Decorative painter Marie McGehee can transform any room into a heavenly haven, using a simple faux-finish technique to create a cloud-painted sky. Materials:
Sky-blue latex paint
Blue-gray latex paint
Lighter-blue latex paint
White-gray latex paint
White-white latex paint
Sea sponges
Soft cotton cheesecloth - Paint the surface with two coats of sky-blue paint. Let dry.
- Dip a sea sponge into a bowl of water and squeeze out the excess. Dip the sponge into blue-gray paint and dab off any excess. Begin your clouds by randomly dabbing the paint across the sky-blue surface.
- While the paint is wet, gently dab a piece of cheesecloth over the entire surface. This softens the edges.
- Repeat the procedure with a light-blue paint, dabbing over areas of gray. Don't let the paint dry between shades. Don't cover any painted areas completely -- let some of the sky-blue and blue-gray colors show through. With a piece of dry cheesecloth, smudge the light-blue painted areas while wet.
- Work in the white-gray paint, using the same process. After applying this color, let the entire surface dry.
- Use white-white paint to highlight the overall cloud effect. Dab on sparingly, and smudge with a dry piece of cheesecloth.
A stormy sky can be created by using more of the blue-gray color or a windy sky by painting elongated dabs of color going in one direction.
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