After receiving positive feedback on our Friday Holiday Series, we’ve decided to
continue posting our project ideas each Friday. Enjoy!
By Megan
Leblond
Looking for
a cheap and chic project? Negoro
Nuri is a painting process first introduced by Japanese monks of the
Negorodera monastery in the 14th century.
The traditional technique uses a
black lacquer as an undercoat. Next, a red lacquer is painted on top
of the black. Artisans then sanded or allowed the object to wear naturally to
expose parts of the black undercoat. This process reflected the philosophy of
Eastern artists and craftsmen to highlight a form's intrinsic qualities.
Taking
these basic principles, you can create subtle or bold patterns with a Rice
Grain Negoro Nuri. This technique is easy and fun, and has über-cool
results!
Step 1.
Choose two colors you would like to use together. You can be bold or subtle
with your color choices.
Step 2.
Prime your surface. (This step isn’t always necessary, but it's best practice
for lasting and quality craftsmanship).
Step 3.
Paint one coat of base color, let dry.
Step 4.
Paint a second coat of base color. While paint is still wet, press the rice
into the paint, making sure it sticks to surface and allow to dry.
Step 5.
Leave rice grains adhered to the surface and paint a gentle coat of top
color. Use a sponge brush or soft-bristled brush and paint thin layers of top
coat. If the paint is too thick, it will surround the rice grains and you will
lose the shape of the grain.
Step 6.
Allow the paint to dry and remove rice grains. If you are like me and
can't wait for the paint to dry to see the effect, you can remove the rice
grains with tweezers, making sure not to disturb the drying paint. However, it
is much easier to allow the paint to dry and simply brush the grains away.
Step 7.
Sand the surface with an ultra-fine sandpaper or add a clear coat for a shiny
look.
You can use
this process for large areas like walls or as an accent in a room, like a chair
rail, window trim or piece of furniture. You can create a Rock ‘n Roll
look for a teen room by painting a window frame or headboard with this process,
or spice up your office by painting a metal file cabinet. I hope you love the
effect of Rice Grain Negoro Nuri as much as I do!
Happy
creating!