Decoupage (from the French découpage - “to cut out”) is a technique for decorating objects by gluing cut-out images onto them and then covering the decor with varnish. An important advantage of the decoupage technique compared to appliqué is that a transparent varnish film significantly increases the safety and durability of the composition.
Decoupage is a type of decorative and applied art accessible to a wide range of people. A wide variety of materials are suitable for creating original decor, and the minimum set of necessary tools for the job is probably available in an ordinary city apartment.
What is decoupage?
This is an amazing technique that allows you to give ordinary objects an unusual look using an ordinary picture or a special napkin.
This is an inexpensive way to make the interior of your own apartment or house especially cozy and memorable.
This is a great way to give your favorite but shabby items a new life.
This is a great way to spend time with your family.
The decoupage technique for beginners is not as complicated as it might seem when looking at the lovely creations, most of all reminiscent of luxurious items of palace utensils or pretty handicrafts of artisans of the 18th-19th centuries, inherited from great-great-grandmothers and retaining their enchanting beauty.
Well, speaking without emotion, the artistic technique of decoupage is a method of decoration using a picture glued to the surface and coated with varnish on top for durability.
The name of the craft comes from the French verb “to cut,” as the image was simply cut or torn out of a postcard, newspaper, or other printed items.
Easter themes and motifs
On the eve of Easter, you always want to add an atmosphere of spring, brightness and emotion to a variety of fakes. Easter pictures for decoupage are quite varied. You can choose themes with bunnies, eggs, or focus on church and religious themes.
Speaking of the latter, seals and prints of various icons, images taken, thematic inscriptions “Christ is Risen”, “Holy Trinity”, “Easter Holiday” and so on are perfect. As an original idea and a replacement for the usual painted eggs and Easter eggs with amulets, you can make decoupage boiled eggs. Despite the fact that the idea is very time-consuming, externally it is definitely worth the effort.
A little history
This type of creativity first appeared in the Middle Ages, when practical German artisans began to decorate the furniture they produced in this way.
But the design style reached its first heyday in the 18th century, when Italian and French masters imitated expensive inlays made of wood or leather in this way.
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A little later, the technique became popular among poorer segments of the population. At the end of the 19th and beginning of the 20th centuries, the decoupage technique conquered all of Europe and moved to America, where it acquired the form of a craze.
The development of new technologies, an increase in production and consumption pushed handicrafts into the background, and for a long time it was in some oblivion. But now it is coming back into fashion.
How to get build-up on a glass bottle?
Creating volumetric elements using this technique is not uncommon. There are many ways to create build-up on glass containers. The best way is to glue polymer clay onto it. Thanks to this clay, any elements that the master wants appear on the bottle.
He can sculpt anything from polymer clay, animals, a sea anchor, or just convex balls.
Instructions:
- Glass containers, polymer clay and a means for softening it are prepared.
- The master makes with his own hands the growths that he wants to see on the bottle.
- The clay is mixed in advance with a special substance that softens its structure.
- After this, the growths can be attached to the surface of the jar, gluing them with “Moment”.
- The material should be baked in the oven. The temperature should not be lower than 130 degrees.
Tip: To make three-dimensional patterns, you can use putty. It forms the outline of the desired figure, after which the figure should be filled.
Materials
The decoupage technique for beginners does not require large financial investments. At first, the craftswoman will need decoupage cards; they are denser than ordinary napkins and are guaranteed to stick without holes, tears or folds. Yes, it’s more convenient and easier to work with them.
In the future, when the technique of decoupage with your own hands is mastered almost perfectly, you can even use paper napkins from the store or newspaper sheets (such crafts look especially good in retro or simple city style).
An acrylic primer will help ensure better adhesion between the base and the design, and it will also eliminate minor surface defects.
Glue. To begin with, you can use the most ordinary PVA, but over time, such a craft can turn yellow from the inside and even crack, so in the future it is better to buy acrylic glue or adhesive varnish, which can be applied to the base and used as a final coating.
The varnish will help fix the picture and give the homemade product durability. It is best to use water-based acrylic varnish. It does not have a strong odor, washes well and dries quickly.
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Acrylic paints are useful if you want to make a colored base or beautifully inscribe the selected image on the surface. To begin with, you can buy two or three colors, one of which will be the base color, and the rest will become an accent to underline the design.
Vintage boom
Along with Provence, shabby chic and simple city, the vintage decoupage style flourished. Actually, all of these trends are classified as vintage, that is, ancient, out of fashion, unusual for modern times. But if the craftswoman wanted to make “antique” decor without adhering to the canons discussed above, nothing stands in the way. The main condition: reflect the stamp of time, mix techniques, stick, varnish - and now, everyone is already admiring the unique vintage interior decoration.
Decoupage of boxes using vintage technique
Tools
The technique of decoupage from napkins will require preparing a small set of tools for comfortable work. It will include synthetic brushes for painting and underpainting, as well as for varnishing the finished product (it is better to purchase one wide flat and one thin brush, and later buy what you need), a spatula for sealing cracks (if any), sandpaper for leveling and cleaning surfaces, small pieces of foam sponge for applying primer or background.
