How To Blend Chalk Style Paint
Blending is a technique in which you blend two or more colors of paint to create a new look. By blending, you can create a different, tertiary color in between the original colors to help transition from one color to the next smoothly and without showing harsh lines. This technique works best with chalk or mineral style paints as they can be wet with water to reactivate them to keep them moving easily. One key to blending paints is to keep them wet. If the paint starts to dry, it will begin to pull your paint and cause thick brush strokes to be seen. If this happens, stop, allow it to dry completely and then sand it down smooth again before resuming.
In order to keep your paint wet, you will need a water bottle of some sort. When I started blending, I used a regular spray bottle that can be picked up from most stores. The problem with spray bottles is that they spray a heavier amount of water, even when you have it on wide spay (as opposed to stream). It will produce heavier droplets of water and we don’t want that. The best thing to use is a bottle that will provide a nice light mist of water instead of a spray/stream. I picked up my mister bottles from Hobby Lobby and got them on sale for about $5. They have been great!
Another thing you will need is a good brush for blending… or just painting a nice smooth finish in general. My personal favorite brushes of all time are Cling On’s. They come in multiple sizes and shapes and are phenomenal at creating finishes with little to no brush strokes. On top of that, they last a ridiculously long time (I’ve been using mine for 3 years now with no issues) and the best part… they’re basically self cleaning. Yes… you heard that right. They virtually clean themselves when you suspend them in water. Let me know in the comments if you have questions on that and I’ll be glad to explain.
The secret to blending seamlessly is to keep blending and then blend some more. Keep the paint wet by misting with your water and blend, blend, blend. Also, using both horizontal and vertical strokes will soften your lines and make your colors more seamless.
Choosing two or three colors that are similar in hue will also make it easier to blend them. If you have a really dark color and are blending with a really light color for example (think dark red and stark white), it will take longer to get it smoother/softer than if you have two colors that are closer together in lightness/darkness like a (ex light, pastel pink and a white).
As your colors start to get softer and smoother, you will begin using lighter and lighter brush strokes. You will start out by just brushing them together. As they get more blended, you will use more feathery, light strokes.
The last thing I can tell you to help you with blending is to practice. Keep at it until it becomes easier. The more the better.
If you’d like to try out Cling On brushes, you can find them for sale here on my website. If you’d like to try these Dixie Belle paint products, we’d love for you to use our affiliate link to purchase. It doesn’t charge you anything extra but we may receive a small commission for your purchase. Please click on the link below to view/purchase Dixie Belle products.
https://dixiebellepaint.com?aff=452
Below you will find a link to a real time video on my YouTube channel where you can watch me blend two largely different hues of colors. I am using Dixie Belle paint in Flamingo and Fluff (dark coral and white white). I did this video in real time so you can see it easier but there is no sound. I added some music to keep it from being completely silent. If you don’t like it, simply turn the volume down. As always, thanks so much for watching. Please help support our business by liking the videos and subscribing to our YouTube channel. If you have questions, post them in the comments on here or under the video itself.
