This chapter will teach you the basic skills you need to paint your own toleware. Once you have practiced and mastered these skills, you can put them together to create the projects later in this book.

Preparing the Painting Surface

When preparing the tinware project for painting, and whenever using oil paints, always work in a well-ventilated area. An electric room air purifier is also helpful for removing the smell of the oil paints and other mediums and solvents.

Begin by using a medium scruffy pad (burgundy color) to rough up the smooth, shiny tin surface. This helps the paint to adhere to the smooth surface.

Wipe down the tin surface with turpentine, alcohol, or mineral spirits to remove any oil or solder flux. Even oil from your hands can leave a greasy film on the tin.

The next step is to prime the tin with Rustoleum red primer. Stir the contents of the can well with a popsicle stick. It’s a good idea to strain the primer. I strain it through a piece of old nylon stocking into a small paper cup placed inside a recycled tomato paste can. Then, using a plastic spoon, measure out 2 spoonfuls of paint and 1 spoonful of turpentine, and stir. Check the consistency of the primer, which should be thin. Now brush a thin coat of the primer onto one side only of your tinware, using your sponge brush. Start in the center, working to the edge of the object. If you’re painting a tray, do the outside rim last. Allow the primer to dry, and then do the reverse side.

When drying tinware, I like to use a drying oven to make sure that no moisture remains in the seams or edges of the piece. This also helps the paint cure and adhere to the surface. I have two converted drying ovens that are each powered by a 100-watt lightbulb. Each oven has three pull-out shelves and allows things to dry in a dust-free environment. You can use the heat of the lightbulb in the oven of your stove, but be extremely careful that the oven temperature is not turned on.

Before painting an object, it is very important that the surfaces be smooth. Likewise, between steps in the painting process, it is necessary to sand the painted surface. Wet-sanding is my preferred method. Once the primer on both sides is dry, sand with a small piece of 600-grit wet sandpaper. First soak the sandpaper in a small, shallow container of water with a drop or two of dish liquid for about fifteen to twenty minutes before use. It’s best to sand lengthwise, and sand in one direction only. Check for smoothness by running your fingertips over the surface. Once it’s sanded smooth enough that you can’t feel any bumps or ridges, rinse the object under running water, and dry thoroughly.

Now your piece is ready for the base coat. Secure the object you will be base-coating to the pick boards. Thin and strain the paint as directed in the primer step. Then use a sponge brush to apply the base coat color. This usually requires a minimum of two coats of paint. Wet-sand after each coat, followed by the use of a tack cloth to remove the paint dust. Once the desired basecoat color is achieved and you’ve sanded it smooth, seal the paint with a barrier or varnish coat. Use varnish over oil paint or JoSonja’s Clear Glaze over acrylic. If you make a mistake or decide you do not like the placement of your design, it’s much easier to remove if the paint has a barrier coat applied. This also keeps the decorative painting from seeping into the base coat. Follow the manufacturer’s directions, and it’s also a good idea to strain the varnish just as you did the primer and base-coat paints. Allow the object to dry a minimum of 24 hours before wet-sanding again.

Once you have prepared your tinware surface properly, it is time to proceed with the decorative process.

Tips for Painting

• Long fingernails and tole painting on tinware do not go well together. Long fingernails will click on the tinware and possibly scratch the surface before it is cured. It’s a good idea to keep your fingernails no longer than the ends of your fingers.
• Avoid wearing clothing that sheds a lot of lint, or is fuzzy, such as a sweater.
• Lint and dust particles do not get along well with the decorative painter.

Basic Strokes

If you are a first-time painter, before you begin a project, spend some time studying the photographs of the basic strokes. Then practice the strokes on newspaper, bristol board, or white gift-box cardboard with a somewhat shiny surface, or even tracing paper. You can place a piece of clear acetate topped with a piece of tracing paper over the brush strokes in this book, and paint over them to help you get the feel of the strokes. I cannot stress enough the importance of practice in learning the basic strokes.

Use a number 4 round brush to begin practicing the strokes in this section. The first step is to load your brush with paint. To do this, dip the tip of the round brush into the edge of the paint puddle on the palette, and gently work the brush back and forth to load it. When painting, whenever possible, try to use a bridge for your hand so that it does not get into anything you have previously painted that may still be wet. You can also rest your little finger on the painting surface to help steady your hand.

Basic Strokes: Right Comma

The comma stroke is a basic one in folk-art painting.

To begin the right comma stroke, place the brush on the surface at the 12 o’clock position.

Apply pressure and gently pull the brush down to the 6 o’clock position.

As you pass 3 o’clock, begin to gently release pressure to form the tail of the stroke, lifting up at the 6 o’clock position.