Preparation
- The step-by-step instructions for beginners are quite simple. But the quality of the finished product is largely determined by the preparatory work.
- The wood is freed from knots and eyes, carefully sanded with sandpaper until a smooth surface is obtained.
- Glass, plastic and metal are degreased using alcohol or regular dishwashing detergent. Rust is carefully removed, damaged areas are lubricated with special compounds.
- The base prepared in this way is covered with any construction primer, ensuring better adhesion of the two materials.
- Painting the surface with white paint will help make the design more expressive and add additional depth.
While the primer and paint are drying (one by one, until completely dry), the drawings are prepared. To do this, suitable pictures are cut out from a napkin and freed from excess layers of paper.
The basis
Wooden cutting boards or straight plywood boxes and drawers will be useful as a basis for the first experiment.
Although you can use plastic, iron, porcelain or glass surfaces of any shape and size.
But in this case, it is necessary to take into account that all these smooth materials give poor adhesion to other materials, and the rounded or convex shapes of the object for decoration are difficult even for experienced needlewomen.
So it’s better to start decorating Easter eggs using the decoupage technique after gaining experience in creating crafts in this area.
Pictures of the decoupage technique will help you decide on your first creations and select everything you need for creativity.
Types of decoupage
Different decoupage techniques will help you elegantly design different types of surfaces.
Classical
The easiest type of decoupage to perform. The decorative element is glued to the prepared object, leveled and varnished. An additional tone or desired visual effect is applied using varnish and paints.
Sometimes craftsmen apply more than 50 layers of varnish to give the paintings volume and a finished look. Multi-layering allows you to create the look of earthenware and enamel crafts.
Reverse decoupage
The reverse technique allows you to place an image on transparent objects. In this case, the design is applied to the inside facing outwards.
The principle of creating such decor is the same as that of direct decoupage, but it will require much more attention and concentration. But a decorated table or vase will definitely impress your household or guests.
Decoupage of furniture in Provence style: master class on updating a chest of drawers
Having tried your hand at simple things, you can safely start decoupaging furniture with your own hands using napkins. In addition to the usual list of working materials, you will need wood putty. It is used to pre-level all the cracks, cracks and other irregularities on the surface of the chest of drawers, cleaned of old paint.
Sequence of decoupage of kitchen furniture with your own hands, photo and description:
| Image | Operation description |
| Preparation | The furniture must be thoroughly cleaned of all layers of old paint, and defects must be smoothed out with putty. After drying and sanding, all surfaces are coated with a primer and sanded with fine sandpaper. |
| Preparing pictures | The design on the napkins is carefully cut out or torn off by hand, and the bottom layer is removed. The picture is coated with glue and applied to the furniture. The application is carefully straightened with a brush. |
| Finish coating | No need to hurry. All drawings must dry. You need to varnish all the furniture, not just the place of decoration. For large areas it is convenient to do this with a spray bottle or spray can. This way the varnish will lay down in a thin layer. For the best effect, you need to apply 3-4 layers in succession, waiting for complete drying between treatments. |
| Result. |
Helpful advice! If you need to apply a design to a polished surface, the polishing is pre-treated with sandpaper until the shine disappears.
When decorating furniture with fabric, the process is practically no different from that described.
Furniture decorated using patchwork technique will look organic in the interior of a country house
Decopatch
This technique differs from the first two types of creativity with paper and glue. In this style, the entire surface is covered with a pattern (or patterns), leaving no free space at all.
Very often the main image is complemented by patterns or ornaments that resemble patches. Therefore, sometimes such decoupage is compared to patchwork.
But it will be very difficult to rip up the area you don’t like and redo it. So the principle “measure seven times, cut once” will have to be followed 100 percent
Creating a pattern from napkins
The following materials are used for decoupage:
- napkins;
- special cards sold in craft stores;
- drawings from the Internet or printed photographs;
- images from wrapping paper, magazine clippings, postcards.
You can glue any pictures, but not all of them fit perfectly, and it takes a long time to select the pattern.
The following parameters should be taken into account:
- The main criterion is the size of the image, which should be in harmony with the size of the workpiece. Having mastered the technique of processing printouts, it is easy to change the format of patterns in different graphic editors.
- The second factor is that the source material does not match the color palette. A successful combination of the colors of the design and the remaining decor is a significant part of success, which is solved with the help of a graphic program.
- Sometimes illustrations do not match in image and style. The wrong choice of motive spoils the effect of the work performed. It is necessary to choose pictures that correspond to the idea that has arisen.
- Sometimes napkins contain unnecessary elements that have to be removed.
An ideal illustration for decoupage looks like this:
- It has no unnecessary components and is successfully combined in color and size. It is advisable to carefully select the source paper material.
- Bright and distinct, suitable for the image and style. The idea contained in it must express certain information. You should not combine different artistic techniques, for example, aging techniques with modern photographs.
