Craquelure is thin cracks in paintings. This term belongs to painting. Nowadays, it is used not only in paintings, but also on caskets, dressers, stools, vases, etc. Thanks to the use of craquelure, new things look like antiques, and the design takes on a touch of antiquity. You can try using the craquelure technique yourself.
It is necessary
- - a special decorative primer of the desired color,
- - varnish with the effect of cracks on porcelain or antique,
- - varnish for the effect of cracks in old paint,
- - water-based polyurethane paint or clear coat,
- - roller for applying varnish,
- - roller for applying primer,
- - paint tray,
- - a brush made of foam rubber,
- - newspapers,
- - protective tape.
Instructions
Step 1
Before applying paint, cover areas that should not be stained with protective tape or paper. Strictly following the instructions, apply the paint of your choice to the surface. Leave to dry for 4 hours. If you decide to postpone work until a later time, remove the tape from the surface, as there is a risk that later you will tear it off along with the top coat of paint.
Step 2
On a dry base, apply a special decorative varnish to give the effect of cracks. Wait for the varnish to dry. Cracks should appear on a completely dried varnish. If you want to achieve a greater effect of crack lines on a light background, use another additional coat of aging varnish with bitumen. For a splash effect, apply a coat of clear, pearl, or opal polish. Add paint to lighten cracks on a dark surface.
Step 3
On porcelain lacquer with cracked effect is best applied with a foam brush. When working with a brush, apply overlapping cross strokes over the entire surface. Generally, the thinner you apply the varnish, the fewer the cracks, and vice versa, the more varnish you apply, the more pronounced the cracks will be. After you have covered the entire surface with cruciform strokes, you need to level the surface by lightly pressing the brush in the vertical and horizontal directions. If you need more pronounced cracks or better level the surface, you can add another coat of varnish. In the final stage of alignment, use long strokes of the brush in a vertical direction. When using craquelure on furniture, apply the coating in the direction of the wood grain.
Step 4
To give the cracks a darker color, grout with a layer of bitumen varnish for an aging effect. And for a rich background paint, use white varnish to highlight cracks. If you like more colorful shades, then use a transparent varnish or varnish for pearls, opal.
Step 5
In the last stage, when the top layer is covered with a thin film, you can speed up the drying process with a hairdryer. It is not recommended to do this in the early stages, as using a hair dryer can increase the cracks.
