Painting Techniques for Renaissance Walls

Plaster

• Create the look of heavy stone and plaster walls. Apply joint compound to walls by rolling on the material or using a drywall trowel. Once applied, manipulate the wet plaster by using the edge of your trowel and creating valleys and peaks in your plaster. Hold the trowel, and move your wrist to pick up and move the plaster on the wall's surface. Each person's version of texture will look different. Once dry, roll on two coats of latex paint to the plaster walls in ivory. Mix one part dark umber latex paint and three parts glaze. Brush the glaze mixture onto your walls, and blot with a towel as needed. Leave as is, or add additional elements for more Renaissance flair.

Stencils

• Some walls were adorned with architectural elements. Choose a stencil design that closely reflects the Renaissance look you are trying to recreate. Scrolls are popular to place above doorways or other entryways. Choose an ornate border stencil to paint the upper portion of the wall, near the ceiling. Use metallic paint, such as gold, commonly used during this period. For a more layered look, first stencil the design in a dark brown, and then lightly brush on gold paint over the top. When applying your stencil, simply attach the stencil to the wall with painter's tape. Clean your stencil as needed with a damp cloth.

Murals

• Hand paint a mural onto your wall. Create elements such as vines, grapes or other mural elements. If you are not a natural artist, use a projector to add the image to the wall, and trace with a water color pencil. Use different craft paints to add color to your mural. Mix paints with glaze to create more translucent colors. The overall mural effect will look aged and distressed once glaze is added over the entire effect. Use a dark brown glaze for the mural to look antiqued.

Lime Drips

• A final look for old Renaissance walls is to create the look of water stains. Mix white paint and water. The overall consistency should be very watery, enough where the water can be squirted out of the spray bottle. Hold the spray bottle directly at the ceiling line; the bottle should actually touch the wall plaster. Squirt the paint and water solution onto the wall, and allow the mixture to run down the wall about halfway. Quickly blot with a towel to stop the paint from running down, and allow the solution to dry.