When I decided to write a book called Annie Sloan Paints Everything, I thought that I must really paint everything! I have included furniture of all sorts and finishes, rope, fabric of all types, and metal, but I needed another kind of surface. Then I remembered the glass bowls I painted many years ago, so this is a reworking of that idea. I have always loved painting these. It is very easy to do and achievable by anyone.
Painting bowls first started because I once needed a bowl for mixing paint in my studio, having run out of places and being too lazy to wash up. I found a bowl in my kitchen cabinet, thinking it would be easy to wash. In fact, it would have been easy to wash if I had done it straight away, but I left it too long and the paint set and became very hard. However, I noticed how beautiful the paint looked though the glass, and so an idea was born.
In this design, I have kept everything very simple by choosing a set of blues with one light warm green, Versailles, by way of gentle contrast. I chose colors that are mid-tone—with white added to the Aubusson Blue and Napoleonic Blue—as they give better coverage. My design is very free and I wasn’t aiming for perfection.
YOU WILL NEED
• Small project pots of Chalk Paint® in: Greek Blue, Provence, Aubusson Blue (with a little Old White added), Napoleonic Blue (with a little Old White added), and Versailles
• Glass bowl
• 5 small flat brushes
• Clear varnish
1Using one of the brushes, paint a fairly generous section of Greek Blue, which is a mid-tone color, on the inside of the bowl, without pressing too hard on the glass—or apply two layers to get a good coverage. While this first section is still wet, use another brush to apply a darker color next to it (here I used Provence), but in a narrow stripe. Don’t worry if you leave any gaps.
2Continue adding stripes in the other colors, using a clean brush each time, until the whole inner surface of the bowl is painted, including the base.
3Using the handle of a brush, scratch lines into the wet paint. This step can be done once the paint is almost dry or when it’s wet. Vary the width and frequency of the lines.
4Paint and cover the inside of the bowl in the Versailles paint. Once the paint has dried thoroughly, apply varnish with a clean flat brush.
