Fresco and Textured Mural Techniques

Fresco, Art Concrete and Plaster Mural Techniques

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Freestyle Pompeian fresco on walls: texture coat

• Prep the room with drop cloths and painter's tape.
• Professional route: basecoat with Faux Effects Neutral White Setcoat and let dry. Then trowel a thin, textured layer of UN-tinted Ovilla Finishing Plaster and let dry. Do the later color steps with FauxCrème colors.
• Keep enough UN-tinted plaster back for the distressing layer.
• DIY route: basecoat with two coats of White Amber flat latex and let dry 24 hours.
• DIY plaster: for every 1 gallon (3.8 l) of White Amber, add 7–8 cups (1.5–1.8 kg) of drywall powder (Rapid-Bond Joint Compound 90 set). Mix in small amounts with a drill mixer, in a 5-gallon (19 l) bucket.
• Mix to a creamy, cake-batter consistency. The ratio varies with climate and preference.
• Make enough for the whole texture coat plus the distressing layer.
• Trowel a thin texture coat over the whole wall and let dry 24 hours. Thicker areas crack, and glaze collects in the cracks, which is wanted. Holidays (missed spots) are fine.
• Store leftover mix airtight, with clear plastic pressed directly onto the surface of the plaster.

Panel layout with tape

• Tape off a chair rail first. It divides the room and sets consistency.
• Place panels where they fall naturally, for example matching panels on each side of a window. Build outward from there.
• Make frames by taping panels within panels. Add an arch here and there instead of squaring every panel.
• Use the tape width as the spacing gauge. A 2-inch (51 mm) gap between frame and panel means using 2-inch tape.
• Use a level. Cut tape edges with a craft knife or razor blade for crisp corners.
• Burnish the tape with a plastic card or styrene so it grips the texture and paint can't seep under.
• The base color stays wherever tape is placed.

Glazing the panels

• Mix all glaze colors ahead of time.
• The surface is porous, so mix glaze at 3:1 AquaGlaze to color.
• Go darker by adding more glaze layers after each coat dries, not by using stronger mixes.
• Blend a few compatible colors on the wall for depth and movement.
• Work one panel at a time. Apply each color with a chip brush in a random, splotchy pattern.
• Grip a 3-inch (76 mm) chip brush just below the bristles and scrub the color into the texture. Mist with water as needed so the glaze moves.
• Blend and soften with a terrycloth towel. Feather edges with a damp towel. Aim for fluffy, overlapping cloud shapes.
• Start below the chair rail to anchor the room and the later color placement.
• Deep Peacock is the strongest tint, so use it sparingly.
• Remove color with a wet terry towel for a pale center.
• Color travels over the edges into neighboring panels. Blend it in.
• When panels are done, pull the tape and clean the edges with a damp terry towel.

Stencil and hand-painted details

• Use tracing paper plus a projector to put a reference image (e.g. a fountain) on the wall.
• Prime painted objects with Titanium White first, then paint over the primer.
• Use only one overlay when stenciling cording or borders. Panels without a rope border get a soft edge from an artist brush in a contrasting color.
• Draw swags in chalk before painting foliage.
• Work around the room, jumping from panel to panel, to keep the balance.
• Paint quickly and skip fine detail, because everything is distressed later.

Distressing and toning (Pompeian)

• "Butter" the whole underside of a Venetian trowel with a thin layer of the leftover plaster mix. Hold it parallel to the wall and drag lightly, depositing mud in random places.
• Cover areas you dislike and leave open spaces over the parts you like. Avoid looking either too splotchy or too even.
• If you overcover, wipe it off with a wet terrycloth towel. Let dry.
• Toning glaze color: AquaColor Gold + Brown at 1:2. Toning glaze: that color mixed with AquaCreme at 1:3.
• Tone the whole surface, starting in a top corner and working across.
• The glaze goes on dark, then you wipe it, mist it with water and feather it out until it reads sheer and soft.

