I discovered how to use dirt and chalk paint to make a white plaster figure look like ancient statuary.

A few years ago we converted a walk-in closet and tiny three piece bath into a beautiful five piece ensuite. Renovating and decorating was still new territory for me but I think overall it turned out well. I chose to carry the calming mid-blue wall colour from the master bedroom into the ensuite and the cabinetry is also very close to the bedroom furniture in colour and style. It is a very unified space.

I decorated this room during my angel phase. I know, right? But, truth to tell, when I am really stressed, I find that angel filled bathroom (and it's lovely air jet tub) is ...heavenly. It's not over the top, but there are a few (5) tastefully painted angels on the walls (three that my dear sister painted for me) and two purchased from a store somewhere on Queen St. in Toronto.

There is a bust of a cherub living on the granite shelf that surrounds the tub. When I picked him up at a decorator's outlet years ago he was stark white unfinished plaster. I always meant to do something with him, just didn't know what. So the thought at the time was "I'll just set him here by the tub until something comes to me." Ya, that was oh five years ago. See, I got so used to seeing that little unfinished angel that I stopped thinking about him needing, well, finishing. But he leapt into my mind again once I discovered Annie Sloan Chalk Paint.

I began by painting him all over with Old White, and once that was dry I made a grey wash by mixing Old White and Graphite. I wiped it away more in some areas than others and finished with a light coat of clear soft wax. Here is how my cherub looked during and after this process:

I liked how he came out, but still felt that something was missing. A quick Google search turned up this  very helful how-to by Alana at Nest: http://nestvintagemodern.com/blog/home/crafts/aging-angel-with-annie-sloan-chalk-paint Alana explains how to use clean dirt (I love oxymorons!) and chalk paint to achieve an old aged look on a new plaster angel. I believe she said Annie Sloan had taught her how. When I read Alana's post I knew I had to try this on my cherub. Let me tell you how I did it.

First, I pressed dirt onto him (this just felt so wrong!!). Not much stuck, likely because of the wax. However, some did, and here is how he looked after the dirt treatment, with my wonderful Annie Sloan paint brush and the stiff brush I used in a later step:

Next, I dabbed Old White wherever the dirt had stuck. I made no effort to blend it at this point, just wanted to be sure the paint mixed with the dirt to help it adhere to the figure. See here:

After this coat had almost dried I went over him with a wet cloth to blend and highlight some areas (also known as wet distressing), being careful not to rub over any place where the dirt was under the paint--that would have just turned into a muddy mess! Here are some pics of that process:

And one of my little cherub back on his shelf in the ensuite.

Before:

And after:

 What do you think? Have you ever tried this method?

Blessings,
The Duchess of NewLife