Decoupage was a hot craft for women in the early part of the century, and it's resurging, particularly with the use of color photocopies and more glamorous materials--gold paint, black enamel, glossy art. Decoupage artist Joan Justeson gives these step-by-step instructions for making a decoupage glass plate:
- Find an image you want and have the local print shop make a laser copy for a dollar or so. For this plate, which had a sectioned rim, Justeson made a template of a pattern she wanted to repeat in each section, and had it enlarged and photocopied onto buff paper (figure A).
- Buy "proper glue." Justeson prefers Yes, which feels like sticky Vaseline and dries clear.
- Put a "nice even coat" of glue on the cutout, on the side you want to see. Don't worry about brush strokes.
- Turn the plate over, and place the cutout on the bottom.
- Put wax paper over the cutout.
- Use a roller over the wax paper to go over the cutout, to smooth the brush strokes and get the air bubbles out.
- Turn the plate over and check the results. Made a mistake? Soak the cutout off and try again.
- Use the side of a cellulite sponge to put paint accents on the back (figure B).
- Painting over the gold, coat the back with several light coats of glossy black spray paint, until it is opaque (the black will show behind the gold when the plate is turned right side up). Do your spray painting with the plate upside down in a cardboard box to minimize wind, dust, and mess.
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