How to use my Stencil Collection to create pattern

I created the designs in my Stencil Collection to be diverse in style and to work perfectly as on their own, as well as together. I love creating new unique patterns by overlapping one, two or three different stencils. This overprinting is one of my favourite techniques – and today I’m sharing my top tips on how to get a cohesive look (hint – it’s all about colour!)

Stencilled school desk

I always let the shape and style of furniture guide me when it comes to adding a design or creating a pattern. The inspiration for the vintage school desk came from the graffitied desks that we can all remember from schools. I replaced the graffiti with my stencils and ran with the idea, using every single one of the stencils in my collection on this one desk! To counteract the busyness of the pattern, I kept to a simple monochrome colour palette, using Chalk Paint® in Paris Grey as the base colour and Old White for the stencils. To give the piece a lift of colour, I added pops of Barcelona Orange and Provence. I finished with a coat of Clear Chalk Paint® Wax which keeps it wipeable (and resistant to any real life graffiti)! The end result is fun, a little cheeky and full of creativity.

Tip: Don’t worry about things getting too overcrowded here. If things start to look cluttered, you can paint over any areas that you aren't happy with.

If I’m using just one stencil but want to create an interesting, overlapping pattern I turn my focus to the colours I’ll be using. I will use a base colour, mid tone and lighter shade. This is so there is enough variation between the colours for the pattern to be seen without getting lost.

In the image above, you can see a pattern I created by overprinting with my Petrushka Stencil. The pattern is loose and random, but the colours are carefully thought through. Here, I chose Antoinette as the background, and then used Aubusson Blue and Barcelona Orange, blending them together in areas and then lightening them with a little Old White.

If you want to see my overlapping stencil technique in action, take a look at my YouTube stencil tutorial here.

My philosophy is very much of a free style of working which is why I love playing with stencils. I don’t like things to be too measured, or precise, and I certainly don’t want to get so bogged down in details that I can’t see when something is right just as it is. The devil may be in the detail, but sometimes you have to rip up the rule book and enjoy finding out where it can take you!

As ever, please share your pictures or tweet your pictures using #anniesloan and make sure you follow me on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter: @anniesloanhome

Yours,

Annie

The 12 Crafts of Christmas - No.9: The Gift Wrap

For the ninth of my 12 Crafts of Christmas, I'm providing you with inspiration for your gift wrapping. This is such a quick and easy way to personalise a present, and it's something the whole family can do. Simply choose your favourite stencil from my Stencil Collection, and one or two colours from the Chalk Paint® palette. Holly who works with me at Annie Sloan HQ created one design using Old White and my Tallulah Stencil on brown Kraft paper, and another with Emperor's Silk and my Bell Flowers stencil.

For that extra special touch dye some cotton tape with Chalk Paint® and add a pattern using a complementary colour. I love using my Circles, Sand Dollar and Valeska Stencils to create borders!

Yours, Annie

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The 12 Crafts of Christmas – No. 2: The table linen

For the second of my 12 Crafts of Christmas, I'm sharing a super simple and effective way of creating festive linen for your Christmas table! To make a runner like the one above, all you need is some masking tape, Blu-tak, and of course, some of my paint, Chalk Paint® and fabric. I used my Pure Linen fabric and chose a palette of Burgundy, Scandinavian Pink and Old White – a colour combination inspired by Carl Larsson's very traditional Swedish paintings. 

I made another table runner with Kirstie Allsopp at the Handmade Christmas Fair in Manchester, UK, a couple of weeks ago. We used Olive-dyed Pure Linen (see this post to find out how to dye fabric with Chalk Paint) and my Antheia stencil (applied using my new Sponge Rollers). This is a no-sew table runner, so really couldn't be simpler. I let the fabric edges of the runner fray a little – I love the rustic effect!

Another really fun and simple project that you could try is painting a napkin for your Christmas table.
For this you can use one of my stencils to create patterns and images on the linen. I particularly like the way that sections of my Bell Flowers stencil can be used and overlapped to create a poinsettia-like image. Experiment with different designs in my range – I think Petrushka or Tallulah could be very festive, too. I edged my napkins using fabric tape which I stencilled in the obligatory red and green (or Olive and Emperor’s Silk!) using my Circles and Bell Flowers stencils. Simply fold the tape over the napkin edge and a basic running stitch using embroidery thread, or even wool will secure it in place. Of course, you could use any pretty fabric scraps you may have to hand for your own finishing touch.

If you already follow me on social media you may know I was in Poland last week. Such a beautiful place, and I just adore the way they use colour. I have to include this example of stencilling on Pure Linen from a workshop I did with Polish bloggers. No, it’s not a traditional Christmas design but wouldn’t it make a lovely present?

Thinking of trying this project out at home? Remember to share your projects with me!

