Decorative Painting

More Tips & Tricks for using Decorative Art Rollers…

January 17, 2016 By Jennifer 4 Comments

The love and popularity of Decorative Rollers continues to grow as more people discover this wonderful tool. So, I’m here once again to share more of my Tips & Tricks for using these rollers and making your projects easy and fun! In my collection of Decorative Art Rollers I have 30 patterns to choose from, so this is your first task – trying to figure out which roller you want to play with…..For some people this is one of the hardest things, deciding which pattern to buy!!! But once you have that roller in hand, you need to know how to use it.

I have created several YouTube videos which can be found on my channel – Artistic Painting Studio YouTube – watch all three videos and see how easy it is to use these rollers – each video shows a little different technique.

The easiest technique for using the Rollers is a “negative” technique. Let me explain what I mean – these rollers are designed to make an “impression” into some wet material. Like in the videos – I demonstrate applying a texture medium or glaze for you to roll into/through – this gives you a negative impression of the pattern.

July 10 029 — Hand brush glaze in a vertical/horizontal Stria and then rolled Artsy Leaf Decorative Art Roller.

Glaze is the easiest medium to work with when you are getting started – this medium stays wet for a long time and will allow you to apply the glaze and have plenty of time to roll through the wet glaze. I like to let the glaze to “set-up” for a few minutes after applying to the surface – otherwise you might slide in the glaze. Also, make sure that your roller head is spinning freely on the handle – if not “lube” the bar with a little Pam Cooking Spray – this works great!

Here are a few projects that have been created with the rollers by customers and students – the medium that has been rolled through is a colored Glaze.

Created by Karen Gideon of Junque in my Trunk – using the Crocodile Roller

My favorite medium to roll through is my Texture Medium by ArtsSyVille Embellishments – I have worked hard on creating a texture medium that is easy to roll through! One thing that is really important when rolling through a applied texture, is to keep the application “thin” – I always say to my students “Thin Wins”!!! If you have applied the texture to thick on the surface it just clogs up the roller and you will have to wash it more often……and that’s not any fun!

As shown in the videos – I like to “trowel” on my products – but, the trowel has become one with my hand! I know I make it look so easy and it is for me……but that took some work – I have been using a trowel for at least 25 years – so it should be easy for me!!! If you decide to try this method of application I would like to share some helpful information – like the trowel that I use. This is a Japanese Trowel (you will find it on this page) and it is very light, slightly flexible and the easiest trowel to work with – great for beginners and experts – I LOVE MY TROWELS!!! Best to get a practice board and some material to play with – this can be joint compound (which is very inexpensive to play around with) and play with the application of troweling onto the surface. I say “less is best” with how much material you put on your trowel. Don’t load a huge glop of product and think you will control it – you can scoop out of the bucket or pick it up from a “hawk”. If you are right handed – you will load the right side of the trowel. (If left handed – load the left side). Make sure to watch the videos – they will show you how I load the trowel and apply the material!!!

Now it’s time to apply this Texture Medium to the surface – the angel of the trowel is important. When applying the texture to the surface you want a low angel, so that the material will transfer to the surface area – if it’s too thick in some places and you want to spread it out thinner – increase the angel of the trowel and this will spread and/or thin the material. Practice, practice, practice – it get’s easier each time you do it. Keep watching my videos – I show how to trowel the material onto the surface.

If you have total failure or hate the trowel (hate is such a strong word) – you can always brush the texture medium onto the surface – if you have doing a small project like drawer fronts – this will be an easy application. Just use a “chip” brush and apply the Texture Medium as thin as possible – you will have some brush strokes in the texture, but that is just added interest!

So now that you have the texture medium onto the surface – we need to get rolling while the medium is wet. Always check the roller to make sure it is spinning well – this will prevent you from sliding in the material, instead of rolling. Just roll through the wet material – it is as easy as that. If you’re not happy with the print – smooth it out and roll again. Really, really – it’s that easy!

