Tuesday 31 July 2012

My first trial - Decoupage Art

During my visit to the Book fair 2012 in Hong Kong last week, I saw many crafting materials are on sale and one of them is Decoupage.

What is Decoupage?
Decoupage (or découpage) is the art of decorating an object by gluing colored paper cutouts onto it in combination with special paint effects, gold leaf and so on. Commonly an object like a small box or an item of furniture is covered by cutouts from magazines or from purpose-manufactured papers. Each layer is sealed with varnishes (often multiple coats) until the "stuck on" appearance disappears and the result looks like painting or inlay work. The traditional technique used 30–40 layers of varnish which were then sanded to a polished finish. This was known in 18th century England as the art of Japanning after its presumed origins.


Actually this is the 2nd time I see these materials since my last visit to the Flea Market @ Cyberport Hong Kong, I remember I've bought a kit last time but haven't had a chance to work on that.


This time I got no excuse and try to make one..


Hm... what should I make on my 1st trial... well, I've decided to test that on my used, nearly worn mobile phone protector. As I am using Samsung Galaxy Note, the protector is pretty big for me to put some design on.

Basically Decoupage can used on all kinds of materials including wood, paper, fabric, glass, stainless stell, plastic, etc I got a can of Decoupage medium (glue), a brush for applying the glue and some patterned tissue paper - This time I chose a beautiful rose patterned tissue
 

What I did was to apply an even layer of the Decoupage glue on the surface where I want to have the pattern on, then take the very top layer of the tissue paper, i.e. the layer printed with the image.


I pasted it slowly on the surface where I already applied the glue, then used a bone folder or ice-bar stick or simply use your finger to gently wipe the tissue from inside to outside. This is to ensure the tissue paper is smoothly laid on the surface without any bubbles.


After that, apply another even layer of  Decoupage glue to seal the image, so it looks sealed completely on the cover.

I found that the white background of the tissue paper has turned transparent.

I added a little bit of glitters on the flowers to highlight but you may skip it; then let it dry for 10-15 minutes.

It's pretty easy! However I am still not 100% satisfied with the ridge of the phone I think it's due to the "folder lines. But bear in mind this is just my first trial so I believe the technique can be improved soon.
Enjoy you day!

No comments:

Post a Comment