Page 41 - The Decorative Painter Winter 2016

Chinoiserie Jewelry Cabinet
METALLIC/POWDER
JUDY DIEPHOUSE
hinoiserie is an old art form that was passed down through furniture manufacturers. It is not a difficult art to achieve. Basically it is three steps: basecoating
areas by number, shading elements with floats of browns, and doing final details with fine lines of black. This can be done using powders or metallic paint. The powders are the traditional method. This jewelry box would make an amazing gift for someone special in your life.
PREPARATION
Basecoat the entire cabinet with Lamp (Ebony) Black. Sand well between coats. The gloss finish shows any brushstrokes or uneven areas. Trace on the pattern.
If you are using the gold and silver powders, you will be mixing the powders with satin varnish. Squeeze a small amount of the varnish next to the pile of powder you will be using. Mix a small amount of the powder and varnish at a time. The varnish dries quickly and if you mix a large pile you may be wasting a lot of the powder. Mix to paint consistency. Once the project is completed, you must tack the entire piece with a lint-free cloth or tack cloth before varnishing. This is to remove any loose powder that may not have bonded with the varnish to prevent it from smearing across your piece. Traditional Chinoiserie pieces have a high gloss finish. Start with a couple layers of satin varnish then move to a gloss brush- on or spray-on finish.
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