The Colourist Issue 3: Fill your life with fabulous colour

Welcome, to the launch of The Colourist Vol. III! Fill your life with fabulous colour, starting here. This time, I've focussed on blues and greens.

How time flies. It feels like only yesterday that I was announcing the launch of Issue 2, and barely any longer than that when I was introducing you all to the very first edition. But here we are, and what difference a day (year) makes! We've listened, re-calibrated and rejuvenated The Colourist yet again, taking our best bits and building on them. Get set for a Bookazine like no other.

Packed to the gunnels, my third bookazine is based around the colour blue and, in particular, my divine new Chalk Paint® colour, Oxford Navy! That’s the hero of this issue, with sterling support from sidekicks Provence and Florence.

We’ve gathered together diverse pieces from all over, such as the vibrant Truck Art of Pakistan, fabrics from the legend that is Lucienne Day, idiosyncratic Indian glass paintings, Adam Calkin’s fantastical painted house, a piece on the healing power of painting, all that’s magical about Brooklyn, New York, two brand new Chalk Paint® colours never before announced, as well as furniture painters from all over the world. Just one thing unites them… colour. Colour in all its combination from lively and bold, to quiet and gentle.

As well as this and more, we've supplied six more step-by-steps for amazing projects you can recreate at home; from using your two free stencils (!!) to create your own Art Deco looks, to the secrets of frottage and distressing, via fantastical tassel creations and gemstone imitation – all of which can be done using furniture and Chalk Paint® you already have! I have always been especially thrilled by how well the How-Tos at the end of The Colourist have done. I get a real kick from seeing how you take my Inspiration and incorporate it into your own homes, with your own twists and tricks. I can only urge you all to give this issues a try!

You may already know that I’m a bit of a culture vulture. I love looking at pictures and patterns wherever I go, but art galleries and museums are always a brilliant place to start. I’m very lucky to have the wonderful Ashmolean Museum right on my doorstep in Oxford. Established over 300 years ago, its collection was described as a ‘cabinet of curiosities’ at the time, which is a delightful phrase that describes an enclitic collection of rare and interesting finds. I think I also subscribe to this type of collecting – I’m always in the lookout for amusing, thought-provoking pieces for my own home!

It could be said The Colourist is a kind of a modern-day ‘cabinet of curiosities’ in magazine form: you’ll find things to amaze, inspire fascinate, surprise – and maybe even make you want to cry a little – in this issue! And if that hasn't convinced you to pick up a copy, you can see a sneak peek inside here.

Thanks for reading, staying in touch and supporting me through my ventures. I hope to do the same for you. Tag me @AnnieSloanHome on social media with the hashtag #ColouristMag so I can see what you get up to.

Yours,


Annie.

Simon Olsson's Provence Cabinet.

Blue in all of its beautiful manifestations is dominating interiors at the moment. From dazzling sapphire shades, to subtle sky blues, right down to more moody, inky tones, this versatile shade seems to be everywhere. I love that people are embracing this multi-faceted colour right now. I think one of the reasons is because its so adaptable to almost any style and mood.

My Painter in Residence, Simon Olsson, has adopted one of the blues in my Colour Palette, Provence, as his signature colour. It makes sense that he would have chosen one of my brightest tones as his style is so influenced by the bold jewel-like colours of India.

Simon uses Provence often in his work and one of the greatest examples is this cabinet. Simon chose to create a rustic, chippy finish to create a sense of history.

                        

When Simon first came across this cabinet, he wanted to lighten the dark wood and yet still keep it close to its Indian roots – and so Provence was the perfect colour choice. To create texture he used my Pure Bristle Brush, moving in all directions and applying the paint thickly. When the paint had dried he used coarse sandpaper to chip away at the paint work, creating that beautiful worn away patina. To finish the look, he covered the whole piece in a fine coat of clear Chalk Paint® Wax.

What do you think of this look? Have you used Provence in a similar way? Show me by tagging me on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter using #anniesloan or @anniesloanhome.

Yours, Annie

Floral Furniture Headdresses!

Let me share with you the second project from my unique Painter in Residence, Hanayuishi Takaya, another set of stunning headdresses that, in my opinion, are truly works of art.

