There are situations when you want to please your loved ones with an unusual gift. I would like to find something interesting, some exclusive thing. Sometimes you need to go around more than one store to do this. Or you can make a bright and unusual gift with your own hands. For example, decoupage a box and give it as a gift.
Decoupage often develops into a permanent hobby, and people who have decorated any item themselves at least once simply cannot stop. This technique is used to decorate not only jewelry boxes, but also bottles, jars, and antique chests of drawers.
If you decide to try the decoupage technique for the first time and don’t know where to start, you can get ideas from the Internet. Having chosen the thing you like and prepared all the necessary tools, you can get to work.
What is needed for decoupage
Before you start decorating the box, you should prepare all the equipment necessary for the work. Purchase in advance: napkins, sandpaper, glue for decoupage, paints, a wax candle, adhesive tape and other raw materials for decoration, a screwdriver.
The list of required materials may vary depending on the chosen style. It is imperative that before starting the decoupage process, you need to prepare the working surface of the wooden box.
Decoupage technique
After preparing all the necessary equipment, you can begin work on the box. Let's look at step-by-step instructions on how to decoupage a box with your own hands. Wood is considered to be the most ideal raw material for decoupage. It is the easiest to process and decorate.
Execution steps
The first and main step is the preliminary preparation of the working area of the box. Since we are talking about wood, the entire surface of the box needs to be thoroughly cleaned with sandpaper. The quality of the treated area affects the quality of decor application.
The second step is to remove all elements from the metal. You can perform this task using a screwdriver. After removing these parts, the working area must be completely covered with acrylic paints, so-called tinting must be performed.
The third step requires careful execution. It is necessary to transfer the selected image to the treated area. Craft shops offer a wide range of napkins for decoupage.
They usually come with instructions for beginners. It correctly describes how to carefully separate the part with the image from the rest of the napkin.
The next step is to fix the transferred image on the work area. To do this, use specialized glue for decoupage. You need to wait for it to dry completely before moving on.
The final step will be to coat the box with varnish. To improve its appearance, the varnish is applied in several layers. After the varnish has completely dried, you can begin decorating the box. We attach all the metal elements to where they were originally.
The decor of the box is influenced by the decoupage style that was chosen at the very beginning. According to him, there are situations when you do not need to add decoration elements. Or perhaps vice versa: when decorating the box, various details are added and the fittings are replaced.
Styles in which decoupage is performed
If, when choosing a gift, the choice fell on making a box in the decoupage style, then you need to figure out what types there are.
Depending on the technique used to perform decoupage, several varieties can be distinguished:
Making the box in vintage style. This is a well-known technique for decorating a wooden box. Its essence lies in special aging. There are many master classes on making boxes in this decoupage style. But the meaning of them all comes down to one thing: the paint is applied in several layers and in excellent shades.
The darkest shades of the selected paint are used for the base, then we treat the work area with varnish and leave it to dry. When the varnish dries, cover the area with candle wax. This manipulation will slightly erase the varnish and help achieve the desired effect.
The next step is to cover the entire work area with paint of a lighter shade. We wait for it to dry completely and sand the waxed areas with sandpaper. We clean everything down to a darker layer of paint. Wipe the box thoroughly from working dust and leave to dry completely.
To emphasize the antiquity of the box, you can use a sponge to polish the corners of the box. This should be done with a dark shade of paint. The image that will be applied to the box can be selected on the Internet or in a store.
Variety of Provence. It is characterized by the use of light paint. Most often, this technique is used to transform rounded boxes.
The shabby chic variety does not differ in execution technique from vintage and Provence. A distinctive feature is the use of light shades and floral themes. This style is used when decorating various surfaces, and not just boxes.
To create a more complete picture of the distinctive features of all styles, you need to look at photographs of decoupage boxes. There are many of them on the Internet.
Photo of decoupage box
Many women keep old things for years that they don’t even dare throw away, and they are no longer suitable for everyday use. For example, painted wooden boxes. But any old thing can easily be given a second life! If your jewelry and costume jewelry are stored in many different boxes, then your grandmother's box can become the center of unity of the things dear to your heart. Of course, after a thorough redesign of its external and internal content. A little patience and time, minimum costs and maximum pleasure will be provided!
Materials for work:
1. Wooden box – 1 piece;
2. Beads - in quantity around the perimeter of the bottom and lid of the inside of the box;
3. Velvet paper – 2 sheets;
4. Craquelure varnish – 1 jar;
5. Color paper printout – to cover the sides and top of the box;
6. PVA glue – 1 pencil;
7. Solvent, sandpaper, brush, scissors, paints, skewer for dot painting, knife for cutting paper, eye shadow in the color of the printout, plasticine spatula, liquid nails glue.