Rolling Crocodile Roller through wet material. — Rolling Crocodile Fauxy Roller through wet material.

You will most likely have some “peaks” that are created from the roller pulling up the material – the thinner the application, the less peaks you will have. Just wait for the material to completely dry and then sand down as much as you want – I basically do a light sanding to eliminate the rough/high areas.

Now it’s time to finish the project – you can paint the texture, glaze the texture or even apply a wax. There are so many options to create with these rollers, just let your imagination run a little wild! You can create on Furniture – Cabinetry – Walls – Fabric – Canvas – the options are endless!

Here are some wonderful examples that have been created by customers and students – These are some AWESOME projects!!!

Created with Crocodile Roller. — Created with Crocodile Decorative Roller.

Created with the Tiger Roller by RockStar GlamHouse! — Created with the Tiger Fauxy Roller by RockStar GlamHouse!

Ceiling created with Crocodile Roller by Herb Shropshire. — Ceiling created with Crocodile Fauxy Roller by Herb Shropshire.

Created by student using Crocodile Roller — Created by student using Crocodile Decorative Roller

Created by Lisa DeSantiago. — Created by Lisa DeSantiago using the Crocodile Fauxy Roller.

As you can see the most popular roller is the Crocodile pattern or at least this is the one everyone has sent me pictures of projects (also – if I didn’t tag you in a project, please let me know – I had not tagged all the photos and wasn’t sure whom some of them came from – SORRY)!!!

Now – if you are planning to attack a wall – there is more information I would like to share (most of this has been covered in my last Blog about using the rollers – Pattern Rollers – Another Obession). When going for a larger project, it is nice to have several rollers for the job. One to keep as is and one to cut in half and maybe one to cut up and make a stamp with!!! If you have one large feature wall – no problem to have one roller. But if you project is a room, there will be different wall areas to deal with, like the small narrow space next to a door jam. This is when several rollers will come in handy – there is also a tool that you will find in the “clay” area of a hobby store called the “Wipe-out Tool” – it’s rubber tipped on both ends and we use it to “carve” the pattern if the roller can’t get into those areas – like getting all the way to the ceiling line.

Cutting the roller in half for two smaller rollers.

I also like have a 5 gallon bucket with water to throw the dirty rollers into and for the easiest clean up – use your hose and a 5 gallon bucket outside, the pressure gets all the product out of the crevices or just use a scrub brush.

I sure hope that you will give the Decorative Art Rollers a try and please let me know if there is any additional information that you need before you getting ROLLING!!!

Check out my YouTube Channel and watch all the different video’s on working with the Decorative Rollers – make sure to subscribe to my Channel!!!

Blessings for a wonderful rolling day

Jennifer R Ferguson

APS Foils & APS Foil Adhesive

April 7, 2015 By Jennifer Leave a Comment

APS Foil Adhesive was designed to provide you with the best adhesion for foil transfers and my foil collection has fabulous release! What a nice combination to work with and makes foiling projects enjoyable! I know that my foil Obsession is due to creating my own Foil Adhesive, which has made the transfer of foils amazingly easy.

Here are a few tips and tricks for using the APS Foil Adhesive (APSFA) and installing/transferring foils: First, it’s not a bad idea to stir up the material if you see any separation in the bucket…..I have yet to see this happen! You will also get the best transfer of foils when applying the APSFA over a sealed surface – if your surface is porous/adsorbent, the APSFA will soak in and not provide as great of a transfer (you could also try a second layer of APSFA for a better transfer – this is only recommended on a porous surface) – so, keep in mind the substrate that you are working on. My favorite roller for applying the APSFA is the Wooster low-nap roller and just ONE coat of the APSFA will do you! (my APSFA should save you time and money – only one coat needed for a great transfer)! Pour the APSFA into a paint tray and work it into the roller and then apply a thin, even coat of the APSFA to the surface. Allow the APSFA to dry to a firm tack – this will be approximately 30 to 45 minutes – best to wait longer than try to apply too soon! The APSFA will never dry beyond a firm tack – so you have from the time it tacks up until whenever you get back to the project to transfer the foil (the surface will be tacky – I don’t recommend days – anything can stick to this surface)! I love working my days, if possible, that the last thing I do is roll up the APSFA and allow it to sit overnight – come back the next morning and install/transfer the foil!!!

