Sharing the Facebook Art Challenge - Day 4 - Makeover and Marbling

I've been nominated by Frederica @ Frederica's Little World and Lorraine @ Fairy Meadow Miniatures to participate in the Facebook Art Challenge showing 3 pictures each day for 5 days and in turn nominate another artist to do the same - today I'm branching off outside the mini world to nominate my daughter-in-law Lamina Godman @ doabit to show some of her art and textile work.

Just like the human world the miniature world is full of mass produced pieces that in some cases are perfectly fine as they are but now and then we need something a little different. Making it from scratch isn't always within our capabilities, or it just seems to be too much trouble, but most of us can make a big difference with just a bit of paint, and have fun in the process. I certainly got a lot of satisfaction from my French fireplace makeover - I hope it will inspire some of you to get those paint brushes out and turn a ho-hum piece into something a little special. 

This fireplace is a Reutters piece, perfect in size and shape but the original colour and gilded features were a bit over the top for my French sitting room so out came the paint brushes.

The mirror is an old 'handbag' mirror framed simply and decorated with a scrapbooking embellishment painted in shades of dull golds similar to those used on the fire basket. Both the mirror and the angel embellishment were found in my extensive stash, serendipitously they are exactly the same width - well, we all deserve to get a little lucky now and then! 

If you are going to try your hand at a faux marble finish - and why not?! - it helps to have a picture of a piece of real marble to guide you to get you started, although in no time at all you'll find your little piece will take on a life of its own. 

I started this one with a layer of black then sponged on 3 different shades of dark grey in patches. These different shades were made by mixing increasing amounts of grey and white into the black I started out with. For the veining I used a slightly diluted light grey and an old soft brush with very few bristles left, twisting it a bit as I went to create the variation in the with of the veins. Then I added some very fine lines of off white over the grey veins here and there. (Be sure to continue the veins over the edge). 

Give it a try - if you're not satisfied it looks right the first time just paint over it and start again. Have fun!