Decoupage and photos

can I see a sample?

a sample of the little boxes?



decoupage? Heres a little box that was decoupaged

stencil paper?

this idea seems interesting, but a difficult task ???????

ohhhhh..humm.dont know if I have any pictures....its a long task but, i think it was worth it.
The reason I did it was to cover and seal over panelling.
You can actually do it more cheaply with brown kraft paper...you know that comes in a roll... or plain brown paper bags. I liked the brown idea but wanted a contrast also..so I purchased two different colors of fiber paper sheets...about 40 of them. Then I picked out stencils I liked and shades of browns and stenciled on the paper. Once it was dry it was randomly ripped to pieces. Then I mixed water based polyurethane 50/50 with water...crumpled the ripped paper, dunked it in and slapped it on the wall. Its an interesting effect and people either love it or hate it. The painters loved it, the insurance adjuster loved it...the landlord thinks it was a fabulous idea for that ratty old panelling in a kitchen...it wipes really clean easily. Most men dont like it though Ive noticed...they really think its too much..oh well..I like it and thats all that matters

ANYWAY...since I had done this I was thinking of storing my negatives in those boxes like above however in wood. I was going to stain and clear poly them and thought...might be interesting to do say the covers with decoupage of some of those pictures contained inside..all about order ya know.
I think though that using real prints on photo paper wont work..too dense..so, I thought maybe just to copy paper but...how would the ink work with that?
I dont know...
so, Im asking.

Hey, Quinn. It's been a while since I tried decoupage, but I only did paper thin reproductions of the old masters using a piece of particle board and shellac. That box was interesting. Can't imagine how that was done. I love the one that I have in my kitchen called The Melon Eaters, but I don't think photos would work. I'm still trying to find out if two oil paintings that I have that are labeled hand colored gravure, are worth anything.

Hmmmm - you would have to get rid of the backing paper if you used real photos.....photocopies might work ...if their ink survived the sealing process. It would look great.

I wonder if you could crumble away backing paper if you steamed it?

Actually, photocopying a number of photos together would cut out a lot of the work, no?

You could use a spray sealant on the paper before you decoupaged it. That would probably keep the ink from running. Also, photo paper prints would be expensive, no?

I heard kraft paper decoupaged to walls looks like suede when it dries. Sounds nice to me!

Hmmmm - I saw an idea for GILDING a wall - it looked wonderful - very rich, but very subtle. I wonder how hard it would be to paint over it, when you were sick of it, though? I was thinking of it for my entry wall...

Letty..yeah, I did it years ago and it was before ink jet so, I dont know how it would work.

dlowan..you know..photocopying might do the trick, hadnt thought of it..and YES...that would take out a great deal of work...thanks!

Wy...yes, a spray sealant might work but, wouldnt it stiffen as well? I dont know..but, it could be an option..Ill have to try a few things.
If you look above you'll see I did the decoupage with paper on the walls in my kitchen. I guess kraft paper would make it look it suede now that I think about it.

Dlowan..actually if you prime over it, no problem. I think thats another reason my landlord didnt mind at all...you cant tell it was paneling and it created a new flat surface that is completely sealed...not a bad idea actually around here. Also, priming over it...no problem to then just paint. Depends though...my wall would probably have a crazy bit of texture as an underlay but, a skim coat would take care of it but, could go away after a priming and couple of coats of paint.

Wish I could see it. I have so much trouble with photos on this forum.

eh...just some silly sample pics so...its okay Wilso, you arent missing a great pic here at least...sorry to hear it though...sending good vibes for better picture viewing to you.

I can see the bottom pic. Looks good.

well..at least you can see some things sometimes

Perhaps Ill photograph some of this stuff Im doing & trying to do and post it here when Im done..that would be good I guess.

Would love to see it.

well then, Ill have to do it

Spray sealant shouldn't stiffen the paper too much. If you don't want to hie off to the art supply store, cheap hairspray will work, too...

I had forgotten about that quality of hairspray! Thanks Wy!

It's an interesting idea. I haven't done decoupage in ages, but I remember painting the glue-y stuff on, then the photo (or whatever), then more of the glue-y stuff, followed by another layer.

Did you mix the polyurethane with water to extend it?