Introducing my new Stencil Collection

I've been working on my new stencil collection for some time, so I'm thrilled to finally tell you all about it! 

There are 21 stencils in the collection, reflecting a broad range of styles – from bohemian to neoclassical, vintage floral to warehouse and modern retro to French elegance. Simply use my paint, Chalk Paint®, to apply my stencils to furniture, floors, walls... and even fabric!

I've designed my stencils so that they can be used in various ways – on their own as a simple design, repeated to make a pattern, or used to create a border. I love to create random, overlapping patterns with my stencils – this is so easy to do and looks effortlessly elegant.

Stencilling is very easy, and little equipment is needed. Some people use masking tape and tape measures, but I don't tend to, I just use my hands to hold the stencil in place, and position them by eye.

My stencils will be available at participating Stockists shops throughout Europe, North America, Australia, New Zealand, and Canada. 

I can't wait to see your stencilling projects. Post them on social media with #AnnieSloanStencils to share them with me!

Yours, Annie

Abigail & Ryan Bell's Floral Coral Chest of Drawers

For their second project as Painters in Residence, Abigail and Ryan Bell (of Abigail*Ryan) experimented with mixing my colours to create this bright – almost neon – coral pink.

Abigail and Ryan had a very specific colour in mind for this little chest of drawers – something retro and vibrant to match the clean lines of the piece. To find the colour that sang for them, they began mixing colours from the Chalk Paint® palette; Scandinavian Pink, Emperor's Silk, Barcelona Orange, a little English Yellow and Pure... and voilà! (Mixing colour with Pure as opposed to Old White will create a very clean, bright colour. Mixing colour with Old White creates a softer hue.)

As Abigail and Ryan were looking for a smooth, modern finish, they used my Flat Brush to apply the paint. The pair applied my Soft Clear Wax to protect and finish the piece, and then styled it with a vibrant floral arrangement bursting from the drawers. The perfect stand-out Spring piece.

Have you ever used Chalk Paint® to create a decorative display for your home or garden?

Yours, Annie

Follow this blog for exclusive pictures from Abigail and Ryan's residency and follow them on Instagram, Facebook, and her website: www.abigailryan.com

And remember to follow #PaintersInResidence on Instagram and Facebook, as well as my Painters in Residence board on Pinterest.

Karen Donnelly's Painterly Cabinet

For Karen's first project as a Painter in Residence, she used my paint, Chalk Paint®, to paint a sophisticated, tonal landscape on to the cupboard doors of a small cabinet.

Karen started by painting the whole piece in Old Ochre, a faded darkened cream colour, to give her canvas a neutral base, and she chose a muted, limited palette of Old White, Coco and Graphite to create her tonal landscape. For those of you wondering what I mean by painting a tonal landscape, I will explain... The way that we can see one object from the one next to it or behind it is largely due to tonal differences between them. A dark object will stand out clearly against a light one. There can also be colour differences, but tone is one of the most important factors. The easiest way to see tone, and to filter out unwanted details is to squint while you are looking at the object – this cuts out colours and helps you to see black, greys and whites. A tonal painting focuses on these shapes of tones to create an image.

Karen continued the theme inside the cabinet by painting it in Graphite and Coco, and finished the piece in Annie Sloan Soft Clear Wax.

What do you think? Have you ever used Chalk Paint® to paint tonely?

Yours, Annie

Follow this blog for exclusive pictures from Karen's residency and follow her on Facebook.

And remember to follow #PaintersInResidence on Instagram and Facebook, as well as my Painters in Residence board on Pinterest.