Fresco on canvas with acrylic plaster (French fresco)

• Use acrylic mediums throughout, so the rolled canvas can be transported and hung like wallpaper without the texture cracking off.
• Seal both sides of the canvas with latex primer. This stops the wallpaper adhesive absorbing into the back.
• Paint the canvas a little larger than the install area, because it shrinks after the glue is applied.
• Stretch the canvas on a wall or plywood by stapling. Start at the middle of each side, alternate to the opposite side every 2–3 staples, and work out to the corners.
• Prime with latex primer thinned with water (2:1) to the consistency of cream.
• When dry, remove the staples, flip the canvas, re-staple and prime the back.
• Sand lightly with 220-grit afterward. The water in the primer raises the canvas fibers.
• Apply Modern Masters Crackle for Latex Paint in select areas in a drift pattern, and let dry.
• Roll on Acrylic Venetian Plaster. Do not back roll. It will crack as it dries.
• Build extra texture in select areas with more plaster using a trowel or putty knife, then let dry.
• Seal with an acrylic satin basecoat. If the plaster was tinted, seal with Dead Flat Acrylic Varnish instead.

Image transfer and trompe l'oeil moldings

• Draw the reference on a transparency with charcoal or water-soluble pencil and project it with an overhead projector. A grid also works.
• Draw moldings with a spirit level, set square and measuring tape. Measurements must be exact or the illusion fails, but don't over-measure; trust your eye.
• Choose one light source and follow it when placing highlights.
• Moldings need very deep shadows and very bright highlights, with enough contrast between shadow tones.

Layered color on the canvas fresco

• Washes: water down acrylics and block in each element in light color.
• Color glazes: mix Modern Masters Tintable Glaze with the paints, about 3 parts glaze to 1 part paint. The ratio depends on the intensity you want.
• Shading: Tintable Glaze + Raw Umber for shadows and cast shadows. Highlight with White.
• Depth on moldings: glaze Raw Umber + Black + Tintable Glaze.
• Highlights: White tint + acrylic glaze. Stars: White thinned with water.
• Easy shading method: block in the lightest visible color, glaze deeper over it, and wipe back highlights while the glaze is wet.
• Seal with Dead Flat Acrylic Varnish before distressing.

Distressing and antiquing the canvas fresco

• Sand back with 220-grit. Keep strong shadow/highlight contrast in the image, or the detail disappears when sanded.
• Paint the background around the molding with Magenta and let dry.
• Antique by rolling on Raw Umber + Tintable Glaze over everything, then rag it off and let dry.
• Final clear coat is Dead Flat Acrylic Varnish. A very old surface should have no sheen.

Art concrete (Flex-C-Ment): prep and safety

• Cover the floor with heavy plastic taped to the room edges. Protect baseboards with a taping gun.
• Trace around outlets and switch plates, remove the plates, and tape inside the pencil marks. Pull the tape before the second concrete coat dries so the plates sit flush.
• Mix outdoors or in a garage, and wear a respirator, goggles and latex gloves. The material dries and cracks skin.
• Mix about half a bag in a 5-gallon (19 l) bucket so it's easy to carry.
• Use a high-torque drill with a concrete mixing blade, and keep a firm grip. Consider renting.
• Practice on sample boards with small batches first.
• Always add the concrete to the water. A little water goes a long way.
• Check consistency by running a finger through it. It should sag inward ever so slightly.
• If it starts to set in the bucket, re-freshen with a little water once, twice at most. More weakens the mix.

Art concrete: priming and base layers

• Apply Flex-C-Ment Concrete Primer to all inside and outside corners and exposed drywall seams.
• While the primer is wet, press fiberglass mesh in with 3 inches (76 mm) overlap on both sides of corners and seams. Roll over it flat. This reduces small cracks later.
• Prime a 5' × 5' (1.5 m × 1.5 m) section at a time with a 9-inch (23 cm) roller with ½-inch (13 mm) nap.
• While the primer is wet or tacky, skim a thin coat (about 10 mm) with a skimming trowel. Start at the bottom of the section and pull up in one fluid motion.
• Don't overwork it. Excess troweling makes bubble pockets and weakens the bond.
• Don't trowel past the edge of the primer.
• Before it hardens too much, brush horizontally with a coarse brush (an old wallpaper brush) to add tooth for the next layer. Let dry overnight.
• A hawk loaded with a small triangular trowel helps.

