To paint the color red onto an area here is a tip that you may not be aware of:
Basecoat the area  with any medium color green. Red is a transparent color And if you put the green on first, You will only need to paint on one or two coats of red, instead of 15!
Now I know this looks funny especially when you are painting candy cane or apples. But how do apples turn into bright red apples, they become green first! Let’s not hope that’s the same for the candy canes!

Always stir up your paint with the brush and add a bit of water, your paint has alife of it’s own, if it sits still too long it will get lumpy  just like you and me!!

Shirley

To put a pattern on a round or bell or any odd shape, use a sharpie and draw the pattern on GOOD Saran Wrap (some with body) and then wrap around your project.  Boy , does it make it so much easier – leave enough so the Saran meets and sticks to itself.

Helpful Hints Lady – Shirley Hopper

Here is a great tip for keeping your brushes in nice condition.
Evelyn sent me this one and I do thank her for that! She writes:
I keep one wash brush that use only to apply varnish or clear gloss.
After cleaning it with soap and water, I stroke the brush through
hair conditioner (cream  rinse) to “recondition” it. When I am ready
to use it again, I rinse it well with water to remove all the
conditioner. By doing this, my brush seems to last longer.
Evelyn Swavely

Helpful Hints Lady – Shirley Hopper

To paint the color red onto an area here is a tip that you may not be aware of:
Basecoat the area  with any medium color green. Red is a transparent color And if you put the green on first, You will only need to paint on one or two coats of red, instead of 15!
Now I know this looks funny especially when you are painting candy cane or apples. But how do apples turn into bright red apples, they become green first! Let’s not hope that’s the same for the candy canes!

To antique a project, whether a jar or wood, the same method applies for both, here is the way that I do it.
You will need a tube of Burnt Umber Oil paint  and some Turpentine.
Put a dab of the Burnt Umber oil paint onto a styrofoam meat tray, or plastic bowl- that you can throw away.
Add a small amount of turpentine and mix the two until you have a soupy consistency.
Have two clean paper towels or rags next to your work area. Take one clean towel and dip it into the turpentine mixture. Wipe onto bottle. Take the other clean towel and wipe off what you  just put on there. Keep repeating this process until you get your jar or bottle to look the way you want it to. You don’t need to seal the jar or bottle with anything after you antique it.