Fauxology: Studying the Visual Magic of Faux Finishing and Interior Design (brought to you by Garay Artisans)

The Wall-Nuts is a group of four women (including myself), with various degrees of expertise in the decorative painting field. We get together periodically to test out different books, videos and/or products. You, dear Reader, get to reap the benefits. Although we will not provide the recipes, we will post our results and also talk about them via podcast. (I’m actually quite proud that with the help of my husband, I was able to wrangle Sound Forge, the software used to edit the podcast.)

To read the bios of each member, please click here. For our initial get-together, we all took on a book by Gary Lord entitled “It’s Faux Easy”. He is one of the most prolific faux finishers and has received numerous accolades. It’s Faux Easy has about 30 projects and the corresponding recipes. But…do they work? Are they easy to follow? Here’s our take:

 

 Wall-nuts Podcast: It's Faux Easy (Gary Lord) [15:23m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

We each wrote our own recap since filming the podcast so that if you cannot access it, you can easily read the results. 

Monica Zeuli: University-Trained Muralist
Hoping to Inspire: All fine artists who have an interest in faux finishing
Recipe: Colette’s Classic (Project Eleven)

Book Sample (Left), Monica with her sample (Right)

Monica: Overall, the recipe was easier than it looks.  I went by the book with every step and the only thing I can comment on is to make sure your squeegee notches are on the small side so it doesn’t come out too linear.  If you want “fat” lines then go wide with the notch.  I used a pre-made squeegee that was wide and I decided to go over the lines a couple of times which made the SofTex leave little knobs which were easy to remove.  It really looks like natural bamboo. As a professional artist, I would recommend to my clients painting directly on the wall of a bath or kitchen with a light tan or gold basecoat to get the same effect and bypass the paper. I think that would give me the best durability for my clients. Taping off baseboards and ceilings would be essential. I do love the finish product and I can wait to sell it! 

PROS
Super easy, great for either a novice or experienced faux artist.
I liked that you put it on craft paper and apply to the wall.  You can have plenty of practice before applying finish product.

CONS
You have to wait at least an hour before applying glaze.
You have to use a lot of the relatively expensive SoftTex.
My squeegee didn’ have the right size knotches like the book had.  I had to go over the area a few times to get smaller lines.
I wish I could ask Mr. Lord if his example (using the finished craft paper in a bathroom), would hold up in condensation and would the background show water stain? Would it tear after getting wet? Would a clear coat help?

Debbie Jackson: New Professional Faux Finisher
Hoping to Inspire: Those who are just starting their faux career or looking to start one
Recipe Chosen: Rawhide (Project Twelve)

Book Sample (Left), Debbie with her sample (Right)

Debbie: All things considered, this finish was easy to accomplish and the directions were very easy to follow.  It definitely gets a thumbs-up from me.

PROS
Easy directions, anyone could execute this finish and it’s fun to do.

CONS
Paper is a little fragile when wet so you must exercise caution.

Sharon Adelman: The Faux Enthusiast
Hoping to Inspire: All the DIYers out there
Recipe Chosen: Linen Strie (Project Five)

Book Sample (Left), Sharon with her sample (Right) 

Sharon: It was quite straighforward once I started painting and getting the hang of it.  Initially, I was very nervous wondering if I was making mistakes.  Quite fun after a while and this really makes you focus.  I actually meditated when I painted. The final result of the Linen Strie was quite nice.  I loved it.  Very simple, very classy.  I like the muted look with the nice contrast on both the horizontal and vertical lines.  I guess once I have a more steady hand, I will do this on my walls.  I am very happy with this experiment.  I am looking forward to more intricate projects.   

PROS
The book consists of helpful steps.  Very good Pro Tips are found on the start of every recipe. These was very helpful for me since I needed more guidance and Gary Lord laid that out for me.
 

CONS
The color palette (pg 39) and printed color on Step One (pg 40) was a lot darker and that totally confused me. But in the end, I just played with the colors and went with my gut on which color to use. I will now be braver trying out other colors.

Regina Garay: Ye (Relatively) Olde-Timer
Hoping to Inspire: Like-minded professionals and anyone with an interest in decorative painting as a hobby or business
Recipe Chosen: Parchment (Project Six)

Book Sample (Left), Best pic of Regina’s sample (Right)

Regina:  I must admit, halfway through the finish I was worried.  It didn’t seem right and my results didn’t look like the book’s pictures.  However, when the final glaze layer went on, it brought it all together and I liked the finish so much it went right into the portfolio.  I’m all for layering and this one is fairly easy to do with great predictable results.  (Plus, that final overall glaze recipe?  Gorgeous color.) 