Stages of work:
The first stage: we remove the former beauty from the surface.
To make it easier to remove the painted design, it is necessary to remove the top varnish fixing layer with a solvent. We moisten a cotton swab with any solvent and thoroughly wipe the entire box with it.
After the solvent has dried, we remove the remnants of its former luxury with sandpaper. Clean until the surface is smooth.
Second stage: preparing the base.
When using dark tones for the base, they can be applied pure. If the base is light, then using pure white will lead to a dirty tint after applying the varnish. Therefore, we dissolve white in a drop of ocher color.
Apply a couple of layers of gouache paints to the entire surface of the box.
Let each layer dry thoroughly.
Third stage: imitate.
In the absence of suitable beautiful decoupage napkins, you can use color printouts of your favorite designs. In the presented version, colored borders are used for the background of the side parts of the box, and a combined frame and design are used for the front side.
We cut off unnecessary points from the printouts.
Combine the frame and the drawing.
Apply a thick layer of PVA glue to the back side.
We press it firmly to the surface of the box, carefully smoothing every millimeter of the pattern.
Close the box tightly and attach the printed borders to the sides.
Using a paper knife, carefully cut through the junction of the lid and the box.
So that the print does not look like a separate existing spot, we tint the areas of the box free from the design with green eye shadow.
Fourth stage: imitate dot painting.
Using a plasticine spatula, apply “golden mesh” to the parts of the box that are not covered with prints. To do this, lightly touch the surface of the “golden” paint and press the spatula against the box, drawing curved lines first in one direction, then in the other. The mesh turns out crooked in places, but decoupage varnish will disguise this defect.
Using a skewer for applying dot painting, we apply dots to the joints of oblique gold lines. If you don’t have a special skewer, you can use the back of a thin brush or a sushi stick.
Fifth stage: multiple varnishing.
We cover the entire surface of the box with acrylic clear varnish in several layers. At this stage of work, you will have to patiently apply varnish to each side of the box separately to avoid the formation of smudges. Dry each layer of varnish thoroughly. There must be at least 2 layers.
After the last layer of acrylic varnish has dried, apply a thick layer of craquelure varnish (for beginners: craquelure varnish is sold in art stores, to form rough and large cracks it is better to use a craquelure pair, apply in one direction, moving the brush over the area of application only once). Let's dry it.
To highlight cracks more clearly, they can be carefully rubbed by dipping your finger in paint (ocher) and gently running it along the surface in both directions.
After the paint has dried in the cracks, soak a cotton pad with water and remove excess paint.
We varnish the entire box with acrylic varnish.
Sixth stage: paint the inner side parts.
We apply gouache paints to the sides of the inner surface of the box.
We paint the outer sides, imitating a dotted pattern. At the same time, we “mask” the convex part of the fastener with “golden” strokes.
We shade the inner sides with “gold”, applying arbitrary brush strokes.
Seventh stage: give the surfaces a velvety feel.
From velvet paper we cut out parts according to the size of the bottom and lid of the inner parts of the box. From the remnants of printed borders, we select several motifs and cut them out.
On the part of the velvet paper that we will attach to the lid, we apply cut out border motifs, forming their location.
We turn the motifs over and trace them along the contour.
To protect the surface of a carved box or other wooden object, it must be varnished. Transparent polyurethane varnish will highlight the texture of the wood, make the surface shiny and protect it from moisture, dust and wear.
1. Before varnishing, the surface must be prepared: cleaned of dust and other contaminants, and, if necessary, degreased.
2. Place the box upside down on a pre-spread piece of wallpaper.
3. From a distance of 20-25 cm, apply a thin layer of varnish, after 3-5 minutes - another layer.
5. When the bottom of the box is dry, you need to turn it over and open it with varnish from the top and sides, and, if desired, from the inside. Varnish also in thin layers at intervals of 3-5 minutes.
ADDITION
In the same way, you can varnish any new wooden products, as well as restore furniture. For varnishing hard-to-reach places, a special tube is supplied with a can of Bosny polyurethane varnish.
ATTENTION:
1. Apply varnish at room temperature in a room with good ventilation.
2. Before use, shake the can well.
3. After work, you need to turn the can upside down and press the spray button until clean air comes out. After this, the can of remaining paint can be stored until next time - there will be no dried coating on the sprayer that would clog the sprayer valve and prevent reuse.
4. It is recommended to use objects painted with polyurethane varnish no earlier than a day later, when the coating has completely dried.
A box is a very useful thing, because you can store all kinds of household items in it: jewelry, threads, needles, buttons, keys, business cards, etc. Probably, every home has such a product. A beautifully designed stylish box can also successfully highlight the style of a room, living room or bedroom and become an integral part of the interior.