Yours, Annie

How to stencil a chair with Chalk Paint®

I have been dying to show you my new video tutorial about stencilling. My stencil designs and the way I work with them is quite free and, I hope, liberating!

In this two-part tutorial, I combine two of my stencils in random overlapping patterns to transform an old dining chair. It’s a fairly standard splat back chair with a good central panel for stencilling on. I love playing around with my stencils and I want to point out that just because you’re using a stencil with a particular design, it doesn’t have to inhibit your own creativity – mix them up, take the elements you like or those which are right for a particular piece from each, and see what you come up with. It's all about overlaying different patterns to come up with something unique.

For this particular project, I’m using my Lavender stencil and overlapping it with my Classical Bird – an idea inspired by one of my Stockists which I liked so much I had to try out for myself!

Before I even get started on a project, I like to sketch out the look I’m going for. For this tutorial, I decided to use Duck Egg Blue from the Chalk Paint® palette as my base colour. Although it can be tempting to stencil against a white background, it can be quite stark and using a mid-tone, fairly neutral colour will make the pattern sing out, especially if you’re using Old White in the pattern, as I do in this piece.

First, I paint the chair. You’ll see I tip it upside down whilst I’m painting it, as this makes the job so much easier. I’m using the larger of my Pure Bristle Brushes to apply the Duck Egg Blue, and this helps bring out the texture of the wood.

Once the first coat is dry, I can start stencilling. I already have a good idea of where I want the pattern to be, so I rely on my judgement when it comes to positioning the stencil.

Using sponge rollers makes overlapping stencil patterns a quick and very straightforward process. (For smaller, more detailed designs, I’ll use my Stencil Brush to stipple the pattern on). I’ve just brought out two sizes of Sponge Roller and I use both in the video. Don’t overload the roller with paint, and be gentle but firm. Remember, if the finish is denser in some areas and lighter in others that can work very well.

Although I’ve a good idea of what I want to achieve, I don’t always end up following my sketch in every detail. Random can be good sometimes, go with the flow and enjoy seeing where you may end up. Once I’m happy with the design, I add my Clear Wax and that’s really all there is to it!

I've shared Part 1 of my tutorial above, you can find Part 2 on my YouTube channel.

Also - I must tell you – I’m very excited because tomorrow I’ll be doing a demonstration with Kirstie Allsopp again, at the Handmade Christmas Fair in Manchester. She’s going to be joining me at my stand where I'll be teaching how to create a very special Christmas table runner with stencils and stamps (so easy and quick and no sewing involved!). I’ll be sharing pictures and tips in a few weeks, so watch this space!

Yours, Annie

A painted and gilded bath at Annie Sloan HQ

We’ve got a room here at HQ that we use as a studio, workspace and course room. It’s where I play around with ideas, create new pieces and explore techniques. It’s also where I hold training sessions for my Stockists (all my Stockists are trained as paint and colour experts). There’s a small room leading off this space where I’ve had an old roll top bath plumbed in – this is where we dye fabric with my paint! It’s a practical room, but there’s no reason why it shouldn’t also be beautiful.

In my book Colour Recipes for Painted Furniture and More, I describe how I transformed the white enamel bath in my Normandy home by adding a resplendent copper leaf to the outside. I decided to do the same with our rather dilapidated old bath here in Oxford.

I’ve gone for a recreation – or perhaps an exaggeration! – of natural copper by applying it over a base of my colour Florence. If you like this idea, play around with it and make it your own. You could try this with silver leaf – perhaps over Emperor’s Silk, or gold with Aubusson Blue.

The soft, warmer tones in copper and rose gold are popular at the moment, and the natural progression of copper is to form verdigris. The pinkish-orange of copper and the pale green of a true verdigris patina form opposites on the colour wheel, a complementary colour scheme. I used Chalk Paint™ in Florence to paint the base of the bath. I then brushed it with my Gold Size and, when the size was completely clear, applied my copper leaf over it (crumple the leaf in your hands before putting it over the size to make sure the look isn’t too uniform). I let small gaps and cracks appear in the leaf so that a sublime flash of Florence green would peek through.

Once the whole thing had dried, I applied my Clear Soft Wax all over to give it some protection – this flattens everything out, giving a smooth finish. Next to the bath, a series of tiles provide a patchwork splash back (these beautiful Welbec tiles come from my Stockist Rock Pool in Cornwall, UK. I sent her several old postcards and letters to make the tile designs!).

Behind it, I painted the wall with Chalk Paint™ in Emperor’s Silk. I’ve stencilled the whole thing with two different designs (my Arctic Poppy and Petrushka stencils) to create a wallpaper effect.

The bath is so small it has to stand on a base to be practical as mixing heavy swathes of fabric can be pretty back-breaking. However, by painting it in Olive, a cooling green next to the bright red walls, the whole effect is rather grand and certainly pleasing.

Yours, Annie

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