Translucent Stains Basic Technique

AN INTRODUCTORY GUIDE TO FASHENHUES TRANSLUCENT STAINS

Fashenhues Translucent Stains Example Piece Hello and welcome to the Fashenhues Family! We are thrilled you have decided to join our growing community.

Made in the USA, Fashenhues is a brand of hand-crafted products. Truly mixed, bottled, labelled and boxed by-hand in Texas, USA!

If you are new to the world of Fashenhues, you may be wondering where to start and just how to use these brilliant colors. Read on, my friend. We have put this short guide together to get you hooked started, knowing you will LOVE what you can create!

We know you have every bit of an artist inside you as anyone and are so excited to see what beauty you create today!

Turkey Painted in Fashenhues Translucent Stains

While our Translucent Stains are typically used on prepared bisque, you can also use them on wood, canvas, and a variety of other surfaces. Unleash your creativity and see where it takes you!

We firmly believe there is no right or wrong (well, almost no wrong) way to use Fashenhues products. This is why the Fashenhues community is so fun and open to all! Seriously, try it and see!

Oh, what a fun time you're about to have! We're so excited for you!

Here, we offer only a guideline for you to begin to discover your unique methods and techniques. This will cover the basics of how to use Fashenhues Translucent Stains, but just because you don’t see it here, doesn’t mean you’re doing it wrong.

Tools & Materials

fired bisque piece
assorted paintbrushes
cut up T-shirt pieces and/or VIVA paper towels (they do not shed as much as others).
*blue shop towels also work well
C-1248 or C-1288 Cream Basecoat
C-1044 or C-1048 White Basecoat
S-18 or S-182 Brown
*or any other color or colors you would like to use in the antiquing process
AS-1 Antiquing Solution
BL-1 Blending Media
baby wipes
*for keeping hands clean and removing mistakes
selection of Fashenhues Translucent Stains
can of quality acrylic gloss, semi-gloss, satin, or matte spray clear coat
*our current preferred brand and type is Krylon UV-Resistant Clear Acrylic Coating Spray Finish, available at most big-box stores

Additional Materials

a cup or jar of water*spare/extra piece of prepared bisque (optional)
Lazy Susan / Turntable (optional)
*not essential, but can help keep pesky fingerprints from smudging things up!
positive attitude (essential)
*this is a must-have! What’s the point if you’re not having fun?!

*We recommend having a flat bisque surface available to test your colors. Colors often look very different when wiped back than when applied.

Choose from any of our 48 Fashenhues Translucent Stains to paint your piece. Our Translucent Stain colors are water-soluble for an easy clean-up with soap and water.

ALWAYS STORE COLOR BOTTLES CAP-UP

Bottles should only be bottom-up while you are working on a project to make it easier to see and choose colors.

Let’s get started!

Fashenhues Translucent Stains Process

Remove all dust from the entire bisque piece with a slightly damp sponge (allow to dry completely), compressed air, or soft brush.
Shake well and apply complete coverage of one coat of Cream Basecoat (1). Using the Cream basecoat first allows you to easily see where you have may have the white bisque still showing. Allow to dry and apply the second coat using the White Basecoat (2). As with the first Cream Basecoat, alternating to the White for the second allows you to easily see where you have not yet achieved complete coverage. To read why base coat is necessary, please see our FAQ page. But be careful not to use too much basecoat - you do not want to fill all the crevices and details of your piece!
Always shake each bottle before using the color to ensure thorough mixing. Start the antiquing process by placing a small amount of S-18 Brown (or whichever color(s) you are using to antique) Translucent pigment onto your palette (3). Using a stiff brush of your choice, begin to brush color into an area about 2 or 3” in diameter. Immediately wipe back using a lint-free paper towel or T-shirt-like material. (Viva paper towels or old T-shirts make excellent wipe-away materials.) Continue until the entire piece is antiqued and wiped back (4). Many people prefer to also do the bottom or back.
Decide what additional colors you would like to use and begin applying one color at a time. To extend the “workability” of your Translucent color, try placing a small drop of BL-1, Blending Media, onto your palette. Tip your brush lightly into the media, VERY LITTLE IS NEEDED, then “swirl” it into your colors before applying them to your piece. This will permit your brush to move smoothly as you add color and will eliminate virtually all brush marks. Since all products are very concentrated, it’s easy to add too much media. Adding too much will prevent the color from drying. If you find that you would like to wipe back more color than your t-shirt piece will allow, you may want to place a small amount of AS-1, Antiquing Solution, in a clean cloth as you wipe back the color, or use a baby wipe. Generally, the natural look can be achieved by having the most concentration of color deep into the cracks and crevices of your piece creating the effect of natural shading, and highlights or lighter hues on raised areas (5). Additional details can be added by using other Fashenhues products; Acrylic Stains, Metallic Kolors, Luminescent Kolors, Pearlescent Kolors, or by adding Gold or Silver Fine Powder to the Translucent colors. Try using the P-1 White or P-2 Gold colors over top of your Translucent colors for a beautiful sheen (i.e., eyes, snow, dragon scales, etc).
Seal and protect your finished piece by applying at least 3 light coats of the acrylic clear coat of your choosing. You can also use GG-1 Gloss Glaze for a wonderful deep look, particularly when used on the eyes.

You now have a finished piece you’ll be proud to display!

Painting Tips

When painting a smooth area, for instance, a sky scene, the color wipes unbelievably smooth, especially when you add a second color over the base-colored sky. A good base color for a sky would be S-7, Blue Gray, or for a lighter base, S-42, Morning Glory. For a darker sky, you might use S-44, Blue Denim as a base. When adding a second color with a cloth, the color just blends into the base sky color.

When painting flesh tones, antique with S-2, Mocha, or S-9, Gray. Load brush with Blending Media as explained and apply and wipe with T-shirt-like material as you would normally do. It may be necessary to moisten your cloth with a bit of AS-1 Antiquing Solution and lighten the antiquing color(s).

If desired, you can “set” each color with a light coat of Matte Spray to minimize the possibility of removing other colors from adjacent areas. (If you scrub hard enough, you can remove any color, sprayed or not.)

And remember, if you're getting a little discouraged or frustrated with your piece, sometimes pieces need a little time-out. Things always look brighter in the morning!

We hope this helps guide you on your journey to masterpieces and that you will share your works of art with us on all our Social Media Channels.