A 3-Dimensional Decorative Paint Technique

How did I ever come up with a decorative paint technique project like this one, you ask?
A raised, 3-dimensional paint texture? On a terra cotta pot? Yup! :-)

All you need is some masonry/stucco repair patching compound and cake decorating tools … really! And before I go any further, I must give good 'ol Christopher Lowell of cable TV decorating show fame a lot of the credit. But not all of it — I'm leaving a little bit for moi.

A Decorative Paint Technique
With a Really Unique Twist

A couple of years ago I saw an episode where Christopher used a product called "Fix-All" and a cake decorating bag with various tips to make his affordable version of embellished raised texture crown molding. He was copying a very pretty and ornate leafy-viney style pattern that had been hand carved into the wood.

Now, I've gotta be honest... this really caught my attention, mostly because I thought him quite clever to be using a product used for a heavy duty home repair project in conjunction with cake decorating equipment. Go figure! And it looked easy, too. When he got done with his demo, and showed the finished painted molding, you'd swear it was the "real" thing.

You Will NOT Find Any How-Tos Using This Technique
On Clay Pots Anywhere Else On The Internet!

So … one day as I was looking at a plain terra cotta pot sitting on a shelf, I got to thinking, and click … a light went on. Why couldn't I use this stuff to embellish my terra cotta pots? Besides, embellished terra cotta pots are normally pretty pricey. Plus most times, I'm never really crazy about the way they're designed.

And like I said … I got to thinking … hmmmmm ...... and before I knew it, I had a cake decorating bag filled with the patching compound, a large piece of cardboard to practice on and off I went, squeezing the bag filled with that "stuff" and experimenting with different decorating tips. I experimented making leaves, rounded lines, flat lines, blobs ... you name it.

I'm happy to share what I've learned from my trial and error experiments. I was successful using the product I chose, an elastomeric compound, on my very first pot. It's the pot you see in the photograph up above.

If You've Ever Decorated A Cake With Icing Flowers... You're Already An Expert!

This project is so easy. Even though I'd NEVER used a cake decorating tube before, it took me no time to get the hang of it. Practice makes perfect, for sure!

So, I encourage you to experiment with this 3-D decorative paint technique. I'll bet once you do and see how easy it is, your mind is going to start thinking of all sorts of other design applications and ways you can utilize it.

Oh ... I'd better say one more time, "Thanks, Christopher, for the great idea". :-)

Read about the "secret" ingredient for this decorative technique: 3-D Embellishing Compound

To easily view ALL the projects and how-tos I've got to share with you, please go to my Site Map and take a look. You might just find a few things that catch your eye.
Your garden will thank you! Site Map

Please keep coming back — I'm adding more projects
all the time :-)