If you are making several of these strokes, you’ll need to adjust the work so that you begin at 12 o’clock and end at 6 o’clock.

Basic Strokes: Left Comma

The left comma stroke is done the same way, except that you turn your work and begin at the 9 o’clock position.

Pull the stroke across to the 3 o’clock position.

As you pass 6 o’clock, gently release the pressure and pull the brush to a point at 3 o’clock. Note how the worksheet position was changed to facilitate this movement.

Basic Strokes: Teardrop

Whereas the comma stroke is slightly curved, the teardrop or straight comma stroke is straight.

Here you pull the stroke straight down from 12 to 6 o’clock, but do not flare the stroke out to the side. It’s one straight movement—press, pull, release.

Basic Strokes: Left Crescent

The left crescent stroke is pulled from 9 to 3 o’clock. Touch the surface, pull, apply pressure, pull, and release. This process creates the fullest part of the stroke in the central section.

Basic Strokes: Right Crescent

The right crescent stroke is pulled from 12 to 6 o’clock, turning your work to facilitate this movement. Tip the brush to the surface at 12 o’clock, pull, apply pressure, pull, and release the brush at 6 o’clock. Look at the practice stroke sheet as a reference.

Basic Strokes: S

Resting the brush on the tip, or chisel edge if using a flat brush, creates the S stroke. Gradually increase the pressure as you change directions slightly. Begin to release the pressure as you change the direction again, ending on the tip or chisel edge. Do not twist the brush to form this stroke, but change directions instead. This can be done with either a left or right starting point.

Basic Strokes: Elongated S

The elongated S stroke is basically done the same way as the regular S stroke, except that a little more pressure is applied at the beginning and end, making the stroke a little fuller.

It can be done from either the left or right starting point.

Basic Strokes: Thin-Thick-Thin

This thin-thick-thin stroke is created by pulling down in a straight line from 12 to 6 o’clock. Start on the tip of the brush, gradually increase pressure as you are pulling midpoint, and then begin to decrease the pressure as you end the stroke.

Basic Strokes: Ball

There are several ways to make a filled-in ball. An easy method is to use a series of comma strokes to complete a circle and fill it in.

Begin with a right comma stroke.

Turn the object upside down and make another right comma stroke to form the basis for the circle.

Then fill in the center by doing one or two more comma strokes, depending on the size of your circle.

Basic Strokes:Thin Comma

Once you feel as though you’re comfortable with these strokes, move to a number 2 liner brush to make thinner strokes. A liner brush has just a few hairs, which are slightly longer than those on the fuller round brush.

The comma stroke is created the exact same way as when using the number 4 round brush.

Practice some comma strokes with the liner brush to get the feel of it.

Basic Strokes: Squiggle

Next try some squiggles or curlicues with the fine liner brush. The paint should be thin; add some flow medium to thin your paint slightly if using acrylics. You want the paint to be able to flow easily from the tip of your brush.

The brush is held perpendicular to the object to be painted, and only the tip is touching.

Freely move your brush in circles, varying the sizes of the circles slightly and in some instances even the direction in which you make the circles, and end with a curved line. These should be fun; just relax, and keep your wrist flexible and the movements fluid and steady.

Basic Strokes: Cross-Hatching

Cross-hatching is also done with the liner brush. It looks best when done on a diagonal and with an uneven number of lines, such as three or five. The lines can be straight or slightly curved. Whichever way you start, all lines should be the same.

Start the lines at the top of the space and paint diagonally from right to left, top to bottom. Wait a moment or so before beginning in the opposite direction.

Try to space the cross lines evenly apart, again working top to bottom, but this time going diagonally from left to right.

Striping

Striping is often used around the edge of the floor of a tray, around the top or bottom edge of a coffeepot, or on a document box. There is a special striping brush for this job, and it comes in various sizes, number 1 creating the finest line, and 3 the thickest. The brush I’m using in these examples is the JoSonja’s striper number 2, which has a regular paintbrush-length handle. Once you load the brush with the thin paint, the brush takes on a spoon-shaped look. Stripers for oil painting have much longer, and many more, bristles or hairs, and the handle is just a stub that fits into the palm of your hand.

The key to striping, especially around the edge of a tray, is to stand up and give yourself plenty of room to work. Have your work at a comfortable level, such as countertop height. Try placing your right foot slightly in front of your left so that you can pull the stroke from your shoulder, not just from your wrist. Rock back onto your left foot if necessary, so that you pull the stroke along the edge of the tray in one fluid motion.

Rest your little finger along the edge of the object, letting it serve as your guide to keep the entire stroke the same distance from the edge.

Keep looking ahead of your brush, not behind; in other words, watch where you are going, not where you have been. The main thing is to relax and not be tense while doing this stroke. Here again, practice, practice, and practice some more before doing any striping on an object.

Simple Borders

Most early painted tinware and many of today’s decorated objects are finished with borders. On a tray, a border is used on the flange to complement the design on the floor. Borders are painted on the top and bottom edges and around the flanges on gooseneck coffeepots and around the lid tops and front bottom edges on document boxes. You can make border designs by putting together some of the basic strokes you’ve learned. I am using a number 4 round brush in the following examples, but the size of the brush you use depends on the size of the object you are painting.

A series of right comma strokes makes a simple border.

A variation is to paint a right comma stroke, then a left comma stroke, alternating around the edge of the object.

A more complex variation is to first make a border of right comma strokes all around the object. Then do another round of a smaller comma stroke next to the first strokes. Next add a dot at the narrow end of each pair of comma strokes with the tip of the brush. You could add a third row of even smaller comma strokes if you want.

Another simple border can be made by using a round brush to make a series of long comma strokes along the striping line you’ve painted around your tray or other item.

A rickrack or zigzag border is fun to do. This is done the same way as the S stroke, but with smaller strokes and parallel to the edge of the object. Starting from the left bottom and applying very light pressure, move the brush upward on a diagonal to the right. Change directions and apply more pressure while making a diagonal stroke to the bottom right. Repeat these diagonal upward light strokes and downward heavier strokes around the object, trying to keep them uniform in length. Relax as you pull these strokes.

Elaborate Borders and Decorative Edgings

A variation of the elongated S stroke forms the basis of a combination of strokes that’s one of my favorite borders for around the edge of an oval bread tray.

Using a round brush, begin by applying pressure as you start an S stroke. As you change directions for the ending, pull the long tail of the stroke with just the tip of the brush, applying very light pressure. Make a series of these strokes, evenly spacing them around the edge of your object where you want the border. These strokes should be about 1½ inches long and about ¼-inch apart.

Now change to a liner brush, and pull a thin comma stroke with light pressure from the tip of each original stroke to just past the midway point on that stroke, lifting the brush as you rejoin the original stroke.

Switch back to a round brush, and pull another, thicker comma stroke to the bottom left side of each original stroke.

Apply a second, slightly smaller comma stroke to the left of each of the comma strokes you just made.

Then apply a third series of even smaller comma strokes to the left of these strokes.

Now move to the right side of the original elongated S strokes, and apply a series of comma strokes slightly longer than the first set of comma strokes on the left side.

Apply a second, slightly shorter comma stroke to the right of each of these strokes.

Finish the border pattern by applying a dot with the tip of the round brush at the bottom of each series of comma strokes.

Series of large to small comma strokes, both right and left, are often used at the ends of large trays with handhold cutouts.

Start by marking the center of the area to be decorated. Make the largest right comma stroke slightly to the right of center, and continue making a series of comma strokes, decreasing their size as you move to the right. It is best to use an uneven number of comma strokes on each side.

Repeat the pattern to the left of center, making your left comma strokes the same sizes as those on the right.

An elaborate border pattern can be made from a combination of comma strokes, teardrops, and cross-hatching.

Begin by painting a series of elongated right comma strokes along the edge of the object with a round brush.

Make a second row and then a third row of thinner comma strokes.

Next, turn the object around so that the insides of the arches of the comma strokes are facing you, and pull a teardrop stroke between each set of three comma strokes, from about 1 to 1¼ inch below the comma strokes to the top edge. Begin this stroke by applying pressure to the round brush, and release pressure as you pull the stroke, ending on the tip of the brush.

Turn your work around in the opposite direction, and use a liner brush to fill in the space under the arches of the original comma strokes with cross-hatching.

Do all the strokes in one direction, evenly spacing them; then make cross strokes in the opposite direction. This will give you better control of your spacing.

Finally, still using the liner brush, make a series of three thin comma strokes over the points where the original comma strokes meet.

Finishing the Piece

Always sign and date your work after decorations have been painted. Decide on how you want your name and date to appear, and be consistent on all your future projects.

The paint must cure for about two weeks if air-drying or a minimum of forty-eight hours if using a drying oven. When the drying process is complete, erase any visible pattern lines using a pink pearl eraser. Use a tack cloth to remove any dust. Check the decorations one more time to make sure there are no smudges or excess paint to remove. If there is excess paint, sometimes a light rubbing with a moist wipe will remove acrylic paint before it has any protective coating over it. Be very careful in doing this; you do not want to rub into a good stroke and accidentally remove it.

Once any needed touch-up has been done, brush on several coats of varnish to protect the decorative painting, following the same procedure as when you sealed the base coat. Allow proper drying time between coats, and wet-sand after each.