Well here I am again.  Hope I can give you a little information You can use.  My hubby is my wood worker.  He is excellent at what he does so I have very little prep for my wood pieces.  Finding a local wood worker to work with is the ideal  way for a painter as the quality of your wood determines the outcome of the project.

  Be sure you start by sanding your wood piece ( Darrell does this for me) very well.  The edges are very important as well as the back,  I use about a 400 grit sandpaper.  I then basecoat with  the most predominate light color for the piece which most of the time is white.  I use a good quality white flat  wall paint for this.  I think it is a waste or time to use wood sealer.  This first coat is put on very lightly with a sponge brush.  Kind of push the paint on.  It is always better to use multiple thin coats than a thick coat of paint.  You want a very smooth finish.  This first coat will raise the nap on the wood and it will feel kind of furry.  Sand again lightly with your sandpaper and it will be smooth again. This will only happen with the first coat.   You are now ready to start your project,  If your piece is going to be white put another coat of the white on your wood and then your pattern.  Be sure you complete the back,  It is very unprofessional to see a nice piece of work and the back is unfinished.  

For  Metal items such as cake carrier , tea pot and etc.   If they have any rust you will need to sand this off.  Darrell Does this for me,  You can restore most anything with the right tools.  Again if you have a wood worker ,  work with him on this.  I then wash and clean the piece.  dry very well and let set for about 24 hours to make sure very dry.  I use krylon spray primer in white for first coat. (can be purchased at Walmart)  This has to be put on in very thin coats.  Most people have a problem because they try to cover to heavy the first time and it will cause paint to run.  Do this outside and do a number of items at the same time as it will take you most of the day to complete.  Mist lightly and let dry for at least 30 minutes between coats,  continue this until item is covered. Don't rush it,  will take many sprays.   If the piece is going to stay white I then use Krylon White satin finish paint to complete.  Let the piece cure for at least 24 hours before painting your design.  After the primer is on you can then brush paint it any color you like with you acrylic paints.  Complete your design and you will be ready for the finish coat.  I will explain this in the next guide.

Drop me a line if you have any questions.

Happy Painting,

Judy Mullins