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Decoupage Equipment

Materials

The materials needed for decoupage areinexpensive and readily available fromarts and crafts stores. The basic itemsare listed here.

Acrylic paint: comes in a range ofcolours. Ideal for applying colourhighlights, acrylic paint can be usedfull strength or diluted with water or anacrylic medium. Mixing with an acrylicmedium gives a strong colour.

Cuttings: Images for decoupage can begleaned from many sources such aswrapping paper, prints, newspaper,greetings cards and catalogues. Theycan he photocopied in black and whiteand colourwashed in your own choiceof colours, or colour copied to make endless duplicates for a frieze or set ofmats. Start a collection of decoupageimages, motifs and pictures that catchyour eye so you will always have a storeof cuttings from which to choose.Emulsion (latex) paint: this comes ina wide variety of colours and driesquickly. Ranges of traditional paints aremanufactured in subtle colours that dryto a chalky finish similar to the old-fashioned casein or milk paints. Theyneed sealing with a coat of acrylicvarnish before the next coat is applied.Glues: paper glue is a golden-colouredliquid glue that comes in a bottle. It isideal for paper projects, although itmay be slower to dry than other glues.PVA glue is a white glue that dries quickly to a clear finish. It can he usedfull strength or diluted as required. Itcan also be diluted to use as a sealer onfinished decoupage projects.

Traditional paints, wallpaper paste, masking tape, shellac. cuttings,paper glue, wood glue, white spirit (paintthinner), oil-based varnish, emulsion paint and PVA (white) glue.

Wood glue may be required for someprojects involving woodwork. It is astronger form of PVA glue.

Wallpaper paste is easy to mix upand use for larger projects, but it is notas strong as PVA glue. Jr containsfungicide, which prevents mould. Ithas a slippery feel, ideal for movingdetailed motifs into position.

Masking tape: used for screening areasbefore painting and also for temporarilyfixing the motifs while arranging them.Spray adhesive: gives a light, even application of glue. Always work in awell-ventilated area when using thistype of glue.

Varnishes: these site available as oil-based polyurethane or water-basedacrylic varnishes. Both types areavailable in gloss, satin (mid-sheen) ormart finishes. Acrylic varnish has theadvantage of not yellowing with age.Shellac dries to a transparent finish. It-is less hardwearing than varnish andtends to be used between layers ratherthan as a finishing sealer.

White spirit (paint thinner): a clearsolvent used for diluting oil-basedpaints, washing brushes and cleaningobjects to he decoupaged.

Wood filler: necessary for filling anyholes in furniture or other woodenitems before applying the decoupagemotifs. Sand down the dried filler toensure a smooth surface.

Equipment

Apart from a pair of small, sharpscissors and a selection of paintbrushesin different sizes, there are very fewpieces of equipment that are needed fordecoupage projects, which makes it theideal craft for beginners.

Artist's paintbrushes: used for hand-tinting prints and adding intricatedecoration to a project.

Craft knife: some people prefer to usethis instead of a pair of scissors and it isparticularly good for cutting outintricate patterns. The blades areextremely sharp; they should always beused with a cutting mat so that theknife does not slip or damage yourwork surface. Replace the bladeregularly so that it remains sharp andgives you a good, clean outline.

Household paintbrushes: used forpainting basecoats and applyingvarnishes. You can buy specialistvarnishing brushes, although householdones are perfectly adequate. Alwaysensure a different brush is used for thevarnish and the paintwork, otherwisethe varnish will have flecks of paint init. Also, buy the best-quality paintbrush you can or the work may bespoilt by loose hairs caught in thevarnish. Clean brushes immediatelyafter use; clean them in water if thepaint or varnish is water-based or inwhite spirit if the paint or varnish isoil-based.

Metal rulers (straightedges): essential if you are cutting along a straight edgewith a scalpel (craft knife) because the blade will make nicks in a plastic ruler and then the line will not be straight.Metal rulers are also useful for cuttingpaper when you want a softer edge than can be made by scissors. A metal-1or plastic ruler can be used for measuring and designing projects.

Pair of compasses: sometimes neededzfor designing projects.

Pencil and paper: needed for planning designs and marking the positions ofcut-outs.

Photocopier: access is also very usefulbecause you may need to make large numbers of copies.

Sandpaper: comes in various gradesfrom fine to coarse. Use a fine-gradepaper for rubbing down between coatsof paint and use a coarser paper forpreparing surfaces before beginningyour decoupage.

Scissors: a small, sharp pair is neededto cut around intricate motifs and apair of larger ones for cutting outtemplates and larger pieces of paperand card (cardboard).

Shellac: this dries to a transparentfinish. It is less hardwearing thanvarnish and tends to be used betweenlayers rather than as a finishing sealer.Soft cloths: useful for rubbing downimages and removing excess glue fromthe surface. Kitchen paper and softcloths are as good.

Stencil paintbrushes: used when adecoupage project also involves usingstencilled images.

Tweezers: useful for picking up verydelicate cut-outs, which may getdamaged in your fingers.

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