Two masterful paint techniques to try

From the Resene decorating blog

Don't think that swanky brushstrokes are only meant for the canvas. You can jazz up your walls with artistic painting skills, too!

An interior with a textured paint finish

An interior with a textured paint finish.

To view more of this project see "Tactile textures"

Here are two masterful techniques for you to try in your own home.

Impressionism ombre

The art galleries of Paris, from the Louvre to the Musee d'Orsay, are full of stunning impressionistic paintings. The art style of impressionism is famous for its delicate, dabbed effects that seem to blur the picture, so that when you see it from far away it makes sense, but the closer you walk to it, you realise it's simply blots of colour brushed on in dots, placed side-by-side.

An easy way to create an impressionism look on your walls is to create an ombre effect. Choose three colours from the same tonal family: Light, medium and dark. For example, Resene Danube, Resene Bali Hai and Resene Cobalt would create a blue scheme ombre.

First decide if you want your ombre to go from top-to-bottom or vice versa – it's usually nicer to have the lighter colour on top so the eye raises up to the ceiling to make the space seem bigger. Paint the lightest colour first along a third of the wall, then paint the medium tone along the edge, gently blending the two shades together with dabs of paint on a sponge for an impressionism look. Repeat with the darkest colour.

Impasto texture

Impasto gel is usually mixed in with oil paint to create a thick, textured effect in paintings. It looks great for showing landscapes, making mountains rugged or beaches sandy. Don't let your walls miss out on this tactile, fun texture – just use Resene Sandtex to create a raised effect. This tough waterborne textured finish comes in two grades, standard and superfine, to get a texture that suits your space best. Experiment with different application techniques and you can go from a uniform texture to a highly textured brush look.

Colours mentioned in this blog...

Resene Bali Hai

Buy testpot

Resene Danube

Buy testpot

Resene Cobalt

Buy testpot

Product mentioned in this blog...

Products marked as "coming soon" may not yet be available in our online ColorShop, however, they can be purchased in-store at your local Resene ColorShop or reseller.