In this amazing IKEA hack, we take a simple Hemnes chest of drawers and turn it into a true work of art. Watch as we hand-paint a mesmerizing great white shark with Dixiebelle’s incredible Terra clay colors and embellish the dresser with stunning, flexible wood ornaments from WoodUbend.
The full description can be found below the video and a list of the products used at the end of this article.
Also this project, although it is new, I first cleaned with White Lightning. In spite of everything, there may be residues from production or even from assembly on it.
This furniture is made of lacquered wood, so I only sanded the surface briefly with a sanding sponge.
In addition, this time I worked my way from the inside out, because I wanted to work on the rather boring drawers on the inside as well and this is easier before assembly.
I closed the existing holes for the handles with Dixie Mud. So that it does not swell through the holes, I use tape as a stopper for the mud.
This time I’m working with the Terra Clay Artisan colors from Dixiebelle. This is a great way to build structure if you want.
I paint the inside of the drawers with Terra Bougainvillea. On the outer sides I create a gradient from the outside to the inside with bougainvillea, marigold and daffodil.
Now comes the Tea Towel stencil from Belles & Whistles on top. To do this, I take the Dixie Mousse in Garnet and mix it with the Top Coat Gloss. So the mousse dries faster. In order to avoid underbleeding, I first unload the paint from the stencil brush a little and distribute the paint evenly in the brush at the same time. With the stipple technique, the stencil motif is now on the pages.
The bottom of the drawers is also painted. Since this is plastic veneer, I first prepared it for the paint with 2 coats of slick stick. The base color here is the Galaxy of the Terra colors, which I apply 2x. For a woven effect, I apply the 2nd coat at a 90° angle to the first layer. Terra Clay Artisan paints are not self-leveling and retain the structure of the brushstrokes during drying. So you can achieve this effect great. For the stenciling itself, I use Pistachio and the stencil Buffalo Check from Belles & Whistles. With an almost dry brush (little paint) and pressure, I apply the paint in circular motions.
The upper border of the chest of drawers is decorated with the trim WUBTR720.
When I work with borders, I apply the glue to my project and try to keep the border in a snail for as long as possible. This makes it easier to control. In order to get the WoodUbends flexible, you heat them with a hair dryer, hot air dryer or similar. As a helping hand and to hold the border in place until I can finally press it firmly, I use painter’s crepe. Since the WoodUbend also cools down and hardens again during work, I warm it up again and again with my hot air gun in between to keep it flexible.
If it is flexible, you can also cut it with a sharp knife. That’s what I’m doing here at the end of the bar. I sand the cut edge itself with a sanding sponge after it has cooled down.
The upper corners of the chest of drawers are adorned with the Corbel WUB361. Since these are quite thick and I want to put them around the edge, I first cut out a small wedge at the back. So I don’t have to bend the whole massive ornament.
Anyone who knows me knows that my heart beats next to my sweetheart, kittens and motorcycles for the underwater world. My absolute favorites very small, the seahorses and very big the sharks. And today it’s supposed to be a great white shark.
To make it easier for me with the proportions, I first sketch a rough grid and draw the outline of the shark.
Then I’ll go back to the background. For this I use from the Terra colors: Galaxy, Blue Moon, Cerulean Blue and Lani’s Lagoon. Moon Beam and Onyx are then added to the shark itself.
From bottom to top it gets brighter from the colors and in the upper part I work a semicircle to later simulate the view against the water surface. I repeat the whole thing a 2nd time. To keep the paint moist and blend the shades together, I use a spray bottle of water.
For the waves on the surface of the water, I use Blue Moon, Cerulean Blue and Lani’s Lagoon.
On the sides of the chest of drawers, I stick more with the darker shades of blue. Since I also want to build texture here, I like to work with natural bristle brushes or those that behave like natural bristles, such as the Premium Chip Brush.
As an intermediate layer and part of the color overlay, Elderberry, Malachite and Pistachio now come into play. Between layers, I always let the paints dry. Finally, the blue tones are thinly applied again so that the lower layers of paint can still shine through.
I first trace the outline of the shark itself with the Cerulean Blue. The blue will later blend well with the surroundings.
After mixing different shades of gray from dark to light with Onyx, Moon Beam and Blue Moon, I start with the darkest shade. It’s a play of shadow and light, although I always mix in a little more blue.
This is the natural reflection of the water on the objects underwater. The colors, especially yellow and red tones, are lost underwater depending on the visibility conditions, the deeper you get.
Sharks are usually gray on the back, and the belly is white. As a hunter, this is an optimal camouflage. From above against the dark depths of the sea, the gray merges and from below, against the light-flooded water surface, the white merges.
The pattern is more pronounced in the great white shark than in other shark species and typical for this genus. Towards the abdomen, they have a distinctive irregular line. In addition, they are beefy, muscular animals.
Even with the white part of the shark, I start with the darkest tones and work my way up to the lighter ones, then again with darker accents and emphasize the muscles of this impressive animal.
Once I was lucky enough to meet one underwater. Beautiful, impressive animals. Since they can also be dangerous to a human being in terms of size, and man thinks that he has the prerogative everywhere, they are unfortunately not particularly respected and are unfortunately threatened with extinction.
Without further ado, the feet of the chest of drawers get a few seaweed tendrils with WoodUbend. For this I use parts of the WoodUbend WUB1413. The roses have been cut off and will then be used in another project. Here I just used some of the leaf tendrils and wrapped them around my feet. After that, I crossed them out with Galaxy.
The shelf of the chest of drawers gets a dark marble effect. For this I use the Chalk Mineral colors from Dixiebelle. Since I will work with a lot of water here and the Terra’s can be reactivated with water at any time and very, very easily as long as they are not sealed, they are not as suitable for me as for painting itself.
Midnight Sky, In the Navy and Dixiebelle Blue are blended together with the help of the Best Dang Brush to create a deliberately irregular, cloudy look as a base. I repeat the whole thing a second time for full coverage. In between and afterwards, a fine sanding sponge is used to obtain the smoothest possible surface. Of course, the sanding dust is thoroughly removed every time before continuing.
With the Easy Peasy Spraywax I first seal the surface before I start marbling. This makes it easier to control the colors.
I was inspired for the marble effect by Jonathon Marc Mendes – Painted Love. Whereby it is not as noble, elegant with me as with him but (rather unintentionally) rather a little more organic. But it also suits me better, doesn’t it?
For the marbling I use Cotton from the CMPs and Steel Magnolia from the Moonshine Metallic series. With the help of an artist’s brush, I apply the cotton diluted with water like veins and put irregular drops. With the help of the spray bottle, I let it run even more and take it down again with a damp microfiber cloth. I also put the Steel Magnolia in between as a slight gloss effect. In the places where it gets too bright for me, I do the same game with the Midnight Sky to darken it again until I’m satisfied.
The entire project will be sealed with terra tuff at the end. A robust, satin-dried top coat that intensifies the Terra colors.
At the very end, the WoodUbends get a highlight with the Dixiebelle chameleon waxes. These are not opaque guild waxes, but change their color according to the color over which they are applied. A beautiful mother-of-pearl effect.
Sharky is now ready to stand the test of time ?
Do you have any questions or suggestions? Then feel free to write me in the comments or write me a message.
For today, I would like to say thank you for reading and goodbye until the next blog post
Your Master of Disaster
Angela
Products used:
Not all of my favorite products I carry myself in the shop. Nevertheless, I don’t want to withhold them from you and I’m happy about every cent in my coffee box so that I can continue to compile informative articles for you.
The links marked with an asterisk (*) are so-called affiliate links. If you click on such an affiliate link and buy via this link, I get a commission from the online shop or provider in question. But your price does not change!
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