Now that your APSFA is applied to the surface and dried to a firm tack – it’s time to transfer the foil! Not all foils are manufactured the same and they release different – some better than others. My collection has a very easy release and works wonderfully with my APSFA. So, let’s talk about foils – what they are and how they work. Basically, you have a very thin film of color that is applied to a clear plastic backing material, that needs something stick enough (APSFA) to grab the color and transfer it to another surface.

There can also be a learning curve or two with transferring foils……You knew it couldn’t be that easy!!! One of my best tips is to make sure you are trying to transfer the correct side of the foil – I tell everyone to make sure the “pretty” side is facing you and you sure don’t want to the get the wrong side stuck onto the APSFA – this can actually de-activate the APSFA. Because the APSFA is so sticky – if the wrong side gets on it, there is nothing to pull off and it will stick really well…….when you finally pull it off, it will take some of the adhesive off and you will not get a good transfer in that area. You can always repair this area – just apply another layer of the APSFA and again, allow it to tack up.

Foiling by Nicole Nichols

I do recommend having a helper when installing/transferring foils – so recruit a friend for the project!!! It’s nice to have someone hold onto the other end of the foil and keep it away from the surface until you are ready to smooth it onto the surface area. So, have one person at the top of the wall – starting at the top left corner and trying to keep it straight, apply the foil to the surface by rubbing it with your hand or a terry rag works well. Continue down the wall, smoothing out the piece as you go down towards the bottom of the wall. If the walls are tall or you are working alone – cut sections in manageable lengths, i.e. 10-foot wall – cut sections 3′, 4′, 5′, 6′ and 7′ long. This way you can handle the length of the foil and have the joint lines staggered at different heights – you don’t want to end up with a horizontal line going through the wall at the same height.

This picture shows the first layer of foil installed – I did this alone and just cut the pieces in manageable lengths to handle by myself. Another thing you need to know about transferring the foils is how you scrub them. When I’m installing a sheet – I use a terry rag to smooth it onto the surface, trying not to get too many air bubbles. But, transferring the foil will take a little more pressure then just lightly rubbing it. Now, another one of those learning curves is that the way you scrub the foil will also transfer in the pattern – i.e., if you use a circular motion, you will see this in the foil transfer. I find it best to use a scrub brush and keep the motion of scrubbing the surface vertical. Also, if you get any air bubbles in the foil, lift up one side to release the air bubbles and re-smooth out that area and scrub again.

036 — Apply the second layer of foil – Pewter

I like to stress the fact – that nothing is perfect about transferring foils – so embrace the imperfections – I refer to them as “happy accidents” or “features”!!! As you apply your sections – try not to scrub all the way to the edge of the foil and leave a little salvage edge – you’re better off with imperfect edges than straight lines. Overlap the next section of foil, so that you can blend into the irregular lines you create. I also recommend that you protect your foil finishes – you can glaze over them, clear coat over them – you just allow them to be part of the finish. Make sure to create a sample board 🙂

Here a few foil finishes that I have been creating – love working with all my foils and incorporating them into beautiful finishes 🙂

Foil back ground under Cross — Foil background under Cross

Using a stencil pattern when transferring foil

I really hope that this information helps with your foiling projects – my best advice is to practice on some sample boards and get the hang of it…..it really is an easy process and so much fun! There isn’t anything else that shines like foils other than Leaf! But foils are cheaper and faster than leafing…….

