
Part 2 of a 3 part series of the Hamburg Panel from Salon. This post presents how Pierre Finkelstein’s panel was created for the International event for decorative painters called SALON. This particular gathering was in Hamburg, Germany and the theme was “the harbor”. This post will focus on the turtle ornament in the panel, but there is another post to focus on the crab ornament. There is a separate post to show how to add the faux molding to the panel.
Trompe l’oeil refers to a technique that creates an optical illusion, making two-dimensional works appear three-dimensional or creating realistic images that trick the viewer into believing they are real objects or scenes. Pierre Finkelstein of Pierre Finkelstein Institute of Decorative Painting shows you how he created this finish.
See also: The Crab (Part 1 of 3), Faux Molding (Part 3 of 3)
HOW TO CREATE THIS FINISH
Use our step-by-step instruction below
MATERIALS NEEDED:
Here is a list of the tools & supplies you will need to achieve this technique. Supplies available at fauxbrushes.com are linked below and listed at the bottom of the page.
- Basecoat
- Transfer paper
- 5 H Pencil
- Trompe l’oeil Brushes
- Acrylic Colors
- Pointed Detail Brush
- Varnish
PROPER PREPARATION
STEP 1 – PROPER PREPARATION: Use proper preparation methods to prepare your surface for Step 2.
DESIGN & TRANFER
STEP 2 – DESIGN AND TRANSFER: A turtle design was created and then the image was blown up using a copy machine. The design was then transferred to the panel using transfer paper and a pencil.
ADD HALFTONE

STEP 3 – ADD HALFTONE: Using care for the sketch lines, fast drying Acrylic Colors were applied using Trompe l’oeil Brushes. This layer of paint can be considered the half-tone color. The half-tone is the most important one because it sets up the rest of steps.

ADD ACCENTS

STEP 4 – ADD ACCENTS: Then the “accent” colors were added. Pierre was careful not to get too dark while continuing to work on the turtle.

Then a red tone was added to the accent color to bring the darker areas to life.

The halftone color was left visible to add some highlights to the shell.
OUTLINE FIGURE

STEP 5 – OUTLINE FIGURE: Using a short, Pointed Detail Brush, the shell was carefully lined.

The same process was then used on the limbs of the turtle.

ADD ADDITIONAL OPTIONAL EFFECTS

STEP 6 – ADD ADDITIONAL OPTIONAL EFFECTS: For this panel, a crab section was also added. After all ornaments and tromp l’oeil were completed then tromp l’oeil faux molding was added around the panel. See additional posts for instructions on these effects.
See also: The Crab (Part 1 of 3), Faux Molding (Part 3 of 3)
PROTECT AND FINISH
STEP 7 – PROTECT AND FINISH: Varnish was applied to protect the finish
COMPLETED FINISH


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