Decoupage - adding 3D depth to your Card Making.......Decoupage is a technique which is very popular amongst card makers. Rather than having a flat image on the card, decoupage creates a layered 3D image. Each layer recreates only a smaller part of the layer below. The finished image then has an attractive tiered effect.
Decoupage design sheets are available in all sorts of designs. They come either pre scored, where you just pop out the different layer; or they are just pre-printed, and you have to cut around all the layers yourself. As the layers can be fiddly you will need to invest in a good pair of small, sharp scissors. These can be either straight edged or curved edge. A number of retailers sell designated decoupage scissors. The key thing is, whatever pair you use, they must me easily manouverable. As an alternative to conventional scissors you could use a pair of tweezer scissors. These take a little getting used to but if you are doing a lot of fine cutting they can ease pressure on your fingers. TIP: When cutting, keep the scissors steady and move the paper around as you cut, rather than holding the paper steady and moving the scissors around the edge. Once you have cut out all your layers you need to assemble them. TIP: For ease line up all your layers in the order you are going to compile them, starting with the bottom layer first. If you are just starting out with we recommend that you fix the layers together with double sided adhesive pads (foam pads). Fix them evenly and make sure that there are no edges sticking out to spoil the clean lines of the image. When you are confident you can use silicone glue to glue the layers together. Just put small blobs of the glue at regular intervals between the layers. Take care when placing a layer on top of the glue that you don't press down too heavily and get the glue oozing out of the sides. Another form of decoupage which is becoming popular is Pyramage. Unlike conventional work this builds the image up to look like a pyramid. You can also get Reverse Pyramage. Both of these methods are quick and easy but look very effective on your cards.
|
