While decorating with tissue paper often involves its use in gift boxes and bags, a unique way to maximize the unique properties of tissue paper is through the art of decoupage. Decoupage involves the decorating of an object by gluing colored paper cutouts to a surface. The term decoupage comes from the French word découper, which means “to cut out”. While it may seem like little more than elevated cutting and pasting, decoupage has very serious practitioners.
It is one of those crafts that is relatively simple to execute, but to the outside viewer, the finished product can seem deceptively complex to complete. This is ideal for someone looking to create a richly, fantastically decorated object, but who may not have the skills to render a detailed painted surface. Decoupage traditionally involves the use of images, but tissue paper may be substituted and used in collage form to create images or designs. One advantage that tissue paper has over cutting out images from photographs and magazines is its transparency. Colored tissue paper may be layered on other colored tissue paper creating a collage of great subtlety and beauty, even allowing elements of the applying surface to be incorporated in the decoupage.
As mentioned before, the process of decoupage and the materials needed to create it are very simple. One needs only an object to be decorated, scissors and a utility knife, tissue paper, and some kind of decoupage medium. This is usually a water-based glue that dries transparently. Traditionally, decoupage used varnishes to apply the tissue paper. This process involved 30 to 40 layers of varnish that were sanded before the application of each new layer. The development of fast drying, fume-free, water-based glues has made this process much healthier and less time consuming today, also eliminating the need for sanding in between each layer. Finally, one also needs a rubber brayer, a foam brush, and a damp rag to wipe up excess glue.
To begin the process, one must first select the object to be decorated. Any object is suitable for decoupage with tissue paper, from ceramics and jewelry to furniture. One only needs to make certain the object to be decoupaged is clean and free of dirt and dust. Clean application of the paper is essential for tight adherence.
Next, one must create and assemble the tissue paper for the decoupage. It is essential that one have everything ready to go since the glue dries quickly, and once the paper is applied, it is often difficult to remove it without disturbing the other tissue paper around. Tissue paper is forgiving, but it is also very delicate, and gets more fragile once it has been applied to the object. One may apply a fixative to the tissue paper to increase the amount of sizing on the surface of the paper. Hair spray works in a pinch. This gives the paper a little more strength and resistance to the wetness of the glue, but will not affect the tissue paper’s transparency or adherence.
Next, one must apply the glue to the object. An evenly applied layer will insure that the glue has been spread equally across the surface. One should use a foam brush since it spreads the glue evenly and smoothly across without the brush marks that a paint brush would leave. Now, one can begin to apply the tissue paper. Tweezers can make the placing of small, delicately cut papers easier. Once the entire surface is covered, use the utility knife to poke holes into any air bubbles that may have been created.
Now allow the surface to dry completely. Once the initial layer is dry, add a second layer of decoupage medium to completely cover the object and allow this to dry. It is important to note that the decoupage medium must be applied in this manner until all the edges of the paper have disappeared. Torn edges of tissue paper lay flatter than cut ones, and may not need as much decoupage medium to cover them, but the layers of medium make the decorated object more lustrous, which will complement the delicate quality of the tissue paper. One may also continue layering the tissue paper until the desired image or affect is achieved.
Simple, not so time consuming, and not so demanding in terms of the skills needed to produce something that looks beautiful, decoupage can be learned by anyone. Tissue paper is a wonderful material to use in this craft, since it allows the crafter much freedom in the creation of images, from flowers and animals to rustic scenes of pastoral life. Tissue paper is affordable and readily available and is ideally suited to create decoupage of elegant, effervescent beauty.
– Lisa Merritt writes for several craft blogs and recommends www.retailpackaging.com for tissue paper.
