Decoupage is a kind of applique made from napkins, decoupage cards, photographs and sometimes postcards. When faced with this occupation, many make some mistakes.
Neglecting to clean the surface before decoupage
The very first and main mistake is that novice needlewomen neglect to clean the surface. For this reason, the pasted picture is often either wrinkled, torn, or cracked. It is always worth remembering about degreasing and cleaning the surface, this is a very important aspect. In addition to disturbing and damaging the picture, there may be visible stains and dirt, which cannot be removed in the future.
Using a hard brush in decoupage
Gluing the napkin with a hard brush, which usually tears the napkin, makes it unusable, so you have to do it all over again. The downside of this aspect is the use of a too soft bristle brush. Such a brush, on the contrary, does not smooth the surface and leaves behind a pile that sticks and cannot be removed. The ideal option is a synthetic wide brush of medium hardness.
Improper application of varnish to the product
Applying glue or varnish from the edges of the image to the center, or from one edge to the other. This can lead to a defect in the picture or damage to it. Since the napkin stretches under the influence of external factors, the glue must be worn evenly from the center to the edges so that the drawing turns out to be even and beautiful.
The same applies to applying glue to the entire image at once. This action causes the formation of bubbles and wrinkles, which inevitably affects the quality of the subsequent product.
Bonding a napkin to an untreated surface
In this case, it is no longer a question of cleaning, but of priming or painting. Often, newcomers, seeing a beautiful and bright picture, are in a hurry to immediately apply it to the product, and then wonder why it becomes faded and dim. To avoid this problem in decoupage, you need to prime the surface or paint it white before gluing. This is especially worth remembering when decoupage bottles and plates, well, and other glass items.
But you can do another way - paint the surface in the colors used in the motif on the napkin, this will also turn out very bright and juicy, but here you should be very careful, i.e. do not crawl out of the parts of the drawing.
Neglecting finished surface treatment
After the decoupage of the product itself, you need to sand it. This is necessary so that the surface is even, this will allow the product to look more neat and aesthetically pleasing. In addition, the processed product will not collect heat, dust, and the surface will not cling to anything.
Of course, these are not all the mistakes that beginners in decoupage can make, but the most basic and important ones. Keeping these rules and nuances in mind, you can easily make a beautiful, neat and interesting product that will serve you for a long time and reliably. Decoupage is a very interesting and exciting activity that is used very often. Be creative, dare and create beautiful products with your own hands!
