We'll take, as an
example, a white and green checkerboard pattern (actually, the
first one I did). by Bob Cooper
90% of the trick to painting checkerboard patterns is self-confidence. That, a steady hand, a decent brush, patience and practice.
But more than anything else...self-confidence is key. Believing you can do it. Genuine honest truth...I never thought I could do it until I sat down and did. It can be...it is that simple.
Whenever possible (read as always unless the're no way to avoid it and you've a lot more experience) always paint your lighter color over the ENTIRE area first. Half your work done in a tenth the time...believe it or not, you've already painted half the checkerboard's "squares"...you just don't see the other half yet.
We'll take, as an
example, a white and green checkerboard pattern (actually, the
first one I did).
| When you're starting on painting a checkerboard pattern, start off in a corner. This way, you've two sides already covered. It makes things a bit easier starting off. Carefully paint a line along one of the remaining "sides" of the square. Remember, only one side of this line has to be straight and clean...the other will be the "fill in" area. |  |
| Then rough in the last side of the square. (remember, the first two sides are already done, thanks to the corner). Again, remember that only the "outside edge" has to be straight and neat. |  |
| Lastly, fill in the rest of the square. Real simple. If you keep inside the lines you've already created, it should be very easy. Before you move on to the next one, you might want to re-point your brush (rinse it out and pull it through a crease in your hand until it's back to a nice, sharp point). |  |
| From here, there's two main ways I know of to proceed...and which you use is up to you. I'd try both and see which is most comfortable. | |
| The first method is the "straight lines" method. After you've put in the first square, you immediately paint the one adjacent to it, corner to corner. From there, you go diagonal back up to the first row, down to the second, and so forth. Eventually, you wind up filling the first two rows, and you go back to corner-to-corner from the second row into the third, and across again. |    |
| The second
method, which may seem odd but works fairly well for me,
involves "skipping" every other square. It
requires a good sense of distance and a good eye, but it
is a bit quicker and for some people, more comfortable.
Start with your first square in the corner. Now, move
over the width of the square you just created and put
your second square in. Continue to fill the 1st row. Now move DOWN the same distance, and line up exactly with your first squares and paint another row identical to the first...and another...until you fill every other row. The remaining squares fill in quite quickly, as you're going from corner to corner in all four directions...the area it fills is already pre-defined. For me, this tends to keep my square size more consistant, my rows straighter, and my overall painting faster....but this may be confusing and frustrating for others. |
   |
With a little patience and a lot of practice, you'll be able to produce results like:
