Decoupage cards and how to work with them. Instructions for working with decoupage cards

Decoupage cards. This phrase will mean little to a beginner in this type of needlework. But craftsmen will immediately understand that we are talking about professional material for creating exclusive decorative items.

Correct card

Every master includes decoupage cards in the arsenal of mandatory items for this type of needlework. As a rule, acquaintance with the art of appliqué on interior items begins with the use of special napkins. The latter differ from the usual ones in that they have a three-layer structure and an unusual thematic pattern. As a rule, you can purchase them not only in handicraft stores, but also in ordinary hardware departments.

Unlike napkins, decoupage cards are thematic images specially developed by designers, printed on thick paper. But the list of specific features does not end there.

Each card has its own special structure, the choice of which depends on which surface it repeats. For example, it could be leather.

In addition, professional material has a special density, which averages 87 grams per square meter. This thickness gives cards a clear advantage over napkins - the ornament depicted on them is easier to cut out, which is quite important when we are talking about a motif with many small elements. It should also be noted that decoupage cards can be published on both plain paper and rice paper. As a result of working with the latter, you can achieve the effect of transparency, which will undoubtedly give a special charm to the finished product.

And the last obvious advantage of the cards is that they are published in A3 format. this size allows you to attach a large number of images of the same theme, which means you can create a whole line of decorative items combined into a series.

Working with decoupage card - the basics of craftsmanship

Regardless of the type of card, you should start by soaking the pattern in water. Depending on the process, it can take from one minute to five. For the rice variety, two minutes for the thickest leaf will be sufficient.

After soaking, the card is carefully blotted using kitchen paper towels to remove any remaining water. And prepare the surface in order to attach decoupage cards.

How to glue? On this issue, the opinions of masters differ. But still, the majority agrees on the following method. The prepared surface is sanded and generously coated with specialized glue. The wrong side of the motif is also lubricated, after which it is attached to the object of decoration and left until completely dry.

After sufficient time has passed for the card to adhere, the edges of the product are disposed of any excess card, if any. Then they are coated with a special varnish.

Tricks of decoupage cards

Skilled decoupage masters offer several useful tips on working with cards.

Tip 1. Sometimes it is impossible to find the motif that is needed to complete a decoupage project. In this case, you can use a homemade card. To do this, the selected motif is printed on thin glossy photo paper.

Tip 2. Decoupage cards are sometimes too dense to create a painting effect, and therefore, before starting work, you should use a thinner edge of the workpiece. When done correctly, you can create a three-dimensional drawing effect.

Tip 3. To level the decoupage card on the surface, it is best to use a thin construction roller.

Decoupage cards are paper sheets with different images. They are made in a factory using high-quality ink that is not susceptible to exposure to sunlight and does not lose its color. Decoupage cards are easy to purchase in specialized craft stores. The range of different images is very large. In the article you will learn how to choose the right cards for decoupage, as well as their properties and methods of working with them. Also, you will know that without any accompanying materials, it is impossible to make high-quality and beautiful decoupage with your own hands.

What is worth saying about decoupage cards, this is one of the main materials, without which it is not possible to create decoupage. A decoupage card consists of several components. The primary base is paper that is thicker than regular paper. Basically, they make such drawings as various flowers, fruits, angels and many other pictures. These decoupage cards can be single-sided or double-sided. Double-sided, rational to use when working on glass surfaces. At the end of decoupage, the drawing will be visible on both sides of the craft.

A decoupage card is cut out with your own hands and attached with PVA glue to any surface of any composition.

But don’t rush to draw your conclusions right away. Decoupage cards not only have their advantages, but also disadvantages. The first is that cut out motifs can be pasted on perfectly and without difficulty. They are not transparent, so they are suitable for gluing, even on a dark background or making overlaps.

The disadvantage is that decoupage cards, which are dense in texture, when glued, become similar to applique. Therefore, in order for the image to be uniform, it should be covered with not a single layer of acrylic varnish.

Here is an example of how to glue a decoupage card:

• cut out the picture with your own hands and attach it to the craft;
• then, lower the image into the water after waiting a few minutes. You will see how the decoupage card, at first, curls up, and then takes its original form. After this, the paper will become much softer and more pliable. In this case, when you use a dense map, you should not skip this process. Otherwise, the image will have folds, and the appearance will be a little unesthetic;
• Use a napkin to remove excess water, and stick the soaked card onto the surface of the product;
• decoupage glue, can be applied to the inside and outside front side. Make sure that it is applied to the entire drawing, without leaving gaps;
• fix the card using a foam roller;
• in order to remove the visible border of the paper motif, it is necessary to sand all sides with sandpaper. To avoid your decoupage looking like appliqué, coat the entire work with acrylic-based varnish. You shouldn’t stop at just one thing; use stencils or craquelure solution in your needlework, which will help give the product an aged effect due to the cracks that appear. After this, your craft will look like an old antique item.

