Glass & Wooden Curio Box Makeover: Verdigris and Rust

I've been working on a little paint makeover for months now.

Every time I started working on it again,

something would come up and I'd set it aside.

Now that I've finally finished it, the Before pics are 

nowhere to be found!

I hate it when that happens.

In any event, just try to picture one of those 

glass and wood display boxes

with a lid, and dusty dried flowers glued inside of them, 

and you'll have the right image in your head.

So without further ado, here is the After.....

Since I gravitate so often to verdigris and rust 

for my paint treatments,

it seemed like a good idea for this curio box. 

I felt it could just as easily have been

made out of bronze/copper/brass instead of wood,

and I chose to make the lid and interior base 

look more like rusty iron.

All the paint colors were dry-brushed on in a stippling motion, 

using bristle brushes, as in chip brush.

Not a stencil brush, because the bristles are too close together, 

and would cause a pattern;

something you don't want with faux finish.

One of the things that kept making me put this project aside, 

was that I wasn't happy with the lid's knob.

It was a low profile, and flat on top, and I really wanted

to make it look more eye-catching and grand.

There are lots of wooden finials for purchase,

but I kept stalling to find something I already had.

When out and about thrifting one day,

I found a bag of porcelain knobs, 

and knew it would be more to my liking. 

Not to mention the fact that I grew weary of stalling.....

After sanding the shiny porcelain surface 

and the metal mount, I applied layer upon layer of chalk paint,

in black, chocolate brown, brick, and rusty orange, 

continuing those colors all over the lid.

I stippled the paint on, so there is some texture

reminiscent of rust on iron.

The more challenging part of the project was painting the 

inside. At first I considered masking, 

but I soon realized it would take less time

to scrape the excess paint off the glass 

than the time it would take to mask.

Especially since I wanted to mimic the same faux finish inside, 

and to do it well, you need to be random and a little messy.

All I can say is, it's a good thing I have small hands!

For the verdigris finish, 

I again started with a warm black layer, then chocolate brown. 

The next layers were stippled on randomly,

using rusty orange, brick, dark turquoise, and aqua.

I did one color at a time, allowing each color to dry first.

I found out quickly that if you don't let them dry first,

to risk blending the colors and it will just look muddy.

That's not what verdigris looks like. Some of the rusty color

may blend in with metal it's growing on, 

but the verdigris aqua colors have some contrast and 

drama to them, which is the part I love.

The wood had chips in it, and I chose to leave them,

to add to the weathered and corroding metal appearance.

When everything was finally done, I sealed inside and out

with matte varnish, rubbing it while it was drying to keep

it from looking too new and smooth. I didn't want anything to

mess with my weathered look I was going for.

Now that that's finally finished,
I'm itchin' to paint something in an old Jadeite-ish green.
Let's see what I'm patient enough to finish next!

Now, back to my Adventures in Kitty-Sitting!

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@MagiaMiaEtsy



TTFN, Maria

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