Art concrete: texture coat, stamping, carving

• Prime again (as for the first layer) before the texture coat. Apply with a hawk and trowel while the primer is tacky.
• Vary the thickness from ¼ to ¾ inch (6–19 mm) or more. Build up areas where you want stones to stick out.
• Allow several hours before carving.
• Stamping: spray Bubble Gum Release Agent from a water bottle onto both the concrete and the stone-texture stamps. Reapply as needed.
• Press the stamp in gently, then lift it off carefully. Rotate the stamp each time so the pattern direction varies.
• Cup protruding rock at thin stamp edges to add texture.
• Too much pressure flattens the highs and lows.
• Carving: let it dry to a crumbly state (several hours), then carve with a concrete carving tool or grout blade.
• Detail some stone faces and knock out or dig out chunks. Use a 4-inch (10 cm) chip brush to dust out the grout lines.
• You can project a stone or block pattern with an overhead projector, moving it back and forth to set the scale. Let dry overnight.

Art concrete: coloring

• Use flat latex paint for rock colors. Gather real rocks as color reference.
• Thin paints about 30–40 percent in general. Diluted color shifts a lot as it dries on porous surfaces, so test first and adjust the water.
• Basecoat with Benjamin Moore HC-99. Spraying the base is much faster.
• Layer 1: mist the surface with water, thin HC-73 about 60 percent, and quickly brush a broken pattern in small areas with a 2- or 4-inch chip brush.
• Work the color in with a Leon Neon or large pounce brush.
• While wet, blot with a rag and sea sponge to vary highs and lows. Step back often so colors "come and go".
• Layer 2: repeat with 2152-40 and 2163-10, thinned. Don't overblend. Vary colors from stone to stone, and work fast.
• Layer 3: repeat with HC-75 and HC-95.
• Aging: brush or sponge on AquaColor Earth Brown and Earth Green thinned with water, then soften with a Leon Neon.

Art concrete: grout lines and finishing

• Thin Flex-C-Ment with just enough water to flow through a grout bag. Fill the bag halfway and twist the end closed.
• Squeeze into the grout lines. Periodically pounce the grout in with a chip brush.
• Don't make it too perfect. Grout looks much darker wet and dries much lighter.
• Stain the grout with AquaColor Burnt Umber + Dark Brown + White, thinned 70–80 percent with water, brushed on at random. It looks dark at first and lightens considerably.
• For aged edges, spray Earth Brown + Dark Brown diluted about 70 percent with water around ceiling lines, corners and baseboards. Soften with a Leon Neon.

Painted classical garden mural on linen (Farnese)

• Surface: linen primed with clear latex and white gesso. Transfer the drawing with a video/digital projector.
• Wash the whole canvas with Raw Sienna + Raw Umber. It warms the ground, mutes the greens and unifies color.
• Foliage block-in: VanDyke Brown Hue + Ultramarine Blue + Yellow Ochre. Keep it dark but never opaque.
• Brushes: nos. 2, 4, 6 flat bristles and filberts. Brushwork follows tree type:
  • Cypress: vertical marks.
  • Bushes: random marks.
  • Pine: fan-pattern marks.
  • Boxwood: small, dense strokes in solid greens.
• Sky: Cerulean Blue + Titanium White, lighter at the bottom than the top.
• Shadows on buildings: transparent washes of VanDyke Brown Hue + Raw Sienna.
• Shadows on statues and framing molding: VanDyke Brown Hue + Ultramarine Blue, dark but transparent.
• Volume and depth is the key step. Lighten the greens with more Yellow Ochre and a little Titanium White. Use the same brushwork, but more accurate, and keep checking reference photos.
• Don't cover too much of the dark block-in. It makes the lighter greens stand out.
• Statue light: Titanium White + Ultramarine Blue + Raw Sienna, filling the areas left untouched. Treat buildings the same way, separating lit from shaded sides.
• Molding shadows: VanDyke Brown Hue + Raw Sienna, with Titanium White added for the light.
• Architectural details and fabric folds: Dark Brown + VanDyke Brown Hue with a no. 12 or ¾-inch (19 mm) flat. Block in foreground fabric with Earth Green.
• Light stage: brighten the sky at its base and add brighter building tones to show light direction. Make the tree greens gradually more opaque, and watch the light-intensity variations.
• Shadows stage: cover the dark boxwood greens with a slightly lighter, more opaque green. Bounced light reaches even dark shadows in strong sun.
• Alley: Titanium White + VanDyke Brown Hue + Raw Sienna, with more Raw Sienna in the darker areas.
• Add a bird by blocking it in with VanDyke Brown Hue + Ultramarine Blue, then adding lighter tones, then the strongest lights, shadows and the eye, beak and foot.
• Step away for a few days before final adjustments. Then add cast shadows and darken frames or other elements to strengthen inside/outside and light/shadow contrast.