Hey, its Leah Noell Design Co. here!
I’m going to show you the most recent set I blended. I did 2 live videos with a couple different ways of blending on this piece. I will provide links here for you. I’m also going to run you through a quick list of tips that will inspire you to put your phone down and go get a brush in your hand!
Materials List:
- Chalk Mineral Paint one dark color and one light color
- Synthetic Mini Brush
- Large Flat Round Brush
- Spray Mister
How To:
Now if you’ve been here for a hot minute you know I’m going to say it’s important to start out with a good prep job. If you’ve never prepped furniture before, you can learn how to do it here.
The first step to achieving a nice blend is to start out with the right type of paint. My choice paint for blending is Dixie Belle Paint. It is a chalk mineral paint that is self leveling which makes it easy to get a gorgeous smooth finish. When you blend, you’ll want to choose contrasting colors.
One light and another color that is a few shades darker than your other color. For this project I choose In the Navy and Manatee Gray. I start with applying a base coat of my darker color. Cover the entire piece. Let it dry.
Blending Method #1
The first way I’m going totally about is a more traditional way. I use basic brushes such as my DB Mini synthetic. I start by adding the darker color around the edges. Then I use a different brush to apply the lighter color. You can see the video on how to blend like this here.
Blending Method #2
The second way I like to blend is with a flat round brush. I find this way to be a bit easier. I apply the paint in relitively the same fashion as I did the first type of blending, but this time I rub my flat round brush over it to get the color to blend together. It’s super easy! You can see how to do it here.
Here are some helpful notables for blending paint together:
- Keep your brush clean and don’t have too much paint on it. I use old T-shirts my kids have grown out of to wipe my paint on. Then I toss it when I’m done.
- Water is your BFF! I use this spray mister every-time I paint. It keeps your paint just wet enough to work.
- If it doesn’t look right, do it again! Sometimes it takes more than one try. In fact if it’s your first time blending it likely will.
- Your first application won’t look great. It’s all about getting the colors placed correctly and deciding how much light you want in the middle. Your second- however many applications it takes you is where the magic happens!