PROS
Gorgeous layered finish
Colors provided give a nice tone that would work in many home’s designs
Final glaze coloration now one of my faves
The kind of recipe that is versatile enough to handle endless color variations

CONS
Doesn’t really come together until the final layer
Getting an even look with the paint-only softening layer will take a bit of practice for a DIYer

***

There you have it, folks.  All four of us were unanimous in recommending this book, which is available at your favorite online or local bookstore.  I hope you’ve enjoyed the first Wall-nuts installment. We are looking to get together again sometime early next year for our next “test”. (…and if you have any reviews to suggest, by all means please let us know in the comments section.)

You must forgive me if you find some typos…my right index finger was bitten by something over the weekend and now it’s swelled up, red, painful and itchy.  I’m typing with my other fingers so…this oughta be fun. 

Well, Saturday — the first get-together by the Wallnuts (nee The Fauxtastic Four) – was a blast.  We had projected meeting from 10 am to 3:00 pm but everyone cut out of the studio close to 6pm.   We would have continued our party on to dinner but we had a rather large (and loud) lunch.  (By “we”, I don’t mean just the four of us.  Husbands were there, siblings were there, family was there…what a fun day!)  To put it all together will take a few more days than I expected but I hope it will be worth the wait.  The four of us were really surprised at the end of the day when the men came in to set up our podcast.  We thought we were just going to talk into the laptop or something but nooooooooooooo…there was microphones and stands and mixers and stuff I can’t even pronounce.  As we were doing our chosen recipes during the day, we were gabbing and laughing and having a great time.  I really hope the podcast caught some of that energy.  It’s our first one so I’m sure we’ll get more comfortable with it as time goes on.  Here’s two teaser pics of our day:

 (Left) Prepwork: Books, Materials & Coffee   (Right) My microphone…a bit daunting

Well, we’re off to prep for Tropical Storm/Hurricane Fay.  It doesn’t feel like a bad one but you can never be too overprepared.  I’ll try to post more cool stuff in the meantime, if the weather (and finger) permits.  I hope you are having a beautiful, sunny day! 

Hi, Everyone!  Well, tomorrow (Saturday, 8/16) is The Day!  I’ve talked about The Fauxtastic Four before and gave you a preview of what was coming.  Well, we’ve decided to change our moniker and re-christened ourselves: The Wall-nuts!  (No offense is intended to any ceiling or any other surface.  My name is Regina Garay and I approve this message.) 

We are getting together to check out the recipes in Gary Lord’s book “It’s Faux Easy”.  (Do click on the Fauxtastic Four link above to read a little more in-depth about our plan…it’s been a long day and Momma’s tired.) 

My husband, Chris, and Sharon Adelman’s husband, Chad, have been working diligently this week to put our podcast tech tools together to ensure that the four Wall-nuts can talk all about our first adventure.  Thank you so much, Chris and Chad!  I’ll try to post the entries up as fast as I can.  Not sure the world is ready for us gabbing away (someone is bringing Mimosas, I think) but there it is…

Until then!

The Fauxtastic Four. What is it? Who are they? Is there really a faux superhero team? Well, no…and yes. The Fauxtastic Four came about as an idea I had to take the faux recipe books and videos that come out every year and actually test them. See if the recipes hold up and if anyone really can achieve those looks. Then, I thought, “Why just test them on my own when a group with varying degrees of training can do so?” The idea started to take shape and the group started to evolve. I narrowed it to four participants: [1] a faux-as-a-hobby enthusiast with no professional training, [2] a professional faux finisher starting their career, [3] a professional faux finisher more than a decade into her career (that would be me), and [4] a university-trained muralist.  In short, the Fauxology readers will each have a person whose experience they can relate to.  I thought we each would bring a certain outlook into our tests and reviews while helping the readers (that would be you) make an informed buying decision on a “how-to” purchase.  

