Seen or scene

Paint a planter to create a clever optical illusion.

You will need: 22mm exterior ply wood cut as follows:
• 780mm x 900mm (main backing board)
• 780mm x 200mm (window box front)
• 2 of l45mm x 200mm (box sides)
• 736mm x 145mm (box base)
hammer and saw, drill with large wooden drill bit, 50mm galvanised jolt head nails, pencil, long ruler, exterior PVA glue, sandpaper, 25mm low-tack masking tape, paintbrushes (including artist's brush), Resene Quick Dry waterborne primer undercoat, Resene Lumbersider tinted to Resene Torea Bay, Resene testpots in the following colours in Resene Alabaster, Resene Havelock Blue (x 2), Resene House White, Resene Indian Ink, Resene Paris Daisy, and Resene Wild Thing.

Top tip: If using in a very sunny spot, apply a coat of Resene Clearcoat UVS to the unit to preserve the colour intensity.

Step one
Measure and cut the plywood in the dimensions listed. Smooth rough edges with sandpaper. Assemble the window box's front, sides and base and fix with PVA glue and nails. Attach the box to the main backing board, as shown.

Step two
After leaving the unit overnight for glue to dry, drill three or four drainage holes in the box base. Then apply one coat of Resene Quick Dry to the entire unit. Allow this and all other coats of paint used in this project two hours to dry.

Step three
Paint the backing board's back and the side edges with two coats of Resene Torea Bay. After two hours of drying time, turn the unit over and paint the box's inside and outside with two coats of Resene Torea Bay, again giving each coat two hours to dry.

Step four
Mark the 'window and shutters', making shutters 200mm and outer window frames and glazing bars 35mm wide. Mark 10mm 'shadow' strips along bottom of the top and horizontal glazing bars and on the right of the left and vertical bars.

Step five
Mask off the 'shutters' and 'window frames' with masking tape. Paint the shutters with two coats of Resene Havelock Blue and the central window area with Resene Indian Ink. Remove the masking tape after the second coat.

Step six
Apply new tape around the 'window frame' edges. Apply a coat of Resene Paris Daisy to the 'curtains'. After two hours of drying time, apply a second coat of Resene Paris Daisy, mixing in a little Resene Wild Thing to create 'shadows'. Remove the tape.

Step seven
Apply tape around the 'shutters' outer edges, leaving a 15mm gap between their edges and the mock window's outer edges. Place horizontal tape strips across each shutter with a 4mm gap between each strip. Use a coat of Resene Torea Bay to create shutter stripes, removing the tape as you go.

Step eight
Apply tape to the outer window edges. Paint in two 15mm strips with two coats of Resene Torea Bay. Mask off the frames and glazing bars' 'shadow' strips. Paint the strips with two coats of Resene House White. Remove the tape. Similarly, mask off and paint each section of the main 'frame' with Resene Alabaster.

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Resene Paints Ltd – www.resene.com