What to do with your favorite images..... Decoupage!

de·cou·page also dé·cou·page  (dk-päzh)

n.

1. The technique of decorating a surface with cutouts, as of paper.

2. A creation produced by this technique.

Because I apparently will never have enough hobbies or ways to show my favorite photos and other art images I have started  painting and decoupaging  my photography images on trinket boxes. Decoupage is so simple and gives you wonderful and quick results. I have done 3 boxes so far. One as a custom order for a friend, one for myself with a Nightmare before Christmas image(not drawn by me but used with permission for personal use, never steal other peoples art and photography!) and the one I will show you today has one of my photos on it that has been manipulated with coral paint shop pro my editing software of choice. Decoupage is as easy as finding images you like and applying them to wood, glass, metal and other surfaces. Most likely you have everything you need in your home to do it. I like Mod Podge for the adhesive and sealer(it is what I use for collage and altered art), but I just picked up some Fast Finish Decoupage by Beacon which is suppose to dry faster and not be tacky so I will see how it works. On the Trinket box in the photo I used a photo safe acrylic sealer and not Mod Podge(Mod Podge is photo safe too) because I wanted a glossier finish and I only had matte Mod Podge in the house.

If you want to try Decoupage find some images you like. They can be from your own photos or images, cut outs from magazines, postcard or card, images from online. Always follow copyrights laws. As far as I know you can use most images for personal use as long as you do not take credit for the photo or artwork. But do not quote me on it as I am not copyright expert. 

Find and item to Decoupage there is no limit here. It could be a plate, box, terra cotta, paper mache frames, vase, wood, metal, desk, table anything. The only thing to keep in mind is not all adhesives are good for all surfaces and materials. 

I suggest pre arranging your cut out/s how you want them first then apply with your Fast Finish , Mod Podge or another adhesive, even white school glue should give good results. After all your cut outs are bonded in place allow to dry completely and apply sealer(Mod Podge, Fast Finish or one of your choice) according to the direction on the bottle. I prefer to do multiple coats of sealer allowing it dry completely between coats.

This is a simple Trinket Box using only one image. This one will be for sale in my shops soon, along with others featuring my photography and images.