A painted cupboard using simple folk art techniques to create the ever-popular country look.

Fiona Connolly and Tricia Greening designed and painted this piece back in 1995. It's still a winner with the Better Homes and Gardens audience.

You'll need:

Cupboard
Sandpaper
Dulux Colour Solutions Sample Pots in Deep Teal (dark green) and Cutty Sark (light green)
Tools: ruler, chalk pencil, masking tape, kneadable eraser, stylus, paper towel, tack cloth, sea sponge
Paints: Jo Sonja or equivalent folk art paints in Warm White, Cadmium Yellow Mid, Pthalo Green, Pthalo Blue, Cadmium Scarlet, Dioxazine Purple, Plum Pink, Rich Gold
Brushes: no 2 round, no 2 liner, no 6 flat, sponge brush
All purpose sealer
Crackle medium
Satin finish water-based varnish

Here's how:

Step 1
Remove the doors and knobs from the cupboard.

Step 2
Sand the cupboard until smooth, following the wood grain, and wipe with the tack cloth.

Step 3
Apply one coat of sealer and allow to dry thoroughly.

Step 4
Apply two coats of the desired colour and allow to dry after each coat. We used dark green on the doors and light green on the sides (and reversed the colours for the crackle finish).

Crackling

Step 5
To crackle the doors and sides: brush on one coat of crackle medium. Try to make this as smooth and even as possible. Allow to dry until the surface is almost touch dry - about one hour.

Step 6
To make the cracks: use the sponge to apply one coat of paint (light green) over the crackle medium. Try to get an even coverage and do not sponge over any area more than once. Cracks will begin to appear almost immediately and will continue crackling until the top coat dries.

Step 7
To make large elongated cracks (as on the sides): use a brush to apply the top coat (dark green) and use long strokes in one direction. Don't go over any area more than once. Cracks will appear following the direction of the brush strokes. Allow to dry overnight.

Painting the border

Step 8
Replace the doors, mark out a 4cm wide border 1.5cm in from the edge of the doors. Use masking tape to protect the edges of the border and apply two coats of the base colour that is showing through the border (dark green). Allow to dry after each coat. Remove the tape.

Step 9
Using the pattern, place the graphite paper between the pattern and the cupboard. Take the stylus and trace the pattern onto the doors within the marked border, repeating as necessary (refer to the top photo).

Painting the design

Step 10
Paint the design in the following order: large leaves, central flower, small daisies, buds and stems and lastly fern leaves.

Large leaves

Load the no 2 round brush with Pthalo Green and Warm White. Dip the tip lightly in Cadmium Yellow Mid and fill in the leaf shape using comma
strokes. Vary the colour of the leaves by reloading the brush in different mixes of green, yellow and white each time.

Central flower

Paint the outer layers of the petals first in Cadmium Yellow Mid using the no 2 round brush and tear drop strokes, then the middle layer in Cadmium Yellow Mid and Cadmium Scarlet (to make orange) then the top layer in Dioxazine Purple and Warm White. Last, paint the centre Cadmium Yellow Mid covering the ends of the petals.

Small daisies

Paint the petals using the no 2 round brush using comma strokes. Some daisies are orange with Pthalo Blue Dots, some are Pthalo Blue and Warm White with Plum Pink Dots. All the centres are yellow. To make the dots, use the end of your stylus. Make sure the commas all curve in the same direction to create a 'pinwheel' effect. Add the centre last to cover the tails of the commas.

Buds and stems

Paint the buds the same colours as the daisies with two small comma strokes together, using the liner brush loaded with water-thinned paint for an inky consistency.

Fern leaves

Use the no 6 flat brush. Rinse in water and blot the excess on a paper towel. Dip one corner of the brush into green and the other into yellow. Blend the colours together slightly by brushing back and forth lightly on your palette. Hold the brush upright and use the chisel edge as a 'stamp' to dab in the leaves by lifting straight up and down. Keep the yellow to the outside edge of the leaf. Scatter small dot daisies in various colours randomly throughout the pattern.

Finishing

Step 11
Outline the border using the liner brush and rich gold.

Step 12
When dry, erase all the visible pattern lines and apply two coats of satin finish varnish to protect and enhance your work, letting dry after each coat.

This cupboard ($49.95, plus postage and handling) is from Lugarno Craft Cottage, phone (02) 9584 1944, or visit lugarnocraft.com.au