Dollhouse Miniature Paint Test- Texture

 

Watch the video here.

I got so much positive feedback on the last paint test where we looked at metallic paints and how an under-layer of paint can affect the final look of the metallic paint I decided to delve into another paint test. Today we are looking at just a few ways to add some texture to paint. Since in our mini world we sometimes want to replicate various materials with simple/lightweight materials we many times want or need to add the needed texture via our paint. So lets look at a few that I thought of. If you have other things you would like to see paint tests done on let me know.

So let’s talk about the set up for this week’s test. I wanted to have each test be done with the same paints and on the same surface. I chose to use some black craft paint and white craft paint. I did this for a couple of reasons, mainly that is the type of paint many of use because it is inexpensive and pretty easy to get. I went with black and white because they are on the extremes for color and I felt they would best show any color change the texture materials caused. As for a surface I wanted something that would be similar to what we may be working with in a dollhouse but would also be easy to store with my paints for reference later. I decided on using the jumbo craft sticks that I got at Walmart. I have a lot of them, they are again inexpensive, they are made of a decent quality wood, and they will slip into my tub with my paints and take up very little extra room.

So onto the paint test. 

 

Baking Soda- we’ve used baking soda on the channel on numerous occasions to give a cement like texture. I have been using it both in my mini work and in full size decor items for years. The only times I have run into problems was when the finished object got wet. It then had a funky haze to toe finish. Since we don’t normally have moisture around our minis I have no issues using baking soda on them I would however not use it on anything that will be in a totally sealed environment like a frame with a glass and little air circulation.

After drying I was not surprised at all since we have used this in the past and I got the result I was expecting. You can use more or less baking soda to make a smoother or rougher texture and it is a very reliable finish. One thing I do love is the baking soda does not alter the color of the paint. This can be really important in some cases with some projects.

 

Sand- I think we’ve used sand on the channel before also. It gives a nice texture and there are n worries about it attracting either bugs or moisture. It is used in full size construction sometimes to give some texture and it tends to be very durable once dried.

Once dry this does have a nice texture with no color shift in the paint. It has the advantage of not being a “food” item so there is pretty much zero chance of it drawing any bugs to the project and it won’t draw any moister from the surrounding air. The texture is a bit more coarse than that of the baking soda example, more “grainy” but again I see a lot of uses for this in future projects.

Coffee Grounds- these are the same coffee grounds that I keep on hand for use as miniature soil. To prepare the coffee grounds you will need plain (not flavored) coffee grounds that have been used to make coffee. This removes the oils and allows the grounds to work better in our projects. Then dry them thoroughly, I usually put mine into a pan and bake them all day in a low oven, normally this is done while I am baking polymer clay since I already have the oven on for hours at a low temperature on clay day.

The coffee grounds definitely soaked up more of the moisture in the paint making for a really dry mix. So less is better with these.

Once dried we can really see the color shift in the white example. It turned a grayish brown color, which is not surprising. I do love the texture and it can see this used for a path in a mini landscape. It has the look of small rocks like would be found in a path.

Cornmeal- I don’t remember ever using cornmeal as a texture in paint and I am really impressed with the result. It didn’t soak up so much moisture from the paint so you can add more to give more texture than with the coffee.

Once dried I was very happy with this sample it had a nice texture kind of in between the coffee and the sand. I think this is going to be used in future projects for sure.

Glitter- I wish I could have found a white glitter that had more texture than the ultra-fine I used. This one actually reminds me of tile grout and I think it could be an interesting thing to play around with in miniatures.

I was a bit disappointed that there was no sparkle at all on the finished sample. Maybe if I had used a coarser glitter that would have happened. I do like the texture and I think I might play around with glitter in paint more in a future test to see what we can do with it.

As always I do want to sincerely thank all of you for watching my videos and reading my blog posts. It means so much to me that you are supporting me in this way. If I could ask you all to do just a bit more by subscribing to the channel and liking the videos and leaving comments. Those help more than you can imagine. Also if you could pass the links on to your friends I would appreciate it so much.