Hi Steemians, I finished my dining table project where I painted an old wooden table with gouache colors in a russian traditional art style called hkohkloma. The finish was done with shellac.
STEPS:
I decided on which pattern I am going to use for my table and sketched it on a piece of paper. When I was happy with the result, I started to apply the pattern to the upper front of the table which surface was grinded until the old paint was removed and I got a very smooth surface to paint on.
After the pattern was applied on the surface freehand with a pencil, I painted the design with gouache colors. This type of colors is very traditional and very natural to paint on wood. I loved how the colors appeared on the surface.
- To make the design look more alive I applied little dots with a pen covered in fabric on my raspberries.
Because the gold layer is very traditional to this kind of folk painting on wood, I have applied golden color on the leaves. I let the gouache dry for about three days, just to make sure it was all dry before going on with the final step.
The last step was the sealing with shellac. Therefore I took a piece of smooth and natural fabric, made a dot out of it and started to apply the shellac with round movements.
After the first layer of shellac is dry (in about 1 hour) you can go on with the second. The recommendation is to apply 7 layers to make the table shiny and perfectly even.
It was so much fun - a deep meditation for me :) Let me know if you have any questions. I will be happy to assist you on our project.
I really enjoyed the art process and now we are even more happy to host dinners with family and friends on it.