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Views from the Choir Loft

How to repaint a statue with professional results

Gwyneth Holston · February 10, 2014

GWYN_Statue

HERE ARE MANY beautiful statues hidden under flaking paint. A few years ago, I had the opportunity to repaint a lovely statue of Our Lady Help of Christians. I have since painted several statues with the same technique shown here with fantastic results.

These are the supplies you will need: One-Shot Lettering Enamel in a variety of colors, a gas mask for the fumes, latex gloves, and cheap brushes.

It is important to begin painting on a clean surface. If there is any flaking paint, it should be sanded off and the statue primed. If you would like your statue to have a vintage feel, pay attention to the colors you use and reach for muted colors if in doubt.

The most important part of any statue are the eyes. It is not necessary to paint every eyelash or eyebrow hair. Stay loose. Don’t paint the whites of the eyes a blinding white. Make sure that the pupils are in the right location so that the statue is not cross-eyed, and then just suggest an iris that darkens beneath the shadow of the eyelid. Keep the mouth as understated as possible. Do not paint an overt smile. Some ambiguity around the corners of the mouth will create a more complex facial expression.

The enamel paint I recommend provides a vastly different effect than acrylic paint. It functions similarly to a ceramic glaze. The colors have a luminous quality and naturally flow into each other to create a flawless surface. The pigments also settle into the statue’s grooves and texture in such a way as to emphasize the underlying surface.

I always use disposable plates for mixing and just throw my brushes away when I’m done. Once enamel dries, it is an incredibly hard and durable surface. Please let me know if I can answer any questions for you!

GWYN_detail statue

Opinions by blog authors do not necessarily represent the views of Corpus Christi Watershed.

Filed Under: Articles Last Updated: January 1, 2020

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About Gwyneth Holston

Gwyneth Holston is a sacred artist who works to provide and promote good quality Catholic art. Her website is gwynethholston.com. Read more.

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Corpus Christi Watershed

Quick Thoughts

    Vespers Booklet (4th Sunday of Lent)
    The organ accompaniment booklet (24 pages) which I created for the 4th Sunday of Lent (“Lætare Sunday”) may now be downloaded, for those who desire such a thing.
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    Vespers Booklet, 3rd Sunday of Lent
    The organ accompaniment I created for the 3rd Sunday of Lent (“Extraordinary Form”) may now be downloaded, if anyone is interested in this.
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    Weeping For Joy! (We Hope!)
    Listening to this Easter Alleluia—an SATB arrangement I made twenty years ago based on the work of Monsignor Jules Van Nuffel—one of our readers left this comment: “I get tears in my eyes each time I sing to this hymn.” I hope this person is weeping for joy!
    —Jeff Ostrowski

Random Quote

“Young people have entrusted me with their absolute preference for the Extraordinary Form… […] But, above all, how can we understand—how can we not be surprised and deeply shocked—that what was the rule yesterday is prohibited today? Is it not true that prohibiting or suspecting the Extraordinary Form can only be inspired by the demon who desires our suffocation and spiritual death?”

— Cardinal Sarah to Edward Pentin (23 September 2019)

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