Essential Craft Approaches – How to Decoupage Like a Professional

Decoupage is an effortless, resourceful, and gratifying craft medium. With negligible materials, you can decorate approximately any surface or item easily and with skilled benefits.

Basically defined, decoupage is the art of reducing out types from paper or other flat product, then applying in a decorative pattern to a area and coating with lacquer or glue.

Courting from 12th century Asia, decoupage acquired tremendous reputation in Victorian England the place trendy floral, cherub, and heart motifs had been applied to furnishings, screens, and lamps. The word decoupage came into use in the 20th century and is based on the French term decouper, or “to slice”.

Present day-day decoupage crafters have properly applied patterns to paper, wooden, metal, glass, terra cotta, plastic, wax candles, ceramic, cardboard, egg shells, stone resources, and far more. Virtually any surface area, with correct preparation, can be decoupaged.

Standard Decoupage Supplies

• A clean and dust-free surface or item to adorn
• Ornamental photographs
• Scissors or craft knife
• Collage glue or medium this sort of as Mod Podge OR watered-down white glue
• Foam brush
• Tweezers
• Brayer (optional)
• Wonderful grit sandpaper (for specific surfaces)
• Varnish (optional)

Area Planning

• Painted wooden surfaces – Frivolously sand surface area with a good grit sandpaper. Wipe completely clear in advance of decoupaging.
• Unfinished wooden surfaces – Decoupage supplies can be utilized instantly to thoroughly clean and dust totally free unfinished wooden surfaces. If shade is ideal, paint the wood to start with and allow dry for at the very least 24 hours. If paint is tacky at all, do not decoupage. Paint will have to be fully dry for this strategy to get the job done.
• Slick plastic surfaces – Resources will not adhere perfectly to slick plastic, so provide some “tooth” by sanding with fine grit sandpaper and wiping wholly clean. If in question, check very first.
• Stone or rock – Totally cleanse surface area of dust or dust and cry wholly. The flatter and smoother the floor, the simpler it will be to decoupage, specially for inexperienced persons.

Resources for attractive pictures

Most flat elements can function for decoupage. Take into account these sources: wrapping paper, tissue paper, scrapbooking paper, seed packets, menus, ticket stubs, napkins, wallpaper, previous ebook web pages, publications, pressed flowers, ribbon, photographs, greeting cards, fabric, stickers, posters, calendars, maps, doilies and extra.

Fundamental Decoupage Recommendations

1. Put together the surface if wanted. See prep guidelines higher than.
2. Reduce out pictures. Standard decoupage integrated finely comprehensive and precise slicing, but modern models frequently consist of torn photos and designs.
3. Lay out design and style prior to decoupaging. The most pleasing design may perhaps need overlapping cutouts.
4. Coat surface with decoupage medium applying foam brush.
5. Coat again of slash out image with medium.
6. Carefully implement to surface area, urgent from middle of piece out to edges to lower bubbles and wrinkles.
7. Use a brayer to flatten picture as a lot as doable. Fingers can be just as productive for this move.
8. If bubbles type, diligently pop them with a pin and sleek out.
9. Permit piece dry. Implement a coat of decoupage medium to total surface and enable dry. Repeat until eventually surface has quite a few coats. The most experienced finish has no, or small, lifted edges from cutouts.
10. If desired, varnish completed piece next guidelines on bottle. This seals the design and style and provides a more completed glance. It also guards objects that will get a great deal of use.
11. For the most skilled completed task, lightly sand and wipe clear in among varnishings right up until absolutely smooth.

Decoupage Tips

• Let all substances dry extensively in in between applications: paint, decoupage medium, and varnish.
• Do not use ink jet printed pictures as the ink will smear. Make shade photocopies in its place.
• Do not use primary photographs so that they can be preserved. Make color photocopies.
• Some materials this sort of as napkins and quite skinny tissue paper are delicate and involve a light touch to avert tearing.
• Decoupage medium arrives in matte and shiny end. Take into consideration this for the closing style and design.
• Rinse sponge brushes promptly.

Decoupage is enjoyment and effortless. Test these primary decoupage strategies and create skilled outcomes.