Painting on Wood

[needsomecoffee.livejournal.com]

I'm thinking of painting this mini chest of wooden drawers in white then sanding some of the paint off to give it a distressed / worn look. Can I use poster paints or shld I use something else. I don't want to use a stain as I'm not sure if it will yield the look that I am aiming for.

Would be grateful for your comments!