- Beginners are advised to choose a picture whose motif could be painted on.
- The background should match the individual elements.
Artistic decoupage
This technique is often called smoky decoupage. To create it, artistic drawing skills will be useful, since in it you will have to blur the edges of the pictures with the help of paints, gently combining it with the base.
If you are not sure that this technique will work out the first time, you can first practice on a sheet of paper, simply attaching a picture and finishing it with paints.
Basic Rules
A master class on decoupage technique will show the entire sequence of actions. It is not as complicated as it seems at first: the surface is primed, covered with paint, glue and an image are applied to it, and all this is varnished.
But before that, it’s better to learn the basic rules that will help you make a good craft the first time.
It is necessary to paint the entire surface that will be visible. For example, for a flower pot you will have to take care of painting the bottom and inside all the way to the ground, and maybe a little deeper. And if you plan to give the pot without flowers or greenery, then you will have to cover all surfaces with paint.
If imperfections are visible in the paint, you will have to repaint the entire surface, achieving the ideal tone.
Light background colors will help make the image more realistic and expressive. In addition to white, all pastel shades will look great.
Before applying each subsequent layer, the craft must be dry. Rushing through the creative process is a great way to ruin everything.
Small pictures are easier to apply. Therefore, for the first work it is better to use them. Before gluing, you should once again make sure that the picture is suitable for the selected area in size, color or subject. To do this, it is simply leaned against the base.
The glue is applied from the center to the corners, thoroughly covering the entire surface. The pattern is carefully smoothed out, straightening out all the folds.
Applying an image
There are several ways to fix a drawing on a base. But the simplest thing will be simply gluing a picture.
Decoupage for beginners step by step with photos will help you visually evaluate this method of decoration.
The whole process looks like this:
- A picture is applied to the prepared surface.
- The entire piece is carefully coated with glue, starting from the center of the image and gradually moving towards the edges of the picture (if the layer of paper does not allow the glue to penetrate to the base, then the picture is glued like a regular applique, carefully leveling out the folds and fixing all the ends).
- Leave the almost finished product to dry completely.
- Several layers of varnish are applied on top. Sometimes up to a hundred layers are used to achieve the result, but for simple homework you can limit yourself to 4-6 layers. Each of them must be dried.
Some advice from experienced craftsmen
Thick paint is harder to apply than liquid paint, so don’t be afraid to thin it. A couple of thin layers will be preferable to one thick application.
Slow drying in natural conditions will help the product retain its attractiveness longer.
You can't apply too much varnish.
Sandpaper will help correct most imperfections.
Following these simple rules and tips will help you achieve even quite complex decor, such as the technique of decoupage of bottles, glass jars or eggs.
A photo of the decoupage technique will help you see what has already been done by craftswomen and choose a suitable craft for beginning needlewomen.
Aging methods
List of methods:
- with or without craquelure;
- getting dirty;
- metal patination;
- abrasions;
- spray;
- glaze;
- brushing.
One-step or intercolor craquelure
Used to create a background under the image. Under natural conditions, such cracking occurs on painted wooden products that are outdoors under prolonged exposure to rain, wind and temperature changes. The effect of “creeping” paint.
If you stick a napkin, the craquelure texture will be visible through its structure. Rice paper is denser and cracks are only visible in places, but its fibrous structure complements the aging effect. Decoupage cards and printouts do not show through, the texture does not show through and the result is a smooth surface.
Two-step “varnish”
It is applied over the image to imitate cracks in the picture itself, like “cobwebs” on porcelain or in antique paintings. The effect of dust-clogged damage. Depending on the craquelure compositions, the width and number of cracks vary.
Getting dirty
It is performed by creating an imitation of dirty stains and patina. To do this, the desired areas are rubbed with bitumen or oil paint, the excess is wiped off with white spirit, and the resulting effect is secured with shellac varnish. You can also use a medium and brown acrylic paint with the addition of a retarder.
Patination
The simplest and most affordable method is to use acrylic paints with drying retardants. The depressions and spaces between the reliefs appear aged, and the protruding parts can be further lightened, treated with baguette paste or gilded.
Scuffs
The effect is of erased or peeling paint. It consists of a dark-colored base coated with paint to make it easier to scrape off the paint layer and a light-colored finish. On the latter, abrasions are shown (scraped off, sanded), and then decoupage is performed using the chosen method.
The motifs are also subjected to aging. Depending on the scraping compositions used (candles, soap, paste wax, mastic) different scraping results are obtained.
Spray
It is done by painting with brushes, brushes or combs. Suitable for creating children's, field or forest motifs. Not used for two-step craquelure.
Glaze
A painting technique that consists of applying translucent or transparent coloring compounds to a dried base with decoupage. It can be applied dry or wet and in any color.
Brushing
Imitation of aged, darkened wood. To perform the technique, soft wood fibers are cleaned with a wire brush after firing or without it. Then further decoupling is done.