There is another material that is also used in such needlework: rice paper. Its peculiarity is that after you glue it, it does not form dividing boundaries between the craft and the picture. The disadvantage is also not great. Before using it, think about what color your background will be. Rice paper becomes very transparent when wet. The technique for gluing such paper from rice fibers is almost similar to the method that was described above in the text.

Whatever you want to do with your own hands, first of all, carefully consider what surface and what materials for decoupage will be used at all stages of the work. The outcome of your product depends on this.

Video: Using a card in decoupage works

Glue for decoupage and how to choose it

Products for decoupage also include decoupage glue. This kind of material worries most needlewomen. Therefore, it is necessary to understand what it is and how to use it.

Many craftswomen who have been engaged in such creativity for several years now have begun to use not only glue for decoupage, but are also trying to replace it with PVA glue, diluting it with a small, or even an equal amount of water. For beginners who like this hobby, you can try making such a solution from PVA glue and decide what is more convenient to work with.

PVA glue, if desired, can create a craquelure effect, with the formation of the necessary cracks. Because of them, the product becomes like an antique item.

If, however, you decide to use PVA glue in your work, then feel free to go to a store with construction tools and buy it there, because simple office glue is not suitable. It will not produce the desired effect.

Glue for decoupage is often used by those craftsmen who have thoroughly studied this type of activity and know its positive features. Decoupage glue from the well-known Hobbyline company has proven itself to be very good. It has a good composition, dries instantly and carefully fixes the image on any surface. And most importantly, after it dries, it acquires a transparent texture and makes the image more natural.

Specialized glue, available in matte and glossy finishes. Which glue to use in decoupage depends on your desires and preferences. Therefore, before you buy something, think about what effect you want to get.

Varnish for decoupage

Decoupage varnish, stencils, as well as acrylic paints for decoupage, are integral materials in needlework. In order to reliably protect your creation and extend its life, it must be covered with such a solution. There are several types of it: glassy and asphalt, as well as craquelure with two textures, glossy texture and matte.

Decoupage work consists of several processes. Starting from applying a primer to the craft and ending with the formation of special cracks, which are created by craquelure varnish. Therefore, it is recommended to fix each stage with a product such as decoupage varnish.

It is also possible to use alkyd varnish. It tolerates humid atmosphere well. There are also disadvantages. For example, an unpleasant odor and a long drying time. Also, the brushes with which it was applied should be immediately cleaned with solvent. It is used if you want to achieve the effect of artificial aging.

Summarizing the results, we can conclude that water-based acrylic varnish is considered the best. It is easy to apply to the surface of the product, dries quickly and the smell does not irritate the nasal receptors.

Glassy varnish for decoupage

Vitreous varnish consists of a water base. It is used to create a protective layer. Its second name sounds like integumentary. After it is applied to the craft, a protective thick film is formed that can protect the product from force majeure during changes in weather conditions, as well as during mechanical stress. It is applied with a brush. Vitreous varnish is also used as a base for glass products. After it dries, a film barely visible to the eye is formed. This creates a glassy effect.

Craquelure varnish

Craquelure varnish will give your product an antique look and unusual cracks that form after applying it to the surface. This varnish can be one-step or two-step.

One-step craquelure varnish, applied between two tiers of paint of different shades. As a result, such a product will accompany the delamination of the top layer, and in the resulting cracks, the lower tier of paint will be visible. To achieve this result with your own hands, apply a one-component varnish, then stick on the image. After drying, the expected cracks will begin to appear.

To create a two-step craquelure, it is applied after the picture has been glued. The varnish is applied and dried for quite a long time. During this period, cracks begin to appear, which should be wiped with shiny material. For example, bitumen or stencil paint.

Video: How to choose a finishing varnish

Decoupage cards are special sheets of paper with various thematic images, such as angels, fruits or flowers. They are made in a factory, the design is applied with high-quality ink.

Cards for decoupage creativity can be single-sided or double-sided. You can buy them in art and hobby stores, and the range offered is quite wide: different manufacturing companies produce various types of cards, and, as a rule, it is difficult for a beginner in decorating to make a choice.

The most basic characteristics of a decoupage card are the type and thickness of the paper sheet. This directly determines how the work with the composition will be constructed and how many layers of varnish will subsequently have to be applied to mask the boundaries.

First of all, let's look at the type of paper. Let's look at the most convenient and thinnest decoupage cards.

Rice cards for decoupage

Rice paper is made from rice fibers. It is comfortable to work with it - rice sheets have best qualities ordinary cards for decoupage creativity and napkins. Sheets of rice paper for decoration, although thin, are at the same time quite durable, they simply cannot be stretched.

Rice decoupage cards, often called rice napkins, have different densities and come in different sizes. Thicker cards are characterized by pronounced fibers; they can be seen with the naked eye on the finished work. Therefore, it is recommended to give preference to thin cards with finer fibers that do not interfere with work at all.

Manufacturers rarely indicate density on rice paper for decoupage, but according to its appearance you can easily determine what you need to buy. When ordering through online stores, it is recommended to check with the online consultant not only the density, but also the type of a particular sheet.

How to work with decoupage card made from rice paper

Gluing thin cards does not cause any difficulties even for beginners, and even more so for professionals. You can use a regular stationery file, or you can attach a decoupage sheet to the selected surface and carefully cover it on top with glue or varnish. With these actions, the motive seems to break out of a dry card.

The thicker and denser the sheet, the more difficult it is to work with. Due to the thick rice fibers, it is not possible to carefully tear out the design, as it can ruin the picture. To avoid this, you need to carefully trim thick fibers using ordinary scissors. Next, attach them to the surface to be decorated and coat the top with glue or varnish.

Cards for decoupage on plain paper: characteristics and density

Most manufacturers make finishing cards on a plain sheet of paper in varying weights. The density designation can be seen on the packaging next to the serial number of the cards and the manufacturer. You can often find decoupage cards with a density of 40-80 g/m. Remember: the thicker the sheet of paper, the more difficult the process of masking the border of the drawing and the workpiece will be.

Options for decoupage execution

Below are tips that enable even a beginner to complete decoupage with a decoupage card in one go.

1. If the image is glued to the entire surface, then the thickness of the paper does not matter - the borders can subsequently be trimmed with scissors or processed with sandpaper flush with the edges of the workpiece itself.

2. The edges of the cut out motif can be easily hidden using any volume: putty, contour painting or structural paste.

3. The transition of a motif cut along the contour can be masked using varnish: the thicker the paper, the more layers of varnish it is recommended to apply so that the transition cannot be felt by touch. It should be noted that the transition will still be visually visible, since the varnish does not mask the visible edges. To make them less noticeable, it is recommended to sand them from the reverse side.

4. To tear out the motif or thin it out, you can use ordinary tape. For this simple action, tape is glued to the back of the card for decoupage, then using a sewing needle, the card paper is divided into two independent parts: one with a pattern, the second with tape. After carefully removing the tape and part of the paper, the card becomes much thinner. The proposed option is ideal for thick cards with a loose structure with a density of 80 g/m, like the most primitive office paper.

Using varnish, you can also thin out a card without much difficulty; to do this, you need to apply about 4 layers of varnish on its front side, then dip the card in a container of water for a few minutes and roll it up reverse side wet paper.

5. Another interesting option for working with cards for decoration is called implantation. It was invented for working with printouts, and then craftsmen began using it to level the surface of the finished creation.

To do this, you need to thoroughly coat the surface of the workpiece with varnish, make it as smooth as possible using sandpaper, then simultaneously apply varnish to the workpiece and the front side of the card. The card is then placed face down on the varnished area of ​​the blank, all air bubbles are expelled from under it. After the varnish has completely dried, the card is thoroughly moistened with water and the excess wet paper is rolled off. The result is a thin layer of motif embedded in the varnished workpiece. Further varnishing of the product will completely hide the remaining paper. It should be said that the design will be mirrored, so the implantation method is not suitable for cards with images of dials, numbers or inscriptions.

Decoupage card. Master class on plate decoration

To work, you need to prepare the following materials in advance:
1. A plate.
2. Sandpaper.
3. Decoupage cards.
4. Professional glue or PVA glue.

5. Stain
6. Varnish.
7. Napkin.
8. A bath of water.
9. Scissors.
10. Rubber roller.

So, you have chosen your favorite decoupage card. How to use it to create a piece of art will be explained in the step-by-step guide below.

Operating procedure:
1. Sand the surface of the plate.
2. Cover the plate with stain and let it dry.
3. Cover the surface of the plate with varnish and let it dry.
4. Cut out the desired fragment from the card for decoration and lower it into a bath filled with water.
5. The wet pattern must be slightly dried with a napkin and pasted onto the surface of the plate using glue, while carefully smoothing the image with a rubber roller to remove bubbles and wrinkles.
6. After complete drying, a layer of varnish is applied to the surface of the plate with a decoupage pattern. In this case, you should try not to brush the varnish over the same place twice and at the same time, under no circumstances leave uncovered areas.
7. Wipe the dried surface of the plate with a napkin. Cover the finished creation with a finishing layer of varnish.

Making sheets for decoration

Very often the question arises about how to make decoupage cards with your own hands. The answer is simple: in order to make them yourself, you must first select the image that we want to see on the map. It is recommended to choose a large image size, for example 2500 x 3500 pixels. You can always make small ones from large pictures, but vice versa without loss of quality - this is impossible.

Large decoupage cards are created only from PNG images with a transparent background; they are most suitable for design work. The found images must be saved on your computer.

The next step is to create an A4 sheet of paper in Photoshop and place the selected pictures on it. The saved file is output to the printer and printed on the most common office paper.

From the above, it becomes clear that creating decoupage cards with your own hands is as easy as shelling pears.

What else can replace the decorative cards that are sold in the store?

An ordinary napkin with a pattern that is present on the dining table can be used as a decoupage card. How to use it?

When choosing napkins, it is recommended to carefully consider the pattern applied to their surface and think in advance about how this image can be applied. The only downside to working with napkin material is that it is very thin.

It is necessary to approach decorating work using napkins with the utmost care. The selected motif is torn from the napkin by hand and only then glued onto a pre-prepared blank. This is done like this: an image is glued, then its contours are drawn using a thin brush, and after that the paint is applied to all the details of the motif. The final step is to give the background the final color.

A few words about the effects

Once you have mastered the art of decor, you can easily create real miracles, namely, make decoupage in the shabby chic style, volumetric decoupage, or create antique objects.

Shadows

Applying pastel or paint to the image with a dry brush highlights the motif, as if enveloping it in a fairy-tale haze. Smoothly merging with the tone, the shadows at the boundaries of the picture are gradually reduced to nothing. Sharp transitions gradually disappear. The creation is not only complete, but also organic.

Craquelure, bitumen or patina

Craquelure is used to create an antique look. Due to the incompatibility of the upper and lower layers, an expressive cracking effect is obtained.

Gold leaf, or potal, is used in decoupage art to gild surfaces.

Shabby chic

The shabby chic effect can be easily achieved by rubbing individual areas of the workpiece. In this case, the result is a thing that seems to have lived its long life: it was repeatedly not only moved from place to place, but also dropped, and sometimes even carelessly thrown. And in some areas the paint layer was cracked and peeling. This is shabby chic.

The main advantage of the art of decoration is that absolutely any thing, be it mass-produced furniture, the same type of kitchen utensils or traditional bottles, acquires its own unique look, its own individuality. Decoupage on the surface of boxes, pieces of furniture, on kitchen utensils, decoupage, decoupage, decoupage... What could be more beautiful?

Did you like the decoupage cards?
Do you already see what motif is simply ideal for your workpiece?
What features arise when working with decoupage cards?
How to make a masterpiece?

Let's figure it out together!

The article will be useful for both beginners and professionals, perhaps you will find undiscovered tricks for yourself;)

The advantage of using a card for decoupage is that it is large, sticks perfectly to surfaces of any size, and does not tear or form wrinkles. This material is very convenient to work with, especially for beginners.

Using a card for decoupage is very simple, the main thing is to follow the instructions and a certain procedure.

Namely:

1. The required design is cut out from the decoupage card and soaked in water for 3-5 minutes, after this time, the design is removed and laid out on a towel, and the top should be carefully blotted.
2. After this, the prepared surface is smeared with glue, a pattern is applied to it and gently smoothed with a rubber roller to remove air bubbles, excess glue, and also smooth out wrinkles.
3. There is a second way to glue a picture from a decoupage card - it is also cut out from the card, and you need to run a sponge, generously moistened with water, along the back surface of the picture several times and, after that, you can glue the picture in place. After gluing, the card is also smoothed with a rubber roller.
4. If the motive is the same, then you can not cut out the design from the decoupage card, but immediately stick it entirely onto the surface, but at the same time you need to leave a small margin around the edges of about 0.5 cm in order to make a smooth transition from the main background to motive, by painting over this stock.

It is worth choosing cards carefully so that the design does not get lost on the pasted background.

If any additional decorations are planned, then first the card is varnished.

After all this, at the end, the decorations are glued on.

Choosing cards for decoupage: description

Along with the usual colorful napkins or any drawings, the arsenal of craftsmen who actively engage in decoupage includes decoupage cards, which are rice paper with a ready-made design or motifs, for example, geographical map peace.

Paper also varies in density - from the minimum 10 g/m2 to the maximum 20 g/m2.

Moreover, despite the relative thinness of the sheets, they can be successfully used almost everywhere, on any boxes or pieces of furniture.

Specifications:

1. Modern cards for decoupage, despite their thinness, are durable and highly flexible, and are perfect for almost any surface. The design itself and high quality workmanship also play a big role.
2. Various manufacturers (Ukraine, China, Russia) produce a large number of the most various types cards, including transfer cards, when purchasing them, you should first consider the use of a particular card on a specific surface. This is especially true when decoupaging any small items, and in order to determine whether a particular card is suitable for an item, you must first attach it to the item and see how everything will look.

Sometimes, despite the large number of different designs produced by the industry, the master fails to choose the best option. In this case, you can create a specific motif with your own hands. This is quite possible if you use different materials, for example, old letters, postcards, etc.

Interesting napkin cards for DIY decoupage

There is a slight difference between decoupage cards and napkins. First of all, this concerns the financial side.

Buying napkins is much more profitable than special cards, but at the same time, the napkins are thin and, with any careless movement, it can tear, or folds and cracks may form.

The cards do not have these shortcomings - they are quite dense. The number of patterns and motifs is much larger, and their density is much higher, which allows use on almost any surface.

Adviсe:

1. If a person has been practicing the decoupage technique for a long time, then he mainly uses napkins and thin cards. But for those who are just starting to engage in this art, it is better to purchase cards and, best of all, you should start with the most durable and thick ones. But, if a certain transparency of the design is required, but thick cards are not suitable, it is better, after all, to use thin special napkins.
2. Drawings, both on decoupage napkins and on cards, can be printed independently on a regular color printer; after printing, the paper must be sprayed with hairspray for strength.

This will prevent the design from bleeding after applying glue or other components on top of it.

We make decoupage with a decoupage card: a master class on application

To get a beautiful product made in decoupage style, you need to use decoupage cards correctly.

This master class will help with this:

1. The required motif or motifs are cut out from the decoupage card.
2. Next, the prepared drawings are immersed in water for 2–5 minutes. After this, they need to be placed on some thick cloth or paper towel and lightly blotted.
3. The finished drawing is turned over reverse side, glue is applied to its center, and using a brush, it is carefully spread in a thin layer from the center to the edge.
4. After this, the design is pasted onto the prepared surface and carefully leveled from the center to the edges.
5. On top of the drawing, when the glue has dried, you can apply acrylic varnish.

Glue can be applied not only to the drawing, but also to the surface where the drawing will be glued.

When the glue has dried, you can sand the edges. If necessary, the drawing can be dried with a hairdryer.

After this, you can again thin the edges of the picture a little with sandpaper so that there is no sharp transition from the pasted picture to the background on the product.

Selecting 3D cards for decoupage: general description

The 3D technique in decoupage is to create paintings that consist of repeating images. Repeating patterns can be achieved using repeating cards or playing cards, for example.

Nuances:

1. The basic principle of creating 3D decoupage is carefully cutting out pictures, gluing them in a certain sequence and the ability to convey perspective.
2. When gluing, special silicone is most often used, which enhances the 3D effect. Special varnishes and pastes are also used.
3. Ready-made sets of 3D cards are also sold, including those imitating ancient motifs, along with necessary components, just carefully cut out the picture and glue it according to the instructions on the prepared surface, and cover it on top, after the silicone has dried, with a special volumetric varnish.
4. To make it more realistic, you can add any elements to the pictures, for example, dried herbs, flowers, beads, sparkles, etc.

Such cards are in large quantities in art stores.

Using cards for decoupage (video)

If you do everything slowly, correctly, studying the work of other people, then, sooner or later, you can get wonderful works that will delight not only craftswomen, but also other people for a long time. You can also, after gaining relevant experience, make things for sale.