I guess that's the training of art classes in college...It seems like we spent more time looking at the canvas than painting on it. 

Anyway, if you try this, just take your time and have fun.  It's only paint.

See you tomorrow.