What I love about Mr. Takaya’s work is that it is unlike anything I have ever seen before. The response from his previous work, ‘Man with Koi’ was fascinating. When I started the Painters in Residence programme my aim was to share inspiring images which start a discussion, and all use my paints and products, of course. With Mr. Takaya’s work, it may not be something that is easily recreated at home, but it definitely makes me smile; his whimsical artistry and joyous creations fill me with a new sense of wonder.

For these pieces Mr Takaya has cleverly used doll’s house table's and chairs - a cheeky response to the fact that Chalk Paint® is predominantly used on furniture. For the table and chairs, Hanayuishi chose many of the brighter colours in my Colour Palette, such as Emperor’s Silk, Antibes Green and Provence, building the layers of paint before sanding back to create a distressed, rustic finish. The boldness of colour contrasts beautifully with the arrangement of flowers chosen, such as hydrangeas and pink scabious.
Mr Takaya is always conscious of the models he uses for his work, and with this he chose two children which really marries perfectly the theme of the whole piece.

What do you think of this latest work? I would again be intrigued to hear your thoughts.

It may not be to everyone’s taste, but then again what a boring old world it would be if it was?

Yours, Annie

The 12 Crafts of Christmas - No.10: Logs on the Fire

For the tenth of my 12 Crafts of Christmas I'm sharing another really quick and easy project for your homes this festive season. My son Felix used my paint, Chalk Paint® to inject colour and fun in to his fireplace, by painting the ends of firewood logs. He chose this palette of blues and greens, with an accent of Arles, as it works beautifully against the Aubusson Blue walls.

Yours, Annie

Follow #12CraftsofChristmas on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook. 

The Annie Sloan Fragrance Collection

I am unrepentant about the festive focus this blog has taken in the past few weeks! I love, love, love this season, and all its associated indulgence and frippery. My 12 Crafts of Christmas Campaign is – I hope! – inspiring you to make and create some wonderful adornments for your home, or even some really personal Christmas gifts.

And, on the subject of gifts, I thought this would be a good week - with 8 days to go until The Big Day - to talk about my Home Fragrance Collection: six delicious scents for your home, inspired by some of my very favourite places in France. Do forgive the plug, but they make such beautiful gifts for anyone, whether they are familiar with my products or not. Or use them to fill your own homes with fragrance - from the subtle aroma gently dispensed by my Reed Diffusers, to gorgeous scented candlelight flickering as guests arrive - always so welcoming!

My Fragrance collection was launched back in 2014 and I see it very much as a complement to my other products – accessories, even! I’ve spoken before about the inspiration behind each scent in the range: the lush green grassy notes in Antibes; timeless, leather-bound, woody Aubusson; rich, dry, slightly citrusy yet vanilla-sweet Burgundy; Provence – synonymous with sun-soaked lavender fields and balanced here with the spicy tones of amber and ginger; elegant Versailles with its soft, sophisticated heart of honeysuckle and jasmine; and, of course, Paris itself – translated by me into a luscious Damask rose-heavy bouquet, tempered with soft, powdery iris and a hint of sharp geranium. Each transports me to a different mood, a time, a place. Of course, each can be matched to a colour in the Chalk Paint® range but when you use them in your home, you’ll see they’re so much more than that – scent is so evocative, it is the silent scene setter and the finishing touch to any home!

I also want to say that it was really, really important to me when I created the range that the ingredients used should be organic - that was a no-brainer. The whole range was produced in England, and all materials used traceable to source. I make no claims to being a parfumeur – a venerable profession – but I really have worked on every aspect of this Collection – even down to my own personal take on toile de jouy, the print used to decorate the boxes.

Yours, Annie

Introducing the Annie Sloan Mini Project Pack

I’m so excited to introduce my new Mini Project Pack – I’ve been working on this for quite some time. Each Pack includes two 100ml small project pots of Chalk Paint®, a 120ml tin of both Clear Wax and Dark Wax, and one of my small Pure Bristle Brushes – everything you need to create something totally you. And the beauty of them is that you get to choose your own colours, so if you’re buying one as a gift, you can make it personal and just right for the lucky recipient. A 100ml pot of my paint will cover around one square metre, so there’s enough in each pack to transform a bedside table, for example, or a favourite chair. Or you may prefer to do several smaller items – perhaps a group of picture frames or candle holders?

