This blog entry is completely biased – I am not an admirer “Crackle Glaze” products and usually dislike the utterly fake effect they produce.
When the same product is the put in a smaller bottle, with a label on it that says “For Miniature Work” (or similar) steam begins to come out of my ears and I see red.
The reason for this over-the-top reaction is unhappy experience of full-size “crackle” effect – huge, cavernous cracks separating vast areas of glaze – all over my hard work.
So what do I do if I need a cracked, aged effect in miniature?
The example above is on the flat surface of a card screen, which has been painted with household emulsion paint (with a “washable” surface).
When this paint was completely dry, I applied a coat of washable PVA glue.
It was a thick coat and I brushed it on up and down, top to bottom, following what would be the grain of the wood in real life.
When the glue was completely dry, I varnished over the top of it with a water-based household (Ronseal) clear matt varnish.
On one panel I applied the varnish with quick light strokes, top to bottom – in the same direction as the glue.
On the other two panels I scrubbed the brush around a bit and the glue dissolved and formed disastrous looking, lumpy globules.
I let this coat of varnish dry completely – lumps and all – and as it dried cracks formed in it.
I found these cracks impossible to photograph – so I moved on to the next stage and lightly sanded, up and down, the imaginary grain of the wood.
(I used the fine sand-paper that is sold for sharpening pencils – this is the finest grade, that works on this sort of surface, I have ever found )
When the surface was no longer lumpy, I brushed on a coat of coloured varnish (Ronseal, medium oak, gloss), and watched that sink into the cracks.
Then I brushed on some more coloured varnish ( I wanted a dark treacley finish) – and then I let the varnish dry completely.
The final stage was all sanding, and then more sanding, until the surface was smooth.
I then rubbed over the sanded surface with an old towel, to remove the dust, and the surface came up clean with a softly polished glow.
I may continue to sand until the majority of the coloured varnish is gone, but for today I stopped here.
Different paint, PVA and varnish give slightly different finishes (some with a much smaller “crack” effect. It is worthwile practicing on spare card, or paper until you get a result that pleases you.
Wow! What a great, detailed explanation of the process. I appreciate that you’ve included specifics about the products you used. My problem is that usually any crackle medium I try barely crackles at all…you need a loupe to see the effect! While this is a lot of work, you obviously have a lot more control over the finished product. I’ll start looking for comparable U.S. products. Have you ever tried this method over a decorated surface, like a small decoupaged or handpainted design to make it look “antiqued”?
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Yes, I have used the same process over painted pictures and decoupage items. When doing this it is important to make sure that the surface is well sealed (I use a clear varnish to do this).
If the design is painted, I usually make the colours slightly “brighter” than I would normally, so that they don’t disappear entirely under coloured varnish (and you need to remember that the colours will change under varnish of any sort, but very noticeably under coloured varnish).
With decoupage you need to make sure that the cut edges are very firmly stuck down and that the entire surface is sealed completely, I usually put on 2 to 3 layers of varnish and sand down in between coats.
It’s a bit like making a multi-layered sandwich
1. First layer – water repellent surface (this was the paint on the screen).
2. Second layer – PVA – I have found a washable version (usually sold as a craft product for children) gives me, fairly reliably, the effect on the screen.
3. Third layer – water-based varnish which will split on the PVA layer (it splits in various ways, depending on how you apply it, with “grain”, across “grain” etc – practice on a piece of card until you find what you are looking for)
4. Fourth layer – coloured varnish to show the cracks
If you want to, you can forget the coloured varnish and use water-colour paint to show the cracks. When the water-colour paint is dry it is possible to rub the residue off the surface of the varnish with a slightly abrasive cloth – I use an old towel for this – but, if you use water colour paint you will need a coat of clear varnish to seal the result.
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