It's the time of the year again, when we are thinking about the New Year and all the possibilities and new beginnings. I wanted to create a lovely, framed motto for the year 2021, to be kept somewhere visible throughout the year. As I love Emily Dickinson’s poems so much, it felt fitting to choose one. Or, actually I pick two, as I made a live video tutorial for Finnabair and Re.design with Prima and ended up having two frames.
Here’s how I did it.
I’ll explain you through the process, and list everything I used, but obviously the colour choices and materials are yours to decide.
YOU’LL NEED:
- Frame of your choice. I used Prima’s Petite Round and Chantilly Royal resin frames.
- Gesso, optional. If you use wooden frames, I recommend using gesso. My pick would be Finnabair HeavyGesso, of course.
- Glue. I used Aleene’s Tacky Glue, but you can use any glue you like. Finnabair Heavy BodyGel works brilliantly, too.
- Finnabair TextureEffect Paste Old Walls set, green and blue.
- Finnabair TexturePaste Clear Crackle
- Impasto Paints. I used Dark Chocolate, Linen, and Pitch Black
- Finnabair Metallic Waxes. I used White Pearl, Vintage Gold, White Gold
- Finnabair MicaPowder Set, brown & gold
-
Finnabair Soft GlossGel.
- Baby wipes
- Quote print. Coffee & tea dyed if you wish
STEP 1.
I tested that for the resin frame, it’s completely same outcome if you use gesso or not, so I left it out. But, if you use any material that absorbs the paints and mediums like wood or cardboard, I recommend using gesso before proceeding to other mediums.
First, I painted the frame with green texture paste from the Old Wall rust effect set, and before it was completely dry, added some blue paste here and there, blending the two shades together. This paste will give the frame a tattered, worn out look with the tiny morsels in it clustering randomly throughout the frame. Don’t forget to paint the sides of the frame, too.
STEP 2.
Next, I applied a thick layer of Clear Crackle paste. I know it should dry preferably overnight to make the most of the crackle effect, but I needed it to dry quickly as I was doing a live stream and couldn’t possibly wait. So, I did like this. (Please remember that this worked for me and the resin frame I used, so I can’t guarantee it works on wood or other materials.) I used a heating tool and heated the frame for maybe 30 seconds or so, let it cool and repeated the process a couple of times. This made the whole resin frame warming a bit and I think that was why it quickened the crackling process successfully.
STEP 3.
After the crackling paste was dryish and there might have been some crackles visible, if you wanted badly to see them, I started adding depth with a mix of brown and black Impasto paints. With lots of water and only a hint of acrylic paints, I added shadowing and highlighting the frame, wiping most of the paint off with a moist baby wipe, and repeated the process until I had added highlights and shadows to the whole frame, including the sides. Then I used heating tool, again in approx. 30 second pulses for a couple of times, and now I could already see some crackles starting to form.
STEP 4.
After the frame was dry, I added soft white, Linen Impasto paint with a dry brush and dapped the paint unevenly for more rusty effect. Then I wiped and spread it a bit with moist baby wipe, until I was satisfied with the look. You can also use mister or a spray bottle and sprinkle some water over the paint and wipe most of it off with a baby wipe. This will make a bit gentler outcome, but I aimed for really crumbled, peeling look. And, again, I used heating tool for approx. 30 second pulses for a while.
STEP 5.
Next, I took dark brown and brighter gold mica powders and mixed them with a drop of water and used a mixture for highlighting the frame, adding gentle brush strokes here and there. Then I mixed dark brown mica powder and black acrylic paint to give really strong, but metallic shadowing to the frame, using baby wipes to blend the paints nicely to the surface. And again, I used the heating tool every now and then, and the crackling process started to look good.
At this point I added more linen white paint if necessary, or shadowing or golden highlighting, and used heating tool again afterwards.
STEP 6.
Finally, I used waxes to make the frame look shimmeringly shiny. Not too much, just a gentlest stroke of a finger here and there, as I did not want the whole frame look metallic, but as if the gilding had peeled off from most parts. First, I mixed two shades of gold wax to get the colour best repeating the tones of the frame, and added a hint of gold, but only to very few places. Then, with a merest whisper amount of white pearl wax, I added shimmer around the frame, including the sides. At this point I did not use a heating tool but let the frame dry. It didn’t take long, though, as I had added such a tiny amount of wax.
STEP 7.
I printed my chosen poems I had written down in right size and with a font I wanted and dipped it quickly to a dye mix I happened to have left from another project. This made the printed paper nicely vintage looking. (You can use my dyeing tutorial for laces and silks if you like, they work perfectly for paper too.)
I took a sturdy, used cardboard shipping box and cut a suitably sized and shaped piece for the background of the frame. (You want it to be just a bit bigger than the hole in the middle of the frame, but small enough so it won’t be visible from the sides of the frame.) Then I clued the printed quote in to the cardboard piece and added a layer of Soft Gloss Gel over the print to protect it, as there wasn’t glass in my frame.
If you want to hang your frame into a wall, and your frame doesn’t have any hanging hook, you can create one easily using yarn or ribbon or even lace ribbon, and glue it between the frame and the cardboard, or on the back of the cardboard. You can also play a little and add some embellishments like bows, beads, a brooch or something, into the hanging hook you have made, and use extravagant silk ribbons or the like.
There’s a live stream recording on Re.Design withPrima Facebook group.
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