Here’s how it works: Once per quarter, our group chooses a book and/or video we’d all like to review. After picking the finish in the book/video we’d each like to try the most, with no repeats, we get together in the studio for one day to test our chosen recipes and talk (and eat and drink and have fun).  No actual formulas will be posted online but there will be pictures taken of the process and of the final results. All four of us are pretty positive personalities so we will be fair but not be vicious or derogatory — we’ll leave that to those who like to tear others down.  Our ideal goal is to have a great experience with the book/video and share our findings with you.  We will also have a podcast where you can listen to the four of us dish on our day and the results.

So, who is the lucky recipient of Review Numero Uno? Why, it’s Gary Lord! We’ve picked his book “It’s Faux Easy” to test out. Our studio day is planned for Saturday, August 16 – look for the next Fauxtastic Four entry after that to see and listen to the results! Until then, here are the pics and bios of each of the Fauxtastic Four members…enjoy!

The Faux Enthusiast: Sharon Adelman

Hoping to Inspire: All the DIYers out there!

I have always been very active in the arts. In middle and high school, I loved “still art” and anything that was abstract. With my parents’ “push” to learn classical music since I was 5 years old, it also fueled my passion for music as well. I went into Audio Engineering and Digital Media degree programs, but eventually got tired of the competitive nature of the music business. Four years ago, I tapped into the teaching market after a revelation: teaching has always been in my blood since the women in my family were all teachers. This has taken me into a new career and I now teach at a children’s school. Art and faux has always been something of a fantasy for me, meaning that “one day, I will learn it” but I never knew where to start. After meeting Regina, it sparked my interest even more. I enjoy cooking, entertaining, traveling abroad, indigenous craft and music.

Ye Olde Timer: Regina Garay

Hoping to Inspire: Like-minded professionals and anyone with an interest in decorative painting as a hobby or business

Regina Garay is of Hispanic heritage and has traveled internationally to receive training from world-renowned Master Artisans. She is a member of the Stencil Artisans League and the company is an ASID (American Society of Interior Designers) Industry Partner. She was one of the first faux finishers in the country to be recognized as a Certified Faux Consultant by the Paint and Decorating Retailers of America. She has taught faux finishing courses for the Southern Women’s Show and her firm’s work has been featured in newspapers and magazines (and now, a book: Modello by Design) in addition to a commission featured in the Frontgate catalog which reached 40 million homes. She was recently asked by TalkFaux, an international faux finishing forum, to be a Global Moderator on their site. Her firm, Garay Artisans, was established in 1998 and the artisans have since worked in many beautiful homes and notable commercial projects including hotels, restaurants and boutiques. She also teaches beginner’s faux finishing workshops in Orlando in conjunction with Benjamin Moore and maintains the Fauxology blog. She personally enjoys traveling, socializing, dancing, reading a great book and going to the movies. She hopes to tackle her garden as a project one day.

The New Professional Faux Finisher: Debbie Jackson

Hoping to Inspire: Those who are just starting their faux careers or are thinking of jumping into one

Debbie Jackson is the owner of Debbie’s Designs, a Central Florida faux finish and custom painting business that was established in 2006. Debbie’s interest in art began in elementary school, where she began drawing portraits of her family, friends and an assortment of pets. Over the years she developed an interest in making her surroundings more appealing to the eye and decided to take the next step and start her own business by sharing what she loves with others. Debbie continues to learn new techniques yearly at different faux studios and schools. When not painting, Debbie enjoys photography, visiting with family and friends and playing with her animals. Debbie is also passionate about animal rights and volunteers for a local no-kill shelter.

The University-Trained Muralist: Monica Zeuli

Hoping to Inspire: All fine artists who have an interest in faux finishing as well

I did my first painting when I was 7 years old. My dad was an established artist and my first art teacher. When I was young, he taught me the correct ways of drawing and painting. This is the best thing you can do for a child who enjoys art since you receive more of an education than what you learn at school. I used art as my therapy as a teen during my parent’s divorce and my Grandfather’s death. It helped me heal in so many ways and it teaches you to look inward and grow.  In high school, I took weekend classes in Boston’s finest schools and was nominated as Best Artist.   I went to a four-year art program at Notre Dame College where I got a BA Degree in Commercial Art. I started my own business in 1998 in Massachusetts and was astounded at the fact that I could actually get paid for what most people consider a hobby. I moved to Florida in 2000 and since then, have been painting regularly and been steady with referrals.  My work is getting more defined and recognized everyday.  I sleep great since there is nothing more satisfying than being wiped out from painting all day.

All of us are so excited — we hope you are, too!