In this image above, we’ve shown the Pack with my Provence and Arles colours – perfect for creating the modern retro look which is so popular at the moment (see the Heals table below). These colours lend themselves so well to that smooth, contemporary aesthetic. Scandi-philes out there may like combining Country Grey with Louis Blue (see my Swedish inspired chair below). These cool, airy shades are perfect for recreating the light, classic Swedish look which I adore. I also love combining the vibrancy of Barcelona Orange with Château Grey, to bring out those warm green tones. Or, a flash of Emperor's Silk against a more austere colour, like Duck Egg Blue. You can see all the colours in the Chalk Paint® range online but I always recommend seeing them in store or ordering a Colour Card to get a truer reflection of my colours. Colours will always vary from screen to screen.

With the Mini Project Pack, you can use the colours in layers and then sand back for an authentic distressed look. Of course, you don’t have to use both colours on one piece. Just one colour will create a really strong look – or mix two colours together to make your own distinct shade. Do have a look on my YouTube Channel for my Tutorial on mixing paint. In the video, I’m mixing colours for a mid-Century modern chest of drawers, which I wanted to match perfectly to a particular vase, but there are plenty of other videos on there, which feature a whole range of styles.

The Clear Wax will give a wonderful velvety finish (and help protect the finished piece from the vicissitudes of everyday life). This is also where my Dark Wax comes into its own. Work some over the top of the Clear Wax to bring out texture and don’t be scared of it! Yes, it looks dark at first, but experiment with it – work it in for real depth and wipe back the excess with Clear Wax.

You can use the Pure Bristle Brush to apply both the paint and the waxes. Just be sure to wash your brush out in warm water and hang to dry from its handle.

So once you've had a go with one of my new Mini Project Packs, please share your projects me online – upload them to the Made It My Own gallery or tag @anniesloanhome Instagram or Twitter. I can’t wait to see what you create!

Yours, Annie

Agnieszka Krawczyk's Blue Sea Trunk

For Agnieszka Krawczyk's fourth Painters in Residence project she used my paint, Chalk Paint®, and her signature layering technique on this old wooden sea trunk.

Agnieszka used one of my Pure Bristle brushes to paint thick, textured layers of Provence, Duck Egg Blue, Greek Blue, Old White and Pure on the outside of the chest. She applied some of the colours directly from the tin, and mixed others together to create lighter shades. Then she used a scraper, putty knife and sandpaper to chip and scrape away at the painted surface. Agnieska always distresses her paint work manually, and never uses an electric sander – this gives her a lot more control and creates a less uniform finish.

Agnieszka painted the inside of the chest in Provence, and then finished the piece by applying my Clear Soft Wax to protect the finish.

What do you think? Have you ever used my paint to update a wooden trunk like this?

Yours, Annie

Follow this blog for exclusive pictures from Agnieszka's residency and follow her on Instagram, Facebook, and her website: www.beforeandafterblog.pl 

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

Abigail & Ryan Bell's Succulent Chaise-Longe

For their first project as Painters in Residence, Abigail and Ryan Bell (of Abigail*Ryan) used my paint, Chalk Paint®, to cover an old Victorian chaise-longe in hand painted succulents. And doesn't it look amazing?

Abigail and Ryan painted the leather upholstery of the chaise-longe in Pure, to create a clean fresh canvas to work on. Abigail then began sketching simple succulent forms on to the surface with a pencil. As soon as she was happy with the shapes and composition, Abigail used a small artists' brush to paint the leaves – using certain colours directly from the pot, such as Henrietta and Emile, and mixing bespoke shades of green from Pure, Antibes, Florence and Provence. Abigail left the paint to dry completely and then used a black fine-liner pen to work detail into the paintwork.

