A client wasn’t very thoughtful when creating an art project and spilled tonic glue on the beautiful dinning room mat I had created especially for her interior. She loved her mat so much that she recommissioned me to produce another. This is a nice testimonial on how much my clients love their mats. Almost finished. (inset.. prior mat and work in progress).
Sometimes turning a work in progress into a work of art can be tedious. This mat is going to be beautiful and I’m looking forward to seeing the end piece, but getting there sometimes means painting the mat three times to get the effects that I want. The photo shows what stage I’m at currently, the below image is where I’m heading. It’s all worth it in the end when it’s showcased in the room for which it was designed. That post to follow… stay tuned.
Here is the finished mat installed! It’s a process but a very rewarding one especially when delivered to happy, smiling clients. Just for fun, scroll down and go to the beginning of the project – check out the before image when the project was first started.
The creation of the mat is basically finished at this point. Polyurethaning the mat is probably the easiest part of the process and the least fun. I use a indoor, water base, low luster polyurethane and apply with a pad brush. After six coats–Voilà, you have a finished mat. Next, delivery and installation.
The fun part of mat making is painting the main art, which is the reason I started making mats. Most of the time it takes more than one coat to make colors opaque, especially with red or burgundy. In this case, to show an artisan look, I wanted the finished mat to display a slight brush stroke which means I only had to paint the entire mat twice. There have been times when I have had to paint a mat three or even four times to get the desired effect. Next, coating the mat.
A key part of my mat making process is getting the design onto the mat. There are a lot of ways to do this but I like to transfer large images via graphite paper. Generally I work as much as possible on a tabletop and due to this mat’s large size, I will transfer the art one half of the mat at a time. Next, pulling out the brushes.
It’s now time to start the mat making process. After the vinyl is bevel cut to 8’x10′ and primiered, a soft yellow base coat is applied to start the faux background process (picture 1). The toughest part about faux finishes is picking the appropriate color combinations. Once a good combination is found doing the faux finishing is easy . A mustard colored glaze is rubbed to tint the base coat (picture 2) and then a second coat using the same gaze is dry brushed in a criss-cross motion (picture 3). The result is a beautiful fresco background (picture 4). Next up, art to mat.
Below is round two of design and happily the clients loved it. The design is based on Craftsman style stencil art. The scatter print in the center matches a similar design in the fabric of a living room chair – something they love. The background will be a golden fresco faux finish. Since computer inkjet proofs are not color accurate, I provide a sample that shows paint colors and the faux background (see picture below). Next up, starting the mat.
After researching the Craftsman style in detail on the internet, I decided to mimic the stained glass doors and lamps that I saw in so many of the home interiors. Below is the computer sketch I created for the client which matched some of the fixtures and fireplace/cabinet details in their home beautifully. Even though client liked the sketch and thought it was designed in the true Craftsman style they decided they wanted something with a slight floral influence which can also be seen in some Craftsman stencils and tapestries. Keep logging in (or email subscribe) for phase two of design.
I thought I’d start off the new year doing something new. Instead of showing you a finished mat and talking about it, I thought it might be fun to follow a project start to finish. So… I was hired to create an 8′ x 10′ mat to go under a dining room table (see below pic). The client would like a Craftsman style design to match their decor which is done in burgundy, dark green and features heavy, rich wood furniture, typical to the Craftsman style. Next I’ll be showing you the computer concept and swatches. Stay tuned…
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