I had the same questions, and most of the local art shops had gone out of business as the big craft chains started carrying art supplies, so I didn't know who to ask. I used interior latex white paint to do a base coat of for the flowers, and then used folk art paints to do the flowers themselves, but, the coverage wasn't great. I did email a professional muralist that I found online (www.abrushwithart.com) with questions about paint and brushes, and she was kind enough to send me the resposne that I pasted below:
From: Judy Brodell [mailto:
[email protected]]
Sent: Tuesday, March 22, 2005 1:00 PM
Subject: Re: Info request for A-Brush-With-Art
Hi Melissa,
There are many factors that will affect coverage; preparation, tools and products.
If the base paint (the blue) has not cured it can possibly be reactivated by the new wet paint and "bleed" through like a stain. The process of curing usually takes one month, check the paint can label for curing time. If the paint is indeed cured then it isn't likely to bleed through.
The problem then might be the quality of your white paint. You haven't stated what brand you are using. There are differences among paint brands. Paints with higher acrylics cover better than those with more fillers (the cheaper ones). Cheaper paints require more coats - therefore you actually use more product and more of your time to get similar results, not really a bargain!
Use a good quality artist's brush with soft bristles. Do not use a cheap brush with hard bristles that scratch through your paint leaving streaks. This won't give you good coverage either.
Three coats of any good paint should have covered a cured paint satisfactorily. Perhaps you are not getting "bleed" but getting a blue cast from the surrounding wall? Colors, even white, are affected by neighboring colors.
You can use latex paint to paint the flowers - use a brand with high acrylics and good coverage. If you select the same sheen level (scrubbable latex flat enamel) of the base color on the walls you will have flowers that match the sheen. This can be tinted to other colors using universal tints or artists acrylics. Mixing with craft paint won't give you dark colors as the white paint will only lighten these colors.
If you choose to use craft paint and dislike the flatter sheen you can top coat the work with a water-based acrylic/polyacrylic sealer, a satin finish should be fairly close to the enamel's sheen. Do not use a urethane oil based varnish.
I hope your project is successful!
Judy
Hope this helps!