Ever Used Decoupage to Make A Special Gift . . . by Anna Meenaghan
Many people do not seem to know what decoupage is nevertheless it seems to be a popular form of craft. In a nutshell all kinds of printed papers amongst other things can be used which are cut into different shapes to make a design to then be pasted or glued on to a subject. This can be embellished with paints often gold leaf its method is often used even on furniture.
This is often done with magazine cuttings very effectively. However you can use this for many other things such as scrapbooking making cards various other paper crafts. You can in fact buy papers specifically for this type of work with designs on them for your purpose. For example butterflies fruit or flowers.
Next step is to do your cutting out from your papers then sort out your design glue or paste whatever you have chosen to do. Varnish is then put on in layers which ultimately has to be sanded down to get a glass type finish. This is often used on mirrors albums etc.
So. what items are used for this craft You need something to cut paper with a craft knife scissors or I have known some people to use razor blades Also something to spread glue with possibly a sponge or cotton wool would do but most of us own paintbrushes. An ordinary white glue can be diluted with a small amount of water or get special glue from your local craft shop or use wallpaper paste.
You will need something to clean up with so here you can use any old rags or kitchen roll. You will need a small roller to flatten out your work plus some acrylic spray varnish your article. Any other useful scraps like lace fabric scraps etc. too.
This method was used years ago even the artists Matisse Picasso employed it. So now how about you giving it a try Just with an ordinary type of old wooden box Strip any old paint varnish off in the first place. Then you will need to sand it clean it before you then prhyme it. Then apply I would advice three coats of paint as this is an old box a varnish to seal it.
Cut out what you have decided to use paste on to your item. Some people in fact do this with a wallpaper paste but this is likely to take quite some time to dry. At this stage you could move your cut outs around if you wanted to. This will be quite time consuming.
If you have any extra glue make sure you remove it. All pieces should now be securely affixed then left until they are completely dry. Then it should have a seal on it of PVA glue which has been diluted.
We have to start varnishing now. Although there are plenty of these around a water based acrylic would be ideal You need time for this as you are likely to need about sixteen coats the drying process will require you to be patient. You will need a sanding block to use with wet dry sandpaper now to sand it down with a gentle touch.
If you do not want to see the edges of your cut pieces you will need to add more layers of varnish the more the better But you will need to sand again at about every five coats. There are various grades of sandpaper. You can buy wet dry for these final touches. your art shop should stock these. A wet sand 400 paper is quite good though
If you enjoyed this guide by Anna Meenaghan then you can find a whole lot more at her internet based interactive art gallery website. Here you can discover anything related to art ranging from realism to abstract paintings as well as video interviews with guest artists etc. Ever Used Decoupage to Make A Special Gift . . .
