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Have you ever walked into a home with an amazing wall niche built into a huge wall of block? This lovely niche holds a large vase filled with all colors of flowers beautifully arranged.

Now walk closer to the wall and you will suddenly realize that every thing on this wall is fake. It’s all an illusion created with paint.

That is one of the hardest things to paint in murals… something that looks so real it will fool the eye even for a second. If you can do that… you are on your way to painting a wonderful mural that will be cherished for years.

The trick isn’t just about the ability to paint a picture. The trick is in the shadows. Learning about light and shadow is a must if you are striving to paint realistic art on your walls.

I found a short video that shows the basics of light and shadow in mural painting:

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The instructions on the bottles and cans of glaze are often confusing… I am here to answer the question: How To Use Faux Glaze Paint. 

For instance, I recently received this question about how to mix faux glaze:
Debra, I so wish I would have found your site BEFORE I faux finished my small bedroom.

I chose a smoky slate (green) on all walls.  But I wanted to do just one wall in a faux finish since the room is so small with one wall complete closet doors and the opposite being a patio door (the only natural light).  

I then chose an oyster shell (tumbleweed) as my faux color over the green.  I really wanted the effect to be very subtle . . . and that is what I got.  

I used a chamois roller for a leather effect but you can barely see the green at all.

I even mixed my faux glaze as 1×5 instead of 4 as recommended by Olympic.  

I'm thinking I should have mixed it 1×10??

I am planning tonight to do a very light feather duster/sponge blending with the green over the tumbleweed.  What might be your thoughts?  And what ratio should I use with the glaze? Your help is greatly appreciated.
 

First… you might want to check out: What is Glaze? 

Now… let's get into the mixing of glaze and paint. What is the best ratio?

That is a difficult question to answer because… it depends. It depends on the paint brand and the glaze brand.

• Glaze can be very thin or very thick. It's always colorless (unless you purchase a premixed colored glaze of course). But, a thin consistency will dilute the paint color more than a thick consistency.
• Paint is also a problem… how much actual color is in the paint? Some paints like the oyster color mentioned above… won't have much pigment in the paint. Then you have colors that are heavily pigmented… and need much more glaze to thin them out.
• Craft paint or universal color tints work differently as well. Craft paints can be highly pigmented… and universal tints are all pigment… meaning you will need a lot of glaze to thin the color.

So… what's the answer? As in all things… it is better to test and wait. Patience is a virtue (not one I am blessed with… but it's a virtue all the same).

If I had been applying the oyster to the wall… what would I have done? I would have mixed a small (tiny) sample batch, remembering the ratio of paint to glaze. Then, you can test that glaze on the wall. Yep… just a tiny bit in a corner near the floor will do. Then let it dry… that's the patience part.

If the color lightens up and is barley visible when dry… then you used too much glaze. Go back and test a new batch using more paint. Soon you will have the perfect ratio.

The paint companies like to give out ideas for ratios that may seem like they are set in stone… but they are just an idea. Not the cold hard truth. Faux painting glaze is not an exact science. You need to test… test… test.  

Here is a video where the paint (craft acrylic) is being mixed with just water. It's a good lesson for mixing… but I still recommend using glaze as it will give you more time to work with the paint before drying. 

I hope this was a bit helpful in your search for how to use faux glaze paint. 

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