A personally decorated box will be a wonderful gift for a friend, colleague or relatives for a birthday or wedding, and the decorating process itself can later turn into an exciting hobby.
It is also worth noting that such a hobby perfectly develops imagination, memory and has a positive effect on the nervous system. If you have an old wooden box at home that has long lost its former appeal, do not rush to throw it in the trash, because even a person who has never decorated before can stylishly decorate the thing with their own hands.
Preparation
Before you start decorating a wooden box, you need to prepare it for this. So, if there are remnants of paint, varnish, glue or paints on the outside walls, clean them so that the surface of the material is as even and smooth as possible. If the surface is not too smooth, it can be sanded.
After this, the outer surface should be degreased so that the applied new material remains firmly in place. This can be done by wiping the chest with a napkin soaked in alcohol or vodka. After this, let the product dry for 10-12 hours or dry it with a hairdryer.
Decoration
There are a huge number of options for decorating boxes. We offer for your consideration the most popular and interesting of them, and you can supplement and modify them, guided by your own imagination.
Painting with acrylic paints
Of course, you are unlikely to be able to create a brilliant masterpiece with your own hands on the first try, since this type of art requires dexterity and certain skills.
But if you try, the result will certainly impress not only you, but also your loved ones.
We will need:
- acrylic paints for decoration;
- primer for acrylic paints;
- thin pattern brush, flat synthetic brush;
- pencil, eraser, palette;
- masking tape.
First you need to prepare a sketch. The simpler the drawing, the easier it will be for you to apply paint. You can come up with something yourself, or you can look for interesting drawings on the Internet or books.
First, we sketch a sketch on a sheet of paper, focusing on the dimensions of the box. For ease of use, repeating elements can be cut out of hard paper and subsequently applied to the walls and lid of the product.
We carefully treat the leveled surface with primer for acrylic paints and let it dry thoroughly. After this, we proceed directly to painting. First, we cover the surface of the box with the base, dry it, and only then apply a drawing to it using templates. Now, very carefully, using special thin brushes, paint the picture.
If you suddenly make a mistake during your work (and this happens even to professionals), don’t be upset.
Acrylic paints have a covering effect, so you can apply a new layer of the desired paint over the blot without any damage to the pattern.
Advice. If you doubt your abilities, before applying the pattern to the box, practice on another surface - for example, on a piece of paper.
The finished painted box needs to be dried thoroughly. If you are impressed with the result and you want to make the decor durable, you can coat it with furniture varnish.
Kanzashi
Kanzashi (or kanzashi) is the Japanese art of hair decoration. It is based on the ability to fold flower petals from ribbons and pieces of fabric and glue them to the base. Today, the kanzashi technique is used all over the world to decorate interior elements, decorative pillows, curtains, women's handbags, and jewelry boxes.
Ribbons can be used to decorate not only a wooden box, but also a box made of any other material - plastic, glass, clay, etc. Boxes decorated with kanzashi look very rich, impressive and elegant.
We will need:
- ribbons or strips of fabric;
- scissors;
- chalk or pencil for marking;
- PVA glue or “Moment”;
- threads, needles;
- decorations (beads, rhinestones, beautiful buttons, beads, etc.).
First of all, you should cover the box - the very basis of the craft - with fabric or ribbons. To do this, generously lubricate the workpiece with glue and glue the fabric.
While the base dries, we begin preparing the decoration. From ribbons and pieces of fabric you can make not only flowers, but petals, miniature fruits, etc. You can decorate them in any way you like, using beads, buttons or rhinestones. Larger ribbon crafts should be glued to the lid, and smaller ones - to the sides of the box.
It is worth noting that it is best to decorate the box with ribbons made of expensive fabrics - satin, velvet, silk, as these materials look the most elegant and rich. But you shouldn’t buy cuttings specifically for these purposes - you can use scraps left over after sewing clothes, curtains or curtains.
If you want to decorate a wedding box (for money or rings), you can use the following idea. Cover the body with white or ivory satin, and decorate the lid with pink lilies or roses and white or light green ribbons.
Marine theme
Surely, while relaxing on the sea coast, you have repeatedly met merchants offering various souvenirs made from natural materials. Among such crafts, as a rule, there are always beautiful boxes decorated with shells.
Few of us thought that such a present could be easily made on our own, without shelling out fabulous money to southern craftsmen.
We will need:
- different size shells;
- glue "Moment";
- 2 brushes;
- wood varnish.
You can decorate not only a wooden box, but also a cardboard box or chest with seashells. First, sort the shells and carefully think through the decor idea. When planning it, be sure to leave some shells of a certain size and color in reserve, since they can be damaged during work.
Lacquer miniatureIt is quite possible to make a lacquer miniature at home.
