Thanks, Jan and Brenda, for your replies to my queries about painting knotty pine!  Now I realize why I always see knotty pine furniture, cabinets and wall paneling with just clear varnish or polyurethane on them rather than paint.  I had no idea that the knots will continue to bleed sap – my chest of drawers is at least 20 years old and I’m taken aback that after all this time, the knots are still doing that, even with a couple coats of paint over them!

Oh well, lesson learned…  Next time I buy any unfinished furniture that has knots in the wood I will be sure to seal them first with varnish.  Actually, I think I’ll do better than that and just buy clear pine instead – if it’s affordable.

My poor little chest of drawers will be moving to the basement and I’m sure I’ll find a use for it.  I’m relieved to have it out of my sight.  Time to move on…

—MC Kathy

Hello, painting friends!  I’ve come across a problem in my attempt to paint a piece of furniture, and I hope someone can give me some advice.

I bought a simple wooden chest of drawers about 20 years ago, and because it was made out of knotty pine and was unfinished, it was cheap-o. At the time, I didn’t know you could upgrade to clear pine for a little bit more money.

So…all this time the thing has been in my house with those big knotholes staring at me, and finally I couldn’t stand it anymore and I decided to paint it with acrylic latex paint.  I did two coats, sanding in between, but guess what?  Those blankety-blank knots are starting to bleed through.  Arrrrghh!

Should I sand the whole thing again and try using Kilz primer?  Or is there something I can apply to the knots to cover them up permanently?  Or should I put the chest down in my basement and pretend it never happened?

Any and all ideas are welcome!  Thanks in advance.

—MC Kathy

Hi All. Jackie here. Yesterday I was thrilled to find a painting demonstration in an unexpected place—my church service. The topic of the service was “Creativity” and part of the program featured an interview and live painting demonstration with painter Shawn Voelker. Shawn is one of the very talented contributors featured in Mural Painting Secrets for Success by Gary Lord. Shawn incorporates metallic foil in his paintings to achieve a very unique look. You can see a video of the church service here. Scroll down to the Audio/Video Archive and click on the video icon for August 10, 2008 Awe: Creativity. Or to cut right to the chase, check out one of Shawn’s YouTube videos here.  

Happy painting,

Jackie

Hello. Mary here. I’m getting married in January, which, admittedly, is not the best time of the year for fresh flowers. Sure, florists can get just about anything year-round, but there are still a few delicate beauties that have to be enjoyed in season (or at least close to it). Plus, I know the only outdoor plants that I’ll be able to count on are the evergreens.

Still, I’m determined to have a flower-full wedding, so they’re definitely the budget priority (who wants limo service anyway?). I’ve been toying with the idea of arranging at least some of the flowers myself. As you might have noticed by now, I’m a bit flower-obsessed (see my earlier Memorial day blog), so I think it would be great fun to take part in the flower arranging.

I’d probably leave the bridal party bouquets to the professionals, but I’m interested in making a few arrangements for the reception. Many upscale grocery stores have a good selection of high-quality flowers at reasonable prices, and I figure less expensive flowers = more flowers at the reception, right?  

One of my concerns is that my arrangements tend to be a bit messy (see earlier mentioned blog). I have a good time and am generally pleased with the results, but this usually works out better with simple garden flowers. I’ve been looking into books on flower arranging, and Simply Elegant Flowers With Michael George caught my eye:

The simple arrangements in this book are inspiring, and, more importantly, they seem doable.

Does anyone have experience with arranging flowers for big events? Have any advice or helpful resources?

Wish me luck!
Mary

Hello, painting friends!  I’ve been reading the recent blog posts about YouTube and how you can watch some painting instruction videos there from well-known artists like Donna Dewberry. I love watching how-to videos — they get me fired up and wanting to paint and it’s so cool to watch the artist in action.

The great thing is, if the artist has written a book for North Light, you’ll find it in the MyCraftivity Shop (just click on it at the top of your screen). The book will give you lots more painting how-tos, project ideas and inspiration, as well as help with your technique and tips and hints from the artist.

The advantages of books over videos are numerous, but here are just a few:  Each book has hundreds of full-color step-by-step photos that you can study closely. The photos are “stop-action,” catching the brushstroke at the most important moment. The camera comes in so close on the painting you can see every detail, every nuance, every gradation of color. You can follow along at your own speed without having to stop and “rewind” a video. You can place a piece of clear acetate over a painting and copy it by painting directly on the acetate. If you don’t care for the project being demonstrated on the video, the book has lots more projects and you’ll surely find several you really like.

Watching or downloading video projects is fun, but if you really, really want to learn how to paint, books will teach you everything you need to know.

—MC Kathy