What do you need for decoupage?

Not so long ago, almost all amateurs and professionals in applied art were swept by a new way of needlework - decoupage. In translation into Russian it means - to cut out (fr.). With this very simple technique, you can decorate any thing - a chopping board, a cracked stool, a scratched worktop, a plastic cup, a clay pot and even a favorite T-shirt. In a few minutes you can turn a simple nondescript thing into a product of avant-garde art, transfer your photos to your favorite coffee mug, in a word - space for the realization of the most daring fantasies.

Begin to master this needlework can be with friends or children, then the process will be much more fun, you can even organize an amateur contest among friends with incentive prizes.

A few simple but very useful tips will tell you what you need for decoupage, where to start. The most important question, of course, is how to do decoupage.

All in childhood we went to a kindergarten and made pictures of colored paper, carving out different circles or stars, and then pasted them on cardboard. So, that's when we got the first practical skills in mastering this very beautiful needlework. All that is necessary for decoupage is to cut and paste. And, you can cut whatever you like and paste on any surface.

In the shops for needlework you can buy special sets, which include everything you need for decoupage - pictures, brushes, varnishes, paints. Also, any building materials store has a full range of varnish-and-paint products, and it will be cheaper than in specialized outlets.

Very nice look artificially aged things with pictures in retro style. This effect is easily achieved with the help of a special varnish "krake". After drying, this varnish forms on the surface cracks - craquelures, which give the product a "shabby" antique look.

It's very easy to work in this technique - you just have to try it. Consider a simple example on decorating bottles, for example, for a candlestick or a small vase.

So, what you need for decoupage bottles :

• A bottle (any - from wine, champagne, plastic from under children's yogurt), you can also pre-paint it with acrylic paint;
• Selected pictures, it is better to take special three-layer napkins for decoupage, but you can also any pictures on thin paper;
• PVA glue;
• Thin brush with medium stiff bristles;
• Quick-drying colorless lacquer or nitro-lacquer.

A bit of advice: if you liked the picture in a glossy magazine or on thick paper, cover the picture with nitroblock with a small margin, cut it out in a few hours along the contour, and lower the image into the water - the lower layer will fall behind, and the picture will be very thin, just the way you need it For decoupage.

First, we prepare the bottle for work. Its surface should be clean, dry and free from grease. Now cut out the pictures you like exactly on the contour. If it is a napkin, then carefully separate the two lowest layers, and the remaining - the colorful overlay on the surface of the bottle. Gently dipped the brush in the glue and apply directly to the picture, thereby spreading it and pressing it against the surface. Similarly, paste the rest of the pictures. After that, it is necessary to allow the glue to dry for about two hours. Then cover the entire bottle with varnish and leave for a day to dry.

Apparently, there is nothing complicated. In this technique, you can decorate not only bottles. Simple transparent "tea" glasses can easily be turned into exquisite glasses with floral or any other ornament. It is necessary to begin with the most elementary, gradually mastering more and more "horizons".