It Must Be... Wednesday!

"Snap!" "Crackle" Pop!"

Let's talk: "Crackle"

I am asked time-and-again... "How do you achieve such

consistent crackling, in your dolls?"

The truth is... It's not about me!  It's all about

the crackle medium I have been applying to 

my dolls for years:

I use DecoArt One Step Crackle.

I have found that this medium consistently produces a desirable 

crackle finish on both paper clay 

(my primary doll sculpting medium) and wood.

I brush it on thick and am often guilty of over-brushing it; 

a big taboo with other crackle mediums. 

And yet, it consistently produces nice, even crackling. 

It is truly a "one-step" application:

Step #1. 

I apply the crackle medium to the doll/surface 

after the doll is painted and completely dry. 

Then, I allow the crackle medium to dry overnight. 

The product label suggests a 2-4 hour dry time; 

but I always allow it to dry overnight, 

even though you see “crackling” almost immediately.

Step #2.

Next, I brush contrasting acrylic paint over the entire surface

(that has the dried crackle medium applied to it). 

I choose a color that I want to fill all of the little cracks 

that have appeared.

Two of my favorite contrasting colors are: 

raw umber and raw sienna. 

Step #3.

Then... I immediately begin to wipe off the acrylic

paint that was just applied, using a soft cloth... to reveal 

the crackled finish.  I often leave some of the acrylic paint 

in cracks and crevices to give the finish a time-worn look.

Step #4. 

(Optional... only if you want a matte/dull finish)

The only thing that I do not like about DecoArt is 

it leaves a very high sheen/gloss finish, when dry.  

To remedy this... as an additional step, I use 

Plaid FolkArt Outdoor Matte Sealer as a top-coat (last step). 

Apply the Matte Sealer only after after Step #3 is dry.

My suggestion is:  You try this product on your lovely doll,

only AFTER you have first applied it to a "sample piece"...

to make sure you are satisfied with your results.

(Ben Franklin said it first: "Only two things are certain in life...")

Have fun! Daryle