Gold to OLD Paint Project on Pottery

So I guess this was a case of Out with the "GOLD" in with the "New" (or in this case) 

"in with the OLD".  A little old world styling that is.  

I first have to give props to Rosemary at Villabarnes as she is the master of this process. Over a year ago, I stumbled across her blog when starting my own and saw some of her work. She shared some of the supplies and  processes she used, and a year or so later, I FINALLY decided to give it a whirl. Seeing as I had all the necessary supplies on hand, all I needed was an item to rework.

Old School, "Gold" School

Sure enough, lingering back in my storage closet of "decor-gone-by", was a ceramic pottery piece with a shiny, metallic-gold fleur-de-lis. This piece had its time and day, and for many, the gold may not be an issue. Heck, I bought it and used it like that for years. I had lots of gold accents at one point. Shocking right? Of course, like 70's plaid sofas, some things go out-of-style.

I knew it would stay hidden indefinitely in its current state, but maybe switching-it-up a bit would offer new appeal.  The transformation wasn't difficult at all, just a few steps and a few supplies and VIOLA! - A New "OLD" Look!

First, I lightly sanded the metallic gold paint with fine sandpaper.  In some areas I went all the way through, in others I left hints of the base gold but tried to remove all the metallic in the paint finish (or at least dull the finish).

After a little sanding with fine-grit sandpaper

Next, I created a charcoal-color paint with a bit of acrylic black and mixing white I had on hand.  Surely, there are better craft paints for use on pottery but I used what was on-hand.

With a small, flat-tipped brush, I carefully applied the paint around the edge of the fleur-de-lis and filled it in.  To hide brushstrokes, I lightly stippled the paint (or dabbed it) here and there as necessary.  This slight texturing, along with the sandpaper strokes and paint layers & finishes beneath, create the perfect "base" (if you will) for the final step.

I somehow forgot to take a picture of this step, but  imagine a charcoal fleur-de-lis at this point. 

After the paint dried, I added some gesso medium with a slightly larger brush.  I pretty much covered the entire fleur-de-lis and then went back over it (it dries fairly quickly) with a soft cotton rag, wiping or buffing some of the gesso back off.

After applying gesso.
Note how the texture becomes quite pronounced at this stage.

You can keep working this step over and over to achieve the look you want.  If you wipe too much off, apply a bit more gesso and begin wiping it off again.  Buff to blend the finish to the desired look.

After lightly buffing the surface with a soft rag to remove excess gesso

Here are the supplies I used.  This project took about an hour so it's a quick redo for anyone!

*Addendum - The entire piece was covered with a Clear Acrylic Sealer in Matte

Sandpaper, brush, paint, gesso and a "rework item"


HAVE FUN!

Sharing this at: Nifty Thrifty Things - Nifty Thrifty Sunday
Keeping It Simple - Motivate Me Monday
Boogieboard Cottage - Masterpiece Monday
Sumo's Sweet Stuff - Market Yourself Monday
Coastal Charm - Nifty Thrifty Tuesday