Decoupage
From RISDpedia
What is Decoupage? Well, it's covering surfaces of things with paper cutouts attached with glue and covered with a million layers of varnish all over the whole thing. I am sure you have seen some lovely examples of Victorian-type flowers cutout and glued onto that beautiful shiny rocking chair, or box, or papier-mache love turtle. The origins of decoupage can be traced back to a trend known as "Japanning." People thought it was cool to make everything looked like it came from Asia so they cut out any paper things that they thought were relevant, and then painted the box or whatever in black lacquer and just layered (30-40 layers) the varnish.
Basic Supplies:
- Something you want to cover
- Glue
- Paper cutouts or just paper
- varnish or other comparable sealants (maybe clear glossy mediums? maybe Mod Podge?)
So, simply put, you need a porous surface: a box, wooden something, chair, furniture, whatever... Then you need some cool cut-out images. You are then going to artfully place these cutouts and glue them onto the surface. Once dry, this is for varnish since that's all I've ever used, you apply a thin layer of varnish. Wait until its DRY! Then if it's bumpy you can sand it down a bit. Apply another layer and so on.
NOTE: All information contained within this article is pure opinion. Although this article is intended to help students, it may contain faulty or misleading information. This article is not to be considered professional opinion or advice, and is in no way a replacement for reading all safety/instructional documentation. Always remember to protect yourself when handling/using hazardous materials, as well as test new techniques before using them on projects/work intended to be handed in or used.
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