As for another alternative, I would give this sealer from Americana a try. It is listed as weather resistant and is good for both indoor and outdoor.
After I applied the undercoat sealer and let it dry, I commenced with painting the froggy features. He is cool and fun! Then I finished with an outdoor sealer made for acrylic paints. I just use the sealers that you can find in the art section for acrylics. Americana is one of my favorites.
As you can see in the photo above, the frog is back in the corner, and looks pretty cool! He has been outside for years, as of this writing, and the paint hasn't chipped at all. He has sat out in full sun, full weather, and then more recently under the overhang from our roof. He has faired very well!
My next creation was Mr. Turtle. Poor Mr. Turtle. He was my first try at painting on cement, which wasn't the real issue. The problem was, I think, that Mr. Turtle was hollow inside. So although he was pretty easy to move around weight wise, his surface didn't hold up. I thought he was going to do as well as Mr. Frog. But oh well. I did apply the various coatings, and gave him a cool look.
He looked pretty good while he was still indoors. But the weather was too much for this hollow critter. I do plan to put some spackling on his back and maybe give him an abstract bandage. We'll see!
Onto Miss. Colorful Bird. This piece is also cement but is solid through. I did not have the issues with this that I had with Mr. Turtle. I don't know if different companies use different types of cement or not, or if it was just from not being solid. I believe I got Mr. Turtle from a garden center; it may have been Lowes. I purchased the bird from Target.
Anyway, Miss Colorful Bird still looks beautiful. Her painted feathers has been outdoors for months now, and she is still looking good. I have not sat her out in full weather like I did Mr. Frog. I hesitate after seeing what happened to Mr. Turtle. So everyone from now on is being placed under the overhang from the roof.
If you were to venture in to painting some outdoor decor for show, I would recommend to buy more solid pieces, or keep the piece indoors. As with all of them, I do recommend a sealer for porous surfaces that are meant for acrylic artistic paints. I have not used the paint meant for houses. And then finish with a final sealer of 2-3 coats. The main paint that I used is from Americana, which is a multi-surface paint, but doesn't not mention being weather resistant, so it will definitely need to be sealed.
If you are looking for concrete animals to paint, you can check out this page on Amazon. There are a variety of options there, including flat type stones. I did not have good luck with that and would recommend choosing something thicker and more solid. Customers have had a good experience with concrete items purchased from Stone Freedom on Amazon.
Happy painting.
Update:
I gave Mr. Turtle a makeover. You can see both paintings printed on these custom tshirts. By the way, Mr. Turtle now has his rightful place back in my flower bed.
Cheryl Paton
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Such fun to see all the cute garden creatures you have come up with Cheryl. Good advice on the type of surfaces which do well when exposed to weather. Thanks for the tour of your animal garden decor and the advice on painting them.
ReplyDeleteYou are welcome Wednesday Elf, and thank you!
DeleteYour garden animals are beautiful! I have painted a lot of concrete figurines for backyards. I've kept some and given others as gifts. I always used weather resistant house paint without a sealer so I could touch up the paint as needed. I love the colors on your figures! Since I am not an artist, I used a simple dry brush technique to finish, but I do love the colors on your work.
ReplyDeleteThank you Sylvestermouse. I didn't think to use housepaint as I know how most have behaved when I painted our cinderblock walls. I do prefer options where I can go without having to touch up. I had actually painted flowers on the front of our house, on the cinderblock, and did touch them up several times! I eventually went back to solid walls. I also used simple brush techniques, but with artist brushes to give me more options on having a variety of looks just from the different brush strokes. Thank you so much.
DeleteYou are so creative. Thanks for sharing your delightful designs with us
ReplyDeleteThank you Mary Granger. You are very welcome.
DeleteYour painted rock and cement animals are lovely, Cheryl! My dad used to paint rock animals on a smaller scale as indoor decorations. I appreciate your tips for making these weather-resistant.
ReplyDeleteThank you Margaret. I bet your dad's creations are adorable. You are very welcome. My pleasure, Margaret.
DeleteWow, amazing work - they look so beautiful! The turtle is absolutely beautiful. That's dedicated work! I'm so impressed at the patience it must take to go through creating these gorgeous ornaments. Talented lady!!
ReplyDeleteThank you very much Barbara. I appreciate your kindness. Patience does come in handy when waiting for the paint and or coatings to dry! Thanks again.
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