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Notebook

Martha Leone Design: The blog is where I share thoughts on the creative process and share lots of pictures of each finished piece of painted furniture. Critiques are always welcome!

Constellation

Martha Leone

Constellation5 by MarthaLeoneDesign Constellation3 by MarthaLeoneDesign

Constellation2 by MarthaLeoneDesign

A design inspired by astronomy has been brewing in my mind for over two years. This first dresser (I'll be doing more) turned out exactly as I intended. The graphite gray color is scratched and textured and the lines were hand drawn and are imperfect in the execution.

I call it a constellation dresser because my initial intent was to draw several constellations all over the piece. After giving it more thought, I felt as though the composition would feel random and not dramatic enough so instead, I focused on the map lines and singular stars.

Constellation9 by MarthaLeoneDesign

Constellation10 by MarthaLeoneDesign

Constellation8 by MarthaLeoneDesign

Constellation6 by MarthaLeoneDesign

Constellation7 by MarthaLeoneDesign Constellation4 by MarthaLeoneDesign

 

INSPIRATION

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PROCESS

Instead of giving a step-by-step, I'll point out the challenge I faced: The desired effect is something like a scratched piece of paper. To get that texture, the painted surface is scratched with 60 grit sandpaper. Problem is that after poly is applied, the texture disappears to large degree. Image 1 and 2 are before poly. Image 3 is after the application of poly.

The solution was to do more scratching with the low-grit sandpaper and add texture with the side of a piece of white chalk.

Constellation13 by MarthaLeoneDesignConstellation14 by MarthaLeoneDesign

Constellation11 by MarthaLeoneDesign

In an attempt to create more starry texture on the surface, I spattered plaster of paris on the surface then sprayed it with a sealer. I tested its permanence by wiping it and as you can imagine, the powder wiped away. I'll use paint next time rather than the plaster of paris.

DSCN3965

Constellation before

If you don't follow me on Instagram, you missed this picture of my new wall for photoshoots. I painted it last week and love it. The opposite wall was painted white for shoots that require a light background. Some of you may think this particular piece should have been shot on the white wall. I wanted the overall effect of the shot to feel dark which seems fitting for the design concept.

Gray Garage Wall by Martha Leone Design

Constellation by MarthaLeoneDesign

I squeezed this piece into a busy season of custom work. It's available in my etsy shop!  SOLD

           

Linking up to: Mod Vintage Life  •  Finding Silver Pennies  • Domestically Speaking/Inspire Me Monday  •  Miss Mustard Seed  •  The Golden Sycamore/Inspiration Gallery  •  Interior Frugalista