Getting to grips with Decoupage

I've been playing around with decoupage a lot in my studio recently. It is so adaptable – you can use it in any number of ways to create any number of styles! With its roots in Siberia and the Far East, it was in eighteenth century Italy that decoupage became popular in the mainstream for use on furniture in a bid to imitate the beautiful lacquerware from Asia.

The idea is to ‘seal in’ pictures or motifs, which traditionally would involve applying 30-40 layers of varnish before sanding off for a smooth finish. My all-in-one Decoupage Glue and Varnish makes the whole process so simple. It is water based, matt and – most importantly – quick drying, which means that building up the necessary layers for a smooth finish needn’t take an age!

Apply it generously to your piece – make sure you paint enough on so that it will stay wet, that’s really important! Start at the top of each paper cut out and apply carefully. Once you’re happy that it’s straight, brush the my Decoupage Glue and Varnish over the paper. One coat should fix it in place, and, when its dry, sand it back a little before adding more layers until your surface is smooth. Finish off with Clear Soft Wax and voila!

For a very grand take on decoupage, I must share the picture above from Tea and Roses, my Stockists based in Shropshire, UK. Isn’t it stunning? Clever Deborah painted the whole piece in a thick coat of  Chalk Paint® in Graphite before applying the paper butterflies using my Decoupage Glue and Varnish, and created that wonderful rich patina using Craqueleur and Dark Wax. As a finishing touch Deborah gilded the edges using my Gold Size and Brass Leaf, which brings it all together beautifully.

My Stockist Ivory & Pitch’s beautiful chest of drawers (below on the left) is an homage to the brilliant Swedish artist and designer Josef Frank. I adore Frank's botanical work, and their take on his style is fresh and summery. They also used Graphite to paint the piece, but mixed with a hint of Barcelona Orange to soften the colour.

   

For a more contemporary example, my Stockists Becky and Jenny who run Fig and Frolic in Iowa, USA have used typography to transform their chest of drawers. I think this would work really well in a Warehouse setting (see my book Room Recipes for Style and Colour for some other great ideas on this stripped back, rough-luxe look).

And decoupage isn’t just for furniture – my first Painter in Residence, Janice Issitt transformed her bathroom by decoupaging the walls, and then picked out the key colours from her paper cut outs with my paint, Chalk Paint® (shown below left). You can read more on that project in this earlier post.

Years ago my neighbour in France, Marie Gaillard gave me an old sideboard (shown above right). I painted and decorated for my house in Normandy, and it can be seen in an old book of mine called Annie Sloan's Decoupage.  I originally painted it Aubusson Blue over a base of Barcelona Orange, but recently added more Barcelona Orange and some Olive to draw out the colours from the brightly coloured wrapping paper that I'd cut into a shape resembling a plant in a pot – applied with my Decoupage Glue and Varnish. I’ll use anything that catches my eye!

Do upload any pictures of your own decoupage projects to my Facebook Page and share the inspiration!

Yours, Annie

Introducing Painter in Residence Janice Issitt

I chose Janice Issitt to be a Painter in Residence because I love her use of bright, clashing colours and patterns. I knew she'd be absolutely perfect for it.

“Hi I’m Janice Issitt and I like weird colour combinations, and things that stand out with a punch. I guess that has come from my travels to India, Sweden Morocco, South America, and Japan. I like collecting things from all these places and working out how to put them together in an interior so it works. I find quite often it’s the colours that tie in the objects from places as far apart as Mumbay and Malmo.

Every picture tells a story – and my tattoo art does just that.

I worked in the music biz for a big record company which kindled my love of travel and photography. I use my house as my studio in which I photograph other peoples products  – people need mood shots and that’s what I do well – I show people how to incorporate that piece into their life (not just a product shot on white background). The whole of my downstairs house is like a giant prop. I’m currently working with West German 1960’s lava ware which has mad colours and effects that look like lava flow. I’m also advising a tattoo salon and I’ve just taken the plunge to tell my life story in tattoos, and I love stencilling. It’s very random.

And Annie's paint? 

I like the quickness of it, creating a colour effect really fast which is what I need to do for my photoshoots. I like my finishes to be either really matte or really shiny, not in between, and many paints just can’t do this. When I put Chalk Paint® on the wall it looks like velvet it doesn’t even look like paint – it looks different in different lights much more so than other paints.

I also really like her Craqueleur for achieving a crackled effect that brings out a depth in the colour and changes the colour.

I heard about Annie’s paint through the grapevine (I was scouring antiques fairs for ‘props’ to paint). I was getting bored with the other paint colours on offer so I starting buying tester pot after tester pot after tester pot of Chalk Paint® and realising that this is fantastic. I don’t have an allergy to this paint (I did to other brands) and I really like the colours and the fact that it was quick, so when you’re styling up for a photo session that’s great for creating a really beautifully coloured backdrop.

I like the fact that Annie is a businesswomen but she also has the creative flair. She’s very influential, she’s got a ‘history’, you can’t deny what she’s done and she’s done it a long while and she stuck to what she believes in for many, many years when it wasn’t as popular as it is now.

What you’ll see from me

So I’m really looking forward to showing my projects which include an Art Deco cupboard using Florence but crackled and dark wax and it looks really wicked and done with lots of gold and copper leaf – I’m really enjoying playing with these effects. I’m also styling a garden summer house (let’s say it ain’t no shed!) with stencilled panelled screens, dyed lace curtains painted in Emperor’s Silk and Henrietta, a little old cabinet in Antibes Green with Craqueleur and gold leaf, and a massive snowflake in  pink to name a few bits and pieces. ”

Heres a sneak peak of projects to come from Janice:

Follow this blog for exclusive pics from Janice's residency and follow her on Instagram, Facebook, and her blog: janiceissittlifestyle.blogspot.com

And remember to follow #PaintersInResidence on Instagram and Facebook, as well as my Painters in Residence board on Pinterest.