Check out my web site for the complete collection of foils – over 75 different colors, patterns, and holograms. You can order a sample pack for $10 – which includes 40 different foils in a 4″ square – also all foils are available for purchase by the foot and several different size rolls. APS Foil Adhesive is available in pints, quarts, and gallons to accommodate any size project. You will find everything at www.artisticpaintingstudio.com – Also please feel free to call with any questions – you can reach the studio at 714-386-3243 or email to Jennifer@artisticpaintingstudio.com

Happy Foiling…..:)

Before Foils

After Foils by Jenn Ruoss Lamb

Let’s Chalk it up!!! Creation of a Chalk Board wall….

September 13, 2014 By Jennifer Leave a Comment

I have only been in my new studio space for little over a year (4th studio space in 25 years) – so it’s still a work in progress for me! Time doesn’t always permit for me to complete a painting projects for myself. But a few months back, I decided that I needed to clean up my office and one thing lead to another…….LOL While I was cleaning up the floor area behind my desk – I decided that “NOW” was a great time to paint that wall!

I had this idea running through my head for awhile and had wanted to create a Chalk Board Wall using the American Paint Company’s Chalk/Clay/Mineral based paints. So, with the way things get done around here – I went into my studio and found a color spoke to me at that moment – CORAL REEF🙂 and also Wild Horse’s for the center “framed Chalk Board”.

I grab some tape, a pencil and the frame I wanted to use. Marked off the area for the Chalk Board and painted Wild Horses – I applied three coats, knowing I would season this area and use it as a Chalk Board. While I was waiting for that to dry, I taped off the rest of the wall so I could paint the Coral Reef color. I love painting with the APC paints – I had great coverage in one coat with the Coral Reef paint.

Now – I just couldn’t stop at that point 🙂 I went digging through my stencil designs and decided to pull out one of my newest patterns – Contempo Modern and stencil an all-over-repeat design. I wanted a tone-on-tone look, so I took the APC Coral Reef and added some Home Plate to lighten it up – maybe around a 75/25 mixture for the stencil color. The stencil pattern has registration marks to that you can work from right to left and top to bottom – so I just kept stenciling in every direction until I finished out the entire wall.

Then came the Frame project – this was a frame that I found at a wonderful little shop I like to stop by once in a while and just see what wonderful little finds she has hidden a away for me!!! I like creating contrast for interest – so I went looking through my colors and couldn’t help but pick one of my favorite combinations – Surfboad and Home Plate.

I started out by painting on two coats of the Home Plate – allowing each layer to dry in between and then painted on the Surfboard in a “hap-hazard” fashion (very messy looking). Allowed this to dry and then came in with my “wet-blending technique” and blended the bad paint job of the Surfboard into the Home Plate – using wet cheesecloth. I will even spray water onto the surface and blend the colors together. As I was wet blending, I happened to expose some of the original frame color for some highlighting.

Once everything was dry – I wiped/brushed on a mixture of the Clear and Dark Waxes to create a medium tone wax finish.

Everyone that walks into my office loves the wall – they all say it makes them smile. I’m not sure if I’m done with this project yet or not – time will tell if I execute the rest of my ideas floating in my head 🙂

Chalk it up Peeps!!!

Pattern Rollers – Another Obsession

August 24, 2014 By Jennifer 2 Comments

Pattern rollers have been around for a long time and I played with them a few years back, but never embraced their possibilities. Over the last year or so, I started looking for these rollers once again and have been playing around with the different textures that I can create with and how FUN they are to incorporate in my decorative painting.

I have been posting on Facebook over the past several months, showing the different roller patterns/textures I have found and have been using in my decorative painting. My friends/followers have been asking many questions about using them in decorative painting and I thought it would be fun to address these concerns/questions/issues in a blog post…….hopefully I answer everyone’s questions – but if not, please feel free to post questions here!!!

