Tutorial: Sun-Dappled Wall Paint Treatment

Here's a interesting faux sun-dappled shadow paint effect for your wall.  
I figured out this method in 1995 when I painted the walls in my new sunroom addition.


Supplies
Spray paint in light green and dark green  (I used Rustoleum's American Accents.)
Wall paint that matches the light green spray exactly in color and finish
Twigs with leaves from the garden



1. Choose a spray paint in a matte or low sheen finish in shade of green that you would like on your wall.
 Choose a second green spray paint that's a few shades darker.

2. Spray the lighter green paint on a sheet of white paper. The coverage should be solid.

3. Take the sprayed piece of paper to the paint store and have them match it exactly in color and sheen. Buy enough paint to cover the area you want to paint.

4. Paint the wall. Let it dry.

5. To create a hedge effect, spray the dark green color over the wall from baseboard to about 30" inches up. (Use drop cloths and whatever you need to protect the floor.) The dark green shouldn't be solid or very heavy. You can vary it  -- a little darker to a little lighter -- but your graduations should be smooth, not splotchy. The top edge should have a slight up and downward variation. Fade out the top edge so the dark green is very light...there shouldn't be a hard line anywhere.

6. Now, go out in your yard and pick some nice twigs with pretty leaves in different shapes and sizes.

7. Put on some rubber gloves, and pick up one of your twigs. Hold it about about 2-3 inches from the wall and use your light green spray paint to spray across and around the leaves. The leaves act as a "reverse stencil" protecting the dark green color and retaining the shape of the leaves on the wall. Holding the leaves away from the wall allows the paint edge to be soft so you get a more natural shadow effect.

8. After you have all the "leaves" you want, spray the light green to "erase" any remaining dark green edges that you don't want on the wall. Because your wall is the exact color of the light spray paint, you can fade the top edge of the hedge completely out by painting over it with the light green.




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