In this case, we are not talking about real lacquer painting, but about lacquer miniatures in the classical concept.
Artistic painting can be replaced with a color reproduction or postcard, which are pasted onto a box, decorative plate, tray, brooch, etc., the surface of which is then varnished.
The main thing is to master the varnishing technique, which is not that difficult at all. Outwardly, such work is almost no different from real varnish painting.
To complete the work you will need the following materials and tools: brushes, glue, varnish, solvents, sandpaper. And also an illustration that will be pasted.
It is important to remember that the design on it must be one-sided, its reverse side must remain clean. Otherwise, when gluing and applying varnish, the image on the back side may appear on the front side, and the work will be damaged.
The illustration can be pasted in its entirety or the image can be composed of individual fragments. The background of the base can be any color. But if the picture is made up of separate parts or is smaller in size than the base, then it is better if the background is black.
You can stick the picture on a base made of any material: wood, metal, ceramics, plastic or
papier mache.
For this, glues BF:2, N-88 or PVA are used. It is these adhesives that do not interact with most furniture varnishes and do not dissolve in them.
If you use a different glue, the paper may peel off, bubbles may form on it, and the color of the design may change.
Before pasting the illustration, the background of the base is tinted. This can be done with colored tsapon varnish or regular celluloid varnish.
Tsaponlak can be used in various colors: black (No. 955), red (No. 956), green (No. 959), purple (No. 963), blue (No. 964).
Instead of tsaponlak, you can use alcohol varnish with dye dissolved in it. The color of the varnish is chosen depending on what background the picture looks more impressive against.
If a wooden base is used for a lacquer miniature, it must first be impregnated with drying oil. This will not only save varnish, but also give a more uniform coating.
The next important stage of work is gluing the illustration. It must be glued so that no air gap is formed between the base and the paper, and the illustration is completely adjacent to the surface.
If the base is convex or concave, the picture must first be moistened with water, pressed tightly to the surface and dried in this state.
If the base and the picture are approximately the same size, then later it will be enough to paint over and varnish the ends of the future product so that the edges of the pasted illustration are not visible.
If the picture is smaller than the base, then several layers of varnish will be required to hide the ledge between the paper and the base of the product.
When the picture is glued to the base and dried well, place the workpiece on a horizontal surface and begin to fill it with varnish.
For this purpose, nitrocellulose furniture varnishes NTs-222 or NTs-228 are used.
The product is placed on a wooden stand, slightly smaller than its base, so that the product does not stick to the table with the flowing varnish.
The first layer of varnish is applied with a soft brush using light and quick strokes. In order for the varnish layer to be very thin and dry quickly, without changing the colors of the illustration, you should put as little varnish on the brush as possible.
In order not to damage the paint layer of the illustration, you should not brush the brush several times over the same place. If you manage to apply the first layer of varnish evenly and it dries well without changing the color of the illustration, there is no fear that when applying subsequent layers of varnish the image will blur or change color.
One more feature of the varnishing technique should be taken into account.
. Even if you work with a very soft brush, tiny air bubbles will still form on the surface of the product. Therefore, in order for the varnished surface to be absolutely smooth and mirror-like, it is not varnished with a brush, but filled with varnish.
This is done as follows: pour a small amount of varnish into the center of the product, and then use a soft brush to spread it around the edges.
When leveling the varnish, you must ensure that the layer thickness is at least 1-1.5 mm over the entire surface. To do this, new portions of varnish are gradually added to the center of the image. Furniture varnish thickens and dries quite quickly.
The resulting drips can be cleaned with fine sandpaper and filled with the next layer of varnish.
Typically, a thick layer of varnish hardens and dries to form an even, glossy film. But if you need to achieve a mirror surface, then 3-4 days after the varnish has completely hardened, the product can be polished with GOY No. 290 paste (light green).
You can also use toothpaste that contains silica for polishing.
If you want to stylize a lacquer miniature in an “antique” way, then the top layers are not filled with colorless varnish, but use varnish with a brownish tint.
To do this, add a little asphalt-bitumen black varnish to the nitro varnish.
In this case, you can achieve different shades - from light brown to dark brown.
You can get an interesting coating if you first fill the image with a light varnish, let it dry well, and then apply an even thin layer of black asphalt or dark brown furniture varnish to it with a brush. The varnish should thicken a little (when touched with a finger, a fairly distinct mark should remain, but the varnish should no longer stick).
Then light varnish is poured into the center of the image and, blurring the black with it, it is dispersed to the edges with a soft brush. This must be done quickly, with frequent brush strokes, adding new portions of light varnish. The smoothness of the transition from light to dark will depend on how often the brush is wiped from black varnish. Each subsequent stroke must begin with the already lightened part.
As a result, you can get a miniature with an image that seems to glow from within.
