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October 14, 2009

Découpage

Filed under: Craft Ideas — Tags: , , , , , , , , , — @ 5:59 am

Découpage is the art of turning everyday items into decorative pieces that add a touch of romance to the decor.

Following is a list of general items and instructions that are required to complete most projects.

General Materials List

  • Item to be decorated
  • Clear Sealer
  • Sanding pads – Coarse, medium and fine
  • Tack cloth
  • Fine point curved cuticle scissors
  • 5cm and 10cm hard rubber rollers
  • Craft sponge brushes
  • Sea sponge – large and fine
  • PVA, Clag
  • Chux cloths
  • Water based varnish
  • Oil based varnish
  • Brushes for varnish – good quality ones are best for this
  • Blu-Tack
  • Greaseproof paper
  • oil based coloured pencils
  • pencil and ruler
  • Acrylic paints
  • Cracking medium
  • Gesso
  • Micro-mesh kit

General Instructions

  1. Seal the surface of item to be decorated with all-purpose sealer, paint or gesso.
  2. Sand gently with coarse sanding pad. Clean with a damp cloth then wipe over with a tack cloth to remove dust.
  3. Paint the background in desired colour and allow to dry. Sand and apply another coat of paint.
  4. Seal painted surface with all purpose sealer.
  5. Seal découpage paper, front and back, with sealer.
  6. Use sharp manicure scissors to cut out motifs. Arrange images as desired for your project. Use blu-tack while deciding your design.
  7. Mix clag and PVA, 4:1 and apply generously to images and surface of item. Place your images on the item and apply more glue. Smooth the surface of image and remove air bubbles and expelling excess glue. Apply roller gently to the surface to ensure it is smooth and free of bubbles. Wipe carefully with a damp cloth, so as not to move the image.
  8. Using a weak vinegar and water solotion wipe over the surface to ensure all glue is removed. This prevents mould forming after the item has been varnished. Let dry. Any patches can be coloured with oil pencil.
  9. Use sponge brush to apply two coats of sealer. Let dry.
  10. Working in a ventilated dust free area apply acrylic or polyurethane varnish to protect your finished work. Apply smoothly and carefully work in even strokes from end to end without lifting brush from surface. Allow to dry following manufacturers instructions. Repeat about 30 times, at right angles to each  previous coat. Sand in between each coat also at right angles to previous sanding, using the course, medium than fine sanding pads. Wipe with tack cloth before reapplying each coat until you reach your desired finish.
  11. Polish with Micro-mesh or beeswax.

August 30, 2009

Paint Class 2

Filed under: Paint and Painting — Tags: , , , , , , , — @ 12:55 pm

How did you go with your drawing? If you didn’t have a projector then drawing by scale would be the other method to use. Most people would have done this before in their school art class and it works very well. Most drawings will come out fairly accurate using  scales. For anyone who’s not sure, use a ruler to draw lines diagonally and horizontally over your enlarged copy of the picture you wish to paint. Do the same onto your canvas, be sure to measure the same number of boxes onto each. So step by step, box by box you can begin to draw your picture. Take your time and just focus on one box at a time, before you know it you will have drawn your picture.

The next step and a rule my art teacher tells us every week is to put out your pallet. Now in my art class  we use a pallet of six colours and white, cool blue, warm blue, cool red, warm red, cool yellow and warm yellow. With those colours you can make any colour at all. Now when you lay out your pallet you need to know what colour you want and you will usually need it in three shades so you can put the effects of shadow and light into your painting. It’s a good idea to make a colour chart so it’s a little easier when it comes to what colours you need to mix to create the colour you want. So I will let you know how to do that in my next post.

Have Fun :)

July 26, 2009

Kids Painting Fun

Filed under: Kids Painting and Crafts — Tags: , , , , , , , , — @ 4:47 am

Blot Painting

What You Need:- Paint, brush, spoon or flat stick, paper.

Method:-Fold paper in half then open it out flat. Place paper on flat surface. Put paint drops down the fold or on one side of the paper with a brush, spoon or stick. Fold paper over again and rub palms of hands over paper, starting at fold and working out toward edges. Open paper and see what shapes the blots have made. Some shapes can look like objects, animals or insects. These shape’s can be later cut out and used for cards, mobiles or other crafts.

String Painting

What You Need:- Paint, string or wool, brushes. clip type clothes pegs, paper.

Method:- Cut lengths of string or wool 30-50 cm long. Lay paper on a flat surface. Holding one end of string with a peg dip string into paint. You may need a brush to help cover all of the string. Trail the string around the paper to make different patterns. Lift strings and dry flat.

Another Method with String:- Place painted string on paper with attached peg over the edge, fold paper as in blot paper painting, place one hand on top of folded paper with the other hand pull string out. Repeat with different colours.

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