Wednesday, July 14, 2010

Wedded Bliss for Something Blue

This is the last week of the wedding theme sayings over at Mixed Media Monday and since I have done nothing with a wedding theme I did this little wedding card. I also did this one because I wanted to share a technique I have been playing with. Crackle paint can be so expensive but this is a Fun inexpensive alternative to crackle paint and glaze.




This easy technique is done with cheap Elmer's school glue ...really any cheap white glue works, I even tried the stuff from the dollar store. I discovered glue crackle on the internet but found the explanations very limited. I not only wanted to crackle paint for backgrounds but I also wanted to crackle clear glaze to use on my images. As hard as I searched I found nothing on crackling clear glaze.... sooo I did a lot of experimenting with different glues and glazes and found that the cheep white school glue works best for this technique. There is no difference if you use the clear or white. Most any water based glue will work however Mod Podge doesn’t work at all

To crackle paint:
Step1.
Using acrylic paint, choose the color you would like your cracks to be and paint the surface of your project. Let it dry completely. This works on wood metal paper and even cloth. If your doing this on paper you can just use unpainted card stock in the color of choice so just skip this first step.

Step 2.
Cover the painted surface with glue. The thickness of the glue will determine the size of your cracks. A thin glue layer will result in a fine crack, the thicker the glue the larger and wider the crack. For a very fine crack it is best to thin the glue a bit. I found using my hands worked better than a brush for spreading on the glue. You have to work fast... I got a more even coverage and I was able to control the thickness of the glue much easier. It also eliminated brush marks.

Step 3.
Do not let the glue dry completely. It must still be tacky if you want it to crack. For thin glue let it dry about 3 minutes and for the thicker glue about 5 to 8 minutes. Once tacky cover the surface with Acrylic paint. Again I found using my hands worked best. The cracking starts pretty quickly and it is really fun to watch.


For a clear crackle over an image
Step1.
It is done much the same, cover the printed surface with glue. I used a lazer print. I think the ink would run with an ink jet image. Again, the thickness of the glue will determine the size of your cracks. A thin glue layer will result in a fine crack, the thicker the glue the larger and wider the crack.

Step 2
Once the glue is tacky, paint on a clear water base varnish. I used the Delta Ceramcoat satin interior varnish. I also tried several others and they all worked well.

I enhanced the cracks for my example because they did not show up great in a photo. However on a small image with a face your cracks may not look so great enhanced. I had to do the image above several times before I had an image where the bride did not look like she was crying ...lol. In real life the cracks are really visible without any enhancement.


18 comments:

Cindy Adkins said...

Oh, too precious for words, Inka! Just darling and so vintage!!!
How are you doing? Great, I hope!
Hugs,
Cindy
xoxox

Sue said...

Inka, your card is wonderful! What a special keepsake for a special couple.

Thank you so much for the very clear and concise instructions on crackling! This is something I have wanted to know how to do (without using the expensive crackle mediums).

Thank you!

Sue:)

Martina said...

This is absolutely lovely!
Gorgeous artwork and I love the crackle effect!

Kristin said...

THIS IS SO COOL! First of all, I really like your piece - it reminds me of beautiful china - wonderful image and colors.
Secondly, I really appreciate your tutorial. I have heard of using with glue before but your explanation of it is very clear and doable. I can't wait to try it - I love to crackle but the golden versions are a fortune!
Thank you once again (and for your sweet comment), Kristin xo

Carolyn said...

Inka, I really like all of the layers with your new crackle technique. You are so gracious to share your techniques, ephemera, etc. with us.

Lynn Stevens said...

So cute Inka and I'm so lucky to have seen your technique in person!

Paula Guhin said...

Gosh, Inka,
I just now posted a tute on crackling, without realizing you had done this one! Sorry. But mine is different, since it does not mention school glue. And it's not as complete as yours, so good job!

Paula Guhin said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Diane said...

What a wonderful card, Inka! And thanks for the tutorial for crackling! I'm going to give this a try - we don't have Elmers here in Aus., but I'm going to try what I have. Diane

Mosaic Magpie said...

Cheerful Stamp Pad sent me over and I am so glad she did. I love your site. All the different topics you cover. I will be emailing you.
Debbie

Mosaic Magpie said...

Inka,
I have your button on my blog.
Debbie

Lorraine said...

great frame and thanks for sharing the technique

2amscrapper said...

I love this crackled paint effect.

Regina Moore said...

Great card and image and thanks bunches for the tutorial on white glue crackling! What a great and inexpensive alternative!

Zuzu's Blog said...

awesome awesome... the crackles look amazing.. as good as any expensive product// I thank you for the detailed step by step.. i am going to go try it right now... :)

Kim B said...

This is fantastic, I just started paper crafting and a blog. I love this idea, I am going to have to try it. I signed up to follow your blog and now i am going to check out more of your tutorials. Please come visit my blog sometime but please remember only 2 months of paper crafting experience...Smiles, Kim

Nancy Ward said...

Hi!

Wanted you to know I posted a link to this tutorial today on my blog.

Nancy Ward
Paperfriendly
http://www.nancywardcrafts.com

Theresa said...

What a great tutorial. Thank you so much for sharing.