Use Folk Art to paint linen cupboards, tables and chairs, blanket and storage chests and storage boxes.






You will need:
- Lidded stool in raw wood
- Wet and dry sandpaper, 240 and 120 grit
- Tracing paper and carbon paper
- Pencil and ruler
- Flat brush and round brush
- Brush for applying polyurethane varnish
- Water-Based Clear Sealer
- Polyurethane varnish
- Craft Acrylic - Colours (Flow formula): AW Antique
- White. T Terra cotta, P Pink (T + AW),
- YO Yellow Oxide, MB Mars Black, G
- Green (Y + MB)
- Oil craft paint, BU Burnt Umber
- Soft cotton cloth

Here's how:
1. Sand stool with 240 and then 120 grit sandpaper. Seal with water-based clear sealer, following manufacturer's instructions. Allow to dry.

2. Rule a pencil line 40 mm in from each edge on top and long sides of stool. Paint one coat of AB around these marked panels, sides and inside legs. Allow to dry.

3. Mix a dark green paint colour with the round brush and paint a 2-3 mm line around inner edge of panels and 20 mm inside edge of stool ends. Allow to dry. Measure up and draw in panels for top and sides

4. With 120 grit sandpaper, dipped in clean water, sand lightly on edges and corners of stool where normal wear patches might appear. Wipe off scrubbings with a clean, damp, cotton cloth as you go.

5. Draw freehand the inner and outer outlines of oval-shape for stool lid and transfer them to centre of stool top. Paint them in a dark mix of G. Allow to dry then draw in flowers and leaves.

6. Paint leaves over dark G oval in a medium G. Paint S strokes of leaves with a shading of YO on inside and MB on outside. Paint in flowers, following Painting Flowers guide right. Allow to dry.

7. Trace floral design for sides of stool. Transfer designs to stool. Paint in leaves, stems and calyxes, using medium G and round brush. Paint in flowers following Painting Flowers guide below. Allow to dry.

8. Leave painting to dry for a day or so. Make a pad or wad with a soft cloth and place a line of BU about 10 mm long on it. Wipe evenly over entire stool with pad, adding another 10 mm line of BU as necessary. Wipe back colour to desired depth, leaving darker edges and lighter in centres. Allow to dry completely. Drying time will depend on thickness of oil patina and degree of humidity.

9. Apply several coats of polyurethane varnish, allowing each coat to dry before applying next coat.

Painting details for flowers
Roses - Using round brush and T, paint a large circle and one comma petal on dark side. Mix T and G and paint a dark hollow in mouth of rose, blending in top edge to soften line. Load brush with P, then dip it into fresh AW. Starting at mid-front of rose, under hollow, press point of brush down so colours blend and make a comma stroke by lifting brush slowly as you follow edge of hollow up and around. Make another comma under first one. Repeat for other side of rose, varying amount of white as shown. Paint three more commas under bowl of rose in same way.

Blue flowers - Load brush with AB and then dip it into fresh AW. For each petal, paint one curved stroke to left and another to right giving a variegated colour. Centre is a circle of T with a highlight of YO.

Yellow flowers - These are painted in same way as blue flowers, using YO and AW. Centre is T with a shadow of dark G