The creative couple finished the transformation by painting the woodwork of the chaise-longe in Florence and the trim of the upholstery in Aubusson Blue. A couple of coats of my Soft Clear Wax were applied to the woodwork and the following day the surface was buffed with a clean cloth – this gives a soft sheen. They decided to leave the fabric un-waxed as the piece is purely decorative and will not be used as a chair.

What do you think? Have you ever been inspired to hand paint a pattern on to your furniture?

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.

Agnieszka Krawczyk's decollage chest of drawers

This stunning chest of drawers is the first project from my new Painter in Residence, Agnieszka Krawczyk. Agnieszka has a great style and her projects are so interesting partly because she uses a technique that involves creating texture and layers through the use of woodworking tools, such as chisels and scrapers. She applies layers of paint thickly and then scrapes, chips and sands away to create interesting texture and layers. This technique reminds me of décollage, a technique that artists such as Robert Rauschenburg and Yves Klein used in the 60s – layering posters and ripping in to them to show previous layers. But at the same time there's an antique, vintage look – the piece looks naturally aged and distressed.  

Agnieszka used a palette of Provence, Pure, Old White, Napoleonic Blue, Antoinette, Louis Blue and Antibes Green on the outside of the chest, to create layers of colour and texture. Some of these colours were used as they come out of the tin, others were mixed to create softer and lighter shades. As soon as the paint was dry she used a scraper, sandpaper and putty knife to begin chipping in to the paint.

The inside of the drawers have been painted in Duck Egg Blue, and the edges have been painted with Napoleonic Blue to frame the shape. To finish the piece Agnieszka used Clear Wax – this seals the paint and makes it wipeable.

Have you ever used my paint to create a chippy, distressed texture? Agnieszka's work has really inspired me to pick up some different tools.

Yours, Annie

Follow this blog for exclusive pictures from Agnieszka's residency and follow her on Instagram, Facebook, and her website: www.beforeandafterblog.pl 

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

#AskAnnieSloan February 2015

In January I hosted my first ever live Twitter Q&A – I loved it and held a second #AskAnnnieSloan on Friday. Here are the questions and answers for those of you who aren't on Twitter.

Thank you again to everybody who took part. Stay tuned as I'm hoping to make this a regular thing.

Yours, Annie

Janice Issitt's Moroccan-inspired bedroom

 

Today, I am sharing the last project from Janice Issitt's three months as one of my Painters in Residence. Her Moroccan-inspired, bohemian bedroom sings with colour – and has all been achieved with my Chalk Paint® palette.

The way Janice works reminds me of the way the Bloomsbury set painted Charleston Farmhouse – no surface is left unpainted. Walls, floors, furniture and ornaments are all constantly being painted, re-painted, re-worked and re-imagined. Janice works from her home – the various rooms in her house are her work studios and are therefore in a constant state of flux, much like my own!

Here, Janice has used Provence as a backdrop, and has stencilled a mandala shape onto the wall using Napoleonic Blue. She painted the bed in Barcelona Orange with a feather design in Florence. On the tiles on the floor, she used Provence, Napoleonic Blue, Old White and Arles. The Moroccan-style side table features Henrietta, Provence, Napoleonic Blue and English Yellow, and the screen is Old Violet, Barcelona Orange, Emperor's Silk and English Yellow. The furniture has been finished in my Soft Clear Wax, and the floor has been sealed using my matt Lacquer.

Next week, I will share the last project from Beau Ford residency, and following this I will be announcing my next set of fabulous Painters in Residence. I can't wait!

Yours, Annie

Follow Janice's on Instagram, Facebook, and her blog: janiceissittlifestyle.blogspot.com

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

Beau Ford's Geometric Sideboard

Painter in Residence, Beau Ford, used vibrant colours from the Chalk Paint® palette to create a fun and contemporary one-of-a-kind piece.

Beau chose a great colour palette of Burgundy, Arles, Provence and Emperor's Silk and used a very simple technique to transform a dull sideboard in to an eye-catching piece of art.

