How do you paint wooden nursery letters?

Question

I have recently bought unpainted nursery letters, and I was wondering what kind of paint to use and the exact steps involved! I want to achieve the same distressed look as the finished letters you can buy at high end websites and baby stores...do I varnish at the end?

Answer 1

You aren't really clear on what the finished distressed look is. Another distressed style is the crackled finish. This type of distressing has a top layer of paint that cracks, revealing an under coat of another paint color. Look here for instructions.
http://www.how-to-faux-finish.com/crackle-painting.html

Answer 2

Here is what the guys at my son's workhop do. First they sand off any splinters. Then they paint with one color, then a second color. Then they sand away some of the second coat. Then they varnish. It's really pretty!