Python - Diamonds - Crocodile and more — Python – Diamonds – Crocodile and more

To start with – there are many different patterns and textured rollers available to work with and I have found that I can just about roller through any texture material (all the products I use are made by Proceed by Golden or Modern Masters). The texture materials that are a little more heavy bodied, like Smooth Absorbent Texture (Proceed by Golden) is a little easier to work with than a “slick” texture like Smooth Translucent Texture…….the roller can possibly slide, instead of roll through these textures. But you can always mix the two of these products together and make a “new” wonderful texture material to play with (that’s a hint – love them mixed together – 50/50)!!

But, with a little practice and playing around – you can work with any texture material and may discover you end up with a favorite texture or two!!!

When working in different texture materials – I use my Japanese trowel to apply the texture to the surface, working in sections 2 to 3 feet wide and ceiling to floor if possible (depending on the open-time of the material you are working with). Once the texture has been applied to the surface, it helps to “wet” the roller in a bucket of water and then roll through the texture – you can clean the roller off in the water bucket to prevent the roller from getting loaded with too much material (I even learned this trick recently and love it).

There are many different patterns to choose from (www.artisticpaintingstudio.com/shop/tools/rollers/) – the patterns can be rolled vertically – horizontally – create stripes or random application – you are the artistic creator with these rollers and there really are not any rules!

One question I have been asked over and over: How do you handle corners, crown molding and baseboards? There are several options to handle all these areas.

1st option: There is a tool that has a rubber tip and you can uses this tool to hand carve the pattern into the areas that the roller is not reaching or continuing to print.

2nd option: Purchase two rollers – cut one off the roller and use this as a stamp to print the pattern into the hard to reach areas.

3rd option: Be creative in the layout of your design – you could always frame a wall, leaving a border all around the pattern roller – creating more interest to the design.

You will find that the rollers will “peak” up the edges of the material as you roll through it – which will require some sanding once it is dry. Sand the surface using 150 to 250 grit sandpaper to remove the “high pecks” if necessary. Complete the finish using your creative juices – using foils, glass beads, glaze, optional plasters, etc.

So far I have discussed all negative options for working with these rollers but you can also create a positive effect by rolling into paint and rolling the design onto a painted wall/surface.

I love working with them on furniture – drawer fronts are wonderful to work on and no issues of corners/etc.

From floral to animal skins – there are many pattern options to work with and the possibilities are endless…..I have been playing for many months and feel I have not even scratched the surface of options. You can order these on line for Art Rollers – they range in price from $12.95 to $20.95 for the Rubber style rollers and $49.95 for the Shamie style rollers.

Durability and life of a pattern roller is another question that I have been asked – these are all rubber material rollers and all materials that I have worked with to date and washed off the surface with no issues and as long as you take care of the roller – they should last a long time! The Shamie style rollers have also held up very well – I rinse well and then use a little soap to clean out residue left behind.

I have most of the rollers available on my online store – but some of them have just come in and have not been loaded on the site – if there is a roller you’re looking for and can’t find – please just call the studio at 714-386-3243 and I will help you out. I also teach many classes that incorporate using these rollers – so you can get hands on experience working with different rollers and different textures.

Blessing to all, Jenn

Dumpster Diving – TrashFormations

August 12, 2014 By Jennifer Leave a Comment

I think there are many different things they call it these days – but I always referred to it as “Dumpster Diving”! Not that I actually ever dove into a dumpster – but I have been known to look carefully through a few to find a “treasure” or two…..

Recovered "junk" to repurpose — Recovered “junk” to repurpose

I personally have been “junking” for at least the past 20 years. I think it’s kind of an addiction – once you get the BUG, it’s very hard to pass up a Yard Sale, Antique shop, Thrift Store or something that was “kicked to the Curb”……I like to say, I’m Junking 🙂 I started Junking with a friend many moons ago – we both loved to paint and felt the NEED to transform everything we bought. Our Junking days lead to a couple of books that we wrote together – Painted Chairs – Painted Whimsies – TrashFormations and Painted Fabric Fun.

Painted Chairs was the first book I wrote and chairs had always been one of my favorite pieces to paint……I started collecting chairs with the vision to transform them all and write a book. I was lucky enough to “score” the deal and Painted Chairs was published. BUT, my addiction to buy chairs just couldn’t stop……at one point I had to rent a storage unit to store them all! LOL I finally had to give up and had the biggest YardSale of the neighborhood back in 2008…..most people assumed it was a multi-family event (but it was just my obsession to buy everything I saw)!!!

Old chair - ready for transformation — Old chair – ready for transformation

My Junking days had to be spread out – after letting go of the storage unit and Paying to store my “great finds” – I realized there just wasn’t enough hours in the day to paint all my junk and I had to quit buying everything I found!!!

I do have a few weaknesses – Old Sash Windows – Vintage Doors and Frames……these items are always hard to me to pass up! I think part of my love for Junking is the search for something unique that speaks to you – whatever that may be. Searching through Antique shops, yard sales, Vintage shops – Good Will and Salvation Army are two of my FAVS!!!

I have made myself a promise that I can’t buy anything else until I paint two items I already have…….I’m running out of room once again!!!

Old Side-light windows ready for transformation

I’m currently working on Transforming an old picture frame that will frame my Chalk Board that I painted on my office wall. I’m using the American Paint Company chalk/clay/mineral based paints on this project.

One more project to Up-Cycle and I get to go junking again. For me – I feel I’m giving something discarded new life – keeping our planet a little Greener and I love taking the personality of the piece and adding to it’s natural charm.

If you are looking for inspiration on your next TrashFormation – make sure to check out my books on line at www.artisticpaintingstudio.com Have fun painting something!!!!

Teaching – My True Passion

August 7, 2014 By Jennifer Leave a Comment

I never knew that I had such a heart and passion for teaching until I opened my first retail store in October of 1994 – The Stencilled Garden, located in Fresno, CA.

I had been decorative painting for about 5 years when I decided I wanted to open a place where I could share my love of stenciling with others. Over the years in which I offered my decorative painting services, I had many customers/clients indicate that they would love to learn what I did. This set my mind in action – that not everyone could afford to hire an artist to come paint for them – but there should be a place that offered supplies, specialty products, stencils and classes – so that anyone could learn and paint something beautiful in their home!

So I opened “The Stencilled Garden” to provide a place to buy stencils/products and learn the art of stenciling so you could do it yourself!!! I started offering classes on the art of stenciling as soon as I opened my studio/store and found that I “loved” teaching others to stencil.

Many people believe that they have no artistic talent and to see someone’s face light up when they start creating with a stencil and how artistic they truly can be – is a Joy and Blessing for me! In the 18 years that my studio was located in Fresno, CA – I think I taught just about everyone in town to stencil 🙂

My studio quickly evolved into a decorative painting studio – where someone could buy products for just about any project. I started offering classes in Faux, Plasters, project classes and just about anything related to painting!!!

Well, I moved my studio January of 2013 to Southern California – can’t say I had much of a plan (other than I was ready for a change and my kids were all settled at college)! I once again opened up a new studio in Huntington Beach, CA – a creative place to inspire others to paint something! My studio offers many different products from stencil brushes and acrylic paints to specialty brushes to create a full wall finish – I’m a decorative painting studio that has everything for your projects, furniture, floors, ceilings, walls, and cabinetry.

I still find JOY in teaching others – whether it’s beginner holding a stencil brush for the first time or a fellow artist looking for new inspiration. My place is open to all – newbies – beginners – advanced decorative painters……you will always find the products you need, the advice to complete the project, the training to know what to do with your project from start to finish.

My classes are listed on my web site and private lessons are always an option too!!! www.artisticpaintingstudio.com/classes/

Jennifer having hands on training with a student

What else can I say – I LOVE to teach painting – share my talents and knowledge with others………Be Blessed!

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