To begin the transformation Beau created areas of colour, somewhat like a camouflage pattern, using Arles, Provence and Emperor's Silk. Once this first coat of paint was throughly dry Beau used square stickers to mask off sections that she would later peel off to reveal the first coat of paint – that works together to create a geometric pattern. Beau painted over the top of the stickers and the drawer fronts in Burgundy, and continued to paint the top and sides to match. Once the paint had dried Beau gently removed the stickers to reveal the squares of Provence, Arles and Emperor's Silk.

To finish the piece she used Arles to highlight the legs and drawer handles, and gave the piece a coat of my Clear Soft Wax to protect the surface.

What do you think of this technique? Have you done anything similar?

Yours, Annie

Follow this blog for exclusive pics from Beau's residency and follow her on Instagram, Facebook, and her blog: http://drip-designsfurniture.blogspot.com.au

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

Bonjour Burgundy!

 

In between everything else that’s been happening just now – Ireland tour, South Africa tour, #AnnieSloanLate, not mention the Painters in Residence which I’ve been showcasing on the blog too – I could do with a large red. Well, I’ve got one!

Please say “santé” to my colour, Burgundy. For those who haven’t seen it before, it’s a very rich red – think cranberries and plums – and conjures up classic Victorian interiors and boho boudoirs. But it can also be quite lively: with some help from Old White it morphs into a delicious, raspberry-like pink to add something of an ‘oomph’ to a room.

I’m getting madder

My inspirations include the pigment called Alizarin Crimson,
 a synthetic product made by a man called William Perkin. He was an English dye chemist and he derived it from coal tar. But he was also pipped at the post by one day in filing his patent (which went to two German chemists, Karls Grabe and Lieberman… would you believe?)

The Liebermans were searching for a synthetic way to create the strong red pigment with a bluish tone that comes naturally from the dye derived from Madder plant roots. Madder was found in Tutankhamen’s tomb amongst other places, and is a dye often seen in Asia and hence in Turkish carpets. So Burgundy is ideal for creating that exotic Turkish boudoir feel.

Another source of inspiration for Burgundy is the purplish blue-red that became available in the 1860. The English called it 'magenta', after the Battle of Magenta in 1859, a narrow French victory over Austria in the struggle for Italian independence – which is a fascinating fact in itself.

I was drawn to the name and colour because of its classical French Napoleonic connections and I love Burgundy as representing that refined French claret-colour which I suggest you could put on, say, a fabulous chest of drawers, maybe on its own, or with a little clear wax or even some dark wax. It adds a glorious gravitas and also looks great with gold leaf. As a regal colour Burgundy also pairs extremely well with Château Grey.

Bubblegum pink

As a bluey- not orangey-red, you might not associate Burgundy as a ‘fun’ colour, but wait till you try adding Old White to it: then it becomes right up-to-date bright bubblegum pink. Already a lot of people are adding white to it and making  these extraordinarily vivacious pinks, just like Lady Penelope and Thunderbirds.

A tripartite colour combination of Burgundy, Provence and Arles (all complementary on the colour wheel) makes an amazing mix for a room. For example you might like to try an Arles-painted wall combined with a Burgundy piece, say a chest of drawers, with some added Provence in the room in some other way, perhaps inside the drawers?

Yours, Annie

Beau Ford's Work Hard, Be Kind Desk

For her third Painters in Residence project, Beau Ford gave this sad and forgotten school desk a complete make-over using my paint, Chalk Paint®.


After replacing the top and giving the whole desk a quick clean, Beau set to work on the paintwork. First, she painted the base of the desk in English Yellow, then applying Paris Grey as an accent on the feet.

She painted the top of the table in a chevron pattern, using a ruler as a rough guide. She worked with a range of colours to make a bright statement: Barcelona Orange, Scandinavian Pink, English Yellow, Provence, Greek Blue and Napoleonic Blue.

When you lift the lid of the desk you find a charming surprise – the words "Work Hard, Be Kind written in lovely, freehand type.

Beau used Clear Wax and Dark Wax to finish the piece and give the overall piece an aged look.

What do you think? Have you used Chalk Paint® to create a bright and bold pattern on your furniture?

Yours, Annie

Follow this blog for exclusive pics from Beau's residency and follow her on Instagram, Facebook, and her blog: http://drip-designsfurniture.blogspot.com.au

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