DIY Tutorial: Crackle Painting
Supplies you’ll need:
– 2 colors of acrylic paint.
– A paint brush.
– Crackle Medium. I use FolkArt brand. I’m not sure if there are others.
– A varnish to seal the paint. I used Americana brand “DuraClear Satin Varnish”.
– And something to paint. Obviously :P
A little advice about paint – I find that this works MUCH better with a thicker paint (at least for the top coat – read step three to see why). I’ve tried a few different brands and have decided that I like FolkArt the best. I know it’s tempting to buy whatever is on sale for 99 cents, but in this case, it’s best not to. You’ll get better results with a more expensive paint because they tend to be thicker.
On to the tutorial!
I’ll be painting a little terra cotta pot:
Step one: Apply your base coat and allow it to dry. I like to use a darker color for the base coat and a lighter one for the top coat. Just my preference! :)
Step two: Apply a coat of crackle medium and allow it to dry. This takes longer to dry than paint.
Step three: Apply your top coat and allow it to dry.
This is the step that requires a little bit of technique! The reason that it’s best to use thick paint is because with the top coat, you can’t do a second coat if the first one looks too thin. The top coat will start crackling almost immediately when applied. So make sure to get plenty of paint on your brush and make sure not to go over any spot twice. If you go over anything twice, it won’t crackle properly.
Step four: Apply a coat of varnish and allow it to try. You may need to do a couple coats depending on your varnish. I did two.
Be somewhat gentle (don’t press too hard) when applying the varnish. I’ve had little chunks of the top coat flake off before when I’ve pressed too hard.
And that’s it! yay! I hope that you find this helpful! I wish I would have had someone to share these tips with me when I first tried. My first attempt at crackle painting was a learning experience.
If you give this a try, I’d love to see pics! Feel free to leave any pictures or questions in the comments! :)
Great Tutorial! Do you think this is possible with a more thicker plastic pot? I seem to have some pretty plan pots that need sprucing yup! Thank you!!!
Well I am glad you are that someone that shared the tips that I was meant to stumble upon. I am going to be doing a crackle paint project for the 1st time farely soon. This helps a bunch. Joined your Gfc; I hope you will connect with me at http://onecreativeprocrastinatinggal.blogspot.com Have a wonderful day, and thanks again.
Liked your facebook sorry, I thought I saw one. ; )