So, having a genuine copper patina “ verdigris” would be mind blowing, but that would also burn a hole in my pocket. So, the artsy way it was. Excited with a huge canvas, I decided on the following supplies list.
For this project, you’ll need this stuff:
Supplies
- "Bluish-Green" paint to mimic patina - I used the Dublin Jack from Berger - Inspirations paint since I wanted it more on the side of green than blue
- Brown paint to mimic copper/rust - I used the Pookie Bear brown from Berger - Inspirations paint
- Some brushes for blending
- Plastic bag
- Craft sponge (optional, but I found it to be extremely helpful)
- White wall paint - I used the Casper White Quarter from Dulux which I used to paint my entire house
- Plaster of Paris (optional)
- Spatula (if using Plaster of Paris)
- Methylated spirit (optional) - I used this one from Bunnings
Basic Technique
A basic faux copper patina research will show you that it requires a gorgeous blend of the brown and bluish-green. So, I began with my primed and painted white wall and masked off the required section.
I knew I wanted darker edges, so I went ahead and painted the edges of the walls with the Pookie Bear brown, and some random parts in the middle to finish off the leftover paint in my brush.
Next, I wanted to get some texture on the wall. For that, we mixed some Plaster of Paris (POP) in the Dublin Jack paint itself. I know it sounds insane, but trust me, it works! That gave me a little more drying time as well. With a spatula, I placed this mix on the wall. When using this technique, it is best to work with little batches at a time. Here is how it looks after the wall was covered. I know, crazy, right? Don't worry, it will all make sense in the end.
Next, to get rid of the "white" in between, I mixed about 10 parts of water to 1 part of Pookie Bear paint (in a rough estimate) and painted the entire wall. I also had some Finnabair rust paste lying around, so I added it on the edges, some spots in between to add to the texture, also to get a direction on where I was going with this.
Here's a close up. You will notice that different layers already peeking through. We are getting there, I promise!
Since our base is now ready, we will start to lighten the wall and add more layers. So, to the Dublin Jack, I mixed white. The more the white, the lighter the shade. I went for just about one shade lighter. Blot some light Dublin Jack onto the wall to create cloudy areas and fill in the sparse areas first.
Crumple the plastic bag to make a ball and then smooth some of that out. Remember, we don't want to hide the layers, we only want to add more. Here's how it looks after filling in the wall. Somehow, it still didn't look complete to me in terms of complexity of texture, so I went one step further.
After this, I used a craft sponge and diluted Pookie Bear paint (almost 1:10) to distress the wall, and blend in the shades, in the process, also making it look less patchy.
You can see the shades peeking through on different parts of the wall:
I then went and finished off the edges, blending and darkening it with some Finnabair rust paste.
I also sprayed on the left over diluted Pookie Bear on the wall. Remember, there is no right or wrong here, just how darker, or lighter you want to go.
I had some Dublin Jack left on my tray, so I diluted it and sprayed it on the wall to finish the project. The key to recreate the complexity of copper patina is to make as many layers as possible.
After removing the masking tape, here's how the final wall looks like. I am in love with it!! It's almost like a piece of art :)
You could add bigger patches of shades of brown, but I am happy with how it looks. And, yes, those are my pallet wood tables.
Also, I wanted more patina look than copper anyway. My new favorite room in the house!
So, off to come up with a new project, let me know if you will be trying this out!
xo. Divya
