How to Paint a Whimsical Table

Leaf through magazines, photos, posters and calendar pages to find pictures of magical items, fairies, unicorns, dragons, gnomes, mushrooms, rainbows and other fanciful things. Cut them out and pin or tape them to a corkboard or poster board.

Place the corkboard or poster board where you can see it from a doorway. Add or remove pictures and move them around on the board until you find a combination that makes you smile or laugh when you enter the room. Use this as your inspiration for your table design.

Sketch or trace the picture arrangement, to the best of your drawing ability, on a sheet of paper the same size as your table top. Tape whatever paper you have together to make larger sheets if you are painting a full-size dining table, or use easel paper or rolls of mural paper. Make four to six full-size copies of your sketch by tracing it on additional sheets of paper.

Turn the sketch over and run a charcoal or ochre sketching stick over each line in the drawing. Tape the sketch to your table, "good" side up and charcoal or ochre side down.

Trace along the lines of your sketch with a pencil to transfer it to your table top. Press firmly to ensure that the charcoal or ochre transfer the design.

Use your spare drawings to experiment with color. Select colors that make you feel happy, alert, encouraged or bubbly when you see them. Use colored pencils to fill in all areas on one of your spare sketches that you think should be the same color. Repeat until you have used all your chosen colors, and all areas are filled.

Stand back about 3 feet and look at your sample color choices. Look for areas that seem to clash or that do not fit with a fun, bouncy mood. Make a duplicate sketch, using a different color for that area, and step back again. Stop when you like the color combination you have created.

Use your final color sketch as a guide. Paint one section at a time, using a single color and working from the center of the table top to the upper right, center to bottom right, center to upper left and center to bottom left. Use a combination of short and long brush strokes. Allow the table to dry overnight before changing colors.

Repeat painting and drying until you cover all sections of the table top. Step back about 3 feet and look at the total effect. Note places where you want to add shading or texture. Add shading to create three-dimensional effects and texture to make your drawing look more natural if you feel comfortable with your artistic skills.

Apply a coat of clear acrylic wood treatment to the entire table top. Dust the table top with clear or iridescent glitter, and allow it to dry overnight. Seal the table with three to five more coats of clear acrylic wood treatment, allowing it to dry between coats.