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Demonstration of Textured "Stained Glass" Cards
with Julie Zarate (aka six06) |
I create ACEO's that give the look of stained glass by using a number of certain products:
- Standard Playing Cards
- Modeling Compound
- Gesso
- Acrylic Paint
- Slick Black Fabric Paint
- Crackle Medium
- Polyurethane High Gloss
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Step One
The first step is to coat the cards with modelling compound. Apply liberally and get all the way to the edges. Do not smooth flat, as the coarse finish is what we're trying to achieve. DO, however, smooth any peaks or obvious lumps. Allow to dry.
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Step Two
Once dry, coat them with Gesso. This allows a porous and bright surface on which to work on. It also covers up any images you may see showing through the coat of modelling compound.
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Step Three
Once the gesso has dried, apply two coats of GOLD acrylic paint. This is what's going to give that extra depth we're looking for. You'll start to see how the light reacts to the texture once the gold paint is applied.
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Step Four
After the gold paint is dried, use your black fabric paint bottle to draw your design onto your card. It doesn't have to be perfect or heavy, as we'll be going over these lines later. These will serve as our "LEAD", like in a stained glass window. You can experiment with other colors, as well. I use slick black. |
Step Five
This is a tricky part: deciding what colors to paint. This is where you apply your base color. Since we'll be using Crackle medium later, keep in mind that this is the color that will show through under your overcoat color. Make it interesting and try contrasting colors! You can apply flat colors, coating the gold surface or use the Glazing Medium, to dilute your paint, still allowing the gold sheen to shine through. The effect is wonderful. I do both procedures on the same card. It's a good idea to leave some parts unpainted, as I'll explain soon. |
Step Six
Apply a liberal amount of Pro Art Acrylic Crackle Medium over your basecoat and allow to dry. There are other forms of crackle medium on the market, but i've found this to be the only one suitable in achieving this effect. The important thing to remember is to NOT use water when working with this product, as it will cause an opaque, sticky mess and ruin your work. [I learned that one from experience.] |
Step Seven
Now we begin to apply our top coats of paint. Diluted, translucent overcoats allow the underpainting to come through. You can build up to the desired level of opaqueness. But remember to use the Glazing Medium and NOT water to dilute your paints. Experiment with contrasting colors. In the photo below, i use diluted Burnt Umber to paint the exposed Gold paint. The effect is wonderful, as it brings out the texture even moreso, and with levels of gradation, can give the card a look of worn leather.
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Step Eight
Once the paint has dried, you may now go over your black lines once again with the fabric paint. This will cover any paint that spilled over onto your first sketch, and also give it a more raised presence. |
Step Nine
The final step is to give your cards a coat of clear high gloss Polyurethane. