Putting a kit together is all very well, but what a difference a finish makes. We thought it would be fun to take one kit and show three different approaches to the final look.
 | Master miniaturist John Hodgson is better known for creating stunning hand-made period furniture, and Georgian scenes such as those on display at Hever Castle. His miniatures sell for hundreds of pounds, but he still had huge fun sitting in front of the TV putting together a kit. |
 | Gale Elena Bantock creates exquiste hand-sculpted dolls. But, on her stand at fairs you may well have seen her hand-painted furniture and accessories. Her distressed look (the furniture, not Gale) is guaranteed to attract admiring glances. We asked her to reveal some of her trade secrets. |
 | A&G Sledge provided the hallstand kit for review. We asked Alicia and Graham exactly how they would finish one of their own hallstands. |
I also put the mirror in before finishing, which incidentally is quite beautiful complete with bevelled edges, and then masked off with tape.
I assumed it was a Vctorian piece to be finished in mahogany, so I made up a mixture of artist's acrylic paint and Liquitex. I use acrylics on all my furniture - they're great to use, seal well, and don't spread. Plus you can brush a grain effect into them.
Having said that, the soft-wood (it's actually a hardwood - A&G) of the kit did look as though it would take a stain pretty well.
After painting I sprayed the kit with a sander sealer which dries very quickly and has a slight filler in it. After three or four coats I had a finish I was happy with. I don't like sanding because it can be patchy.
If you want you could add a final coat of wax, such as a Liberon staining wax.
The little dishes at the foot of the stand to hold umbrellas would have been lead, so I painted these silver. However John Buckingham does a very good thin lead sheet if you wanted to add a truly authentic touch.
John Hodgson
John Hodgson's mahogany stand
Before assembling the kit we stained all the pieces with Colron Indian Rosewood. This spirit-based woodstain is available from most DIY stores. After assembly we brushed on a couple of coats of neat French polish.
Graham and Alicia Sledge
The Sledge's Rosewood approach
My particular painted style is very 'distressed'; most furniture in regular use, especially 'below stairs', will quickly take on a careworn look and this is fairly easy to reproduce. Miniature furniture painting is very much like its full-size counterpart, and indeed there are books available that tell you how to achieve various paint effects.
The key to any miniature painting is colour. Scale items tend to look much better in a matt finish, even if the original was gloss to start with. Gloss finishes also tend to accentuate any imperfection, so are best avoided. Likewise bright colours tend not to be very good in smaller scales.
Choose muted colours, especially if the furniture has to fit into a room with other styles and finishes.
As to exactly what type of paint to use, it's largely a matter of personal choice. In my time I've tried most of them from artists' oils and acrylics to domestic emulsion. If you are using emulsions, you'll find that the little 'matchpots' are ideal and are often sold off at the end of a range for pennies by the likes of B&Q and Homebase.
Try everything and stick with what you are happiest with.
To achieve the 'worn' look as demonstrated on the hallstand is fairly simple. The base colour is applied either by hand-painting or an airbrush if you use one. Then a darker 'dirt' colour is carefully applied to the nooks and crannies that you would expect to find. Remember, use common sense when applying the 'dirt' - dust and grime have to obey the law of gravity just like the rest of us, and so will tend to rest on top of things unless, of course, they're in a kitchen where smoky grease will attach them to everything! The final touch is to gently rub away the paint either back to the wood or, if you are keen, back to another, previously applied colour representing old paint layers. Again use common sense - think about where generations of hands and feet will come into contact with the piece and concentrate on these with your fine sandpaper.
Gale Elena Bantock
Gale's distressed look along with some of her accessories
Photo taken by Stephen Hepworth for Dolls House World. email: stephen.hepworth@syol.com
A & G Sledge (Miniatures), 100 Watton Road, Ware, Herts, SG12 0AY. Tel. (01920) 466443 Fax (01920) 422611DollsHouse World, Issue 71, August 1998, p24-25.
Links to reviews: Edwardian Dressing Table | Davenport | Hallstand 1 | Kitchen Furniture | Hallstand 2 | Mackintosh Wardrobe | Teapoy | Side-by-Side | Rosella Frame
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Updated 26th April 2003