Nancy Miller is a decoupage teacher who donates her creations to charity fundraisers. One of her favorite works of decoupage is a tray that "tells a story."
Steps:
- Collect images for one theme or setting (such as a room or landscape). Cull from magazines, catalogs, greeting cards, wrapping paper--any flat paper that can be cut out and glued on.
- Find the tray you'll use. Miller particularly likes trays with sides, which you can build after you decoupage. Or buy a tray with sides and precut a piece of Masonite board to go in the bottom.
- Cut a piece of paper to fit the bottom of the tray.
- Plan your composition on the paper.
- Strive to make a scene or story.
- Create the background first.
- Choose colors or themes based on how the tray will be used or which room it will go in.
- Plan to include a variety of "textures."
- Create a horizontal line with some of your cutouts as shown, so the other cutouts appear to rest on the line, and everything isn't floating.
- Disassemble each object from your practice run and place it in a stack, starting with the last piece to go on, and ending with the first.
- Glue the composition on the tray bottom (if you're building the sides) or Masonite board, using full-strength white glue.
- Water seal with Liquitex acrylic gloss, so when you go over it again with an oil-based varnish, the turpentine won't bleed through and make it look greasy.
- Use oil-based polyurethane varnish and apply six coats, wet sanding in between.
- When you're done with the last coat, spray varnish for a smooth surface.
)
