Once dry apply a coat of Décor Crackle to the area that you would like
cracked. Load your brush well with the medium and let it flow off of the
brush.
DO NOT OVER WORK THE DECOR CRACKLE.
The medium must flow off of the brush and leave a good layer where
required. You get bigger and better cracks if the medium is a thicker layer
but if you work the medium too much it will not activate.
Once the Decor Crackle is dry * you can apply a contrasting top coat of
paint. Again do not over work the paint. Get in, get out. If you over work it
you will stop the cracking process.
When choosing your top coat colour, please be aware that the crackle will
not work if a metallic paint is used (ie Gold) or a iridescent/pearl paint.
Once this layer of paint has dried you may start to see some cracks
appearing, to increase the quality and number of cracks apply some Crackle
Medium with a brush.
(*If you wish to speed up the drying time for each layer of crackle and paint,
you can use the hairdryer, on a gentle heat. If you want to leave each layer
to air dry, the drying time will be dependant on the warmth and humidity of
the room.)
The time between putting the décor crackle on and applying the top coat is
recommended as ‘up to 6 hours’ when drying naturally, but I have before left
it for up to a week and the crackle has still worked. If uncertain, try it.
You will get a different crackle effect according to how you apply the top
paint. A sponge will give you a random crackle, a brush will give you a bark
effect. Play and enjoy. Try it out on mirror board or scraps of mountboard to
find out the different effects.
If you would like to apply napkins after you have finished crackling:-
Separate the tissues into the fine layers. Tear the tissue to give you the
patterns that you wish to use. A torn edge makes it easier to blend the
pieces together.
Apply the torn tissue to your project using the All Purpose Medium. Lay the
tissue flat where you would like it to be. Load the brush well with the
medium and, with soft strokes, apply the medium to the tissue - working
from the centre of the piece outwards. Ensure that plenty of medium is
applied.
If the tissue seems to be tearing it usually means that not enough medium is
being used or the brush is being used too harshly - keep the brush flat and
let it glide across the tissue.
If you want to varnish your piece, make sure you leave it for at least a
couple of weeks in case you re activate the crackle medium and it cracks
your varnish.
Have fun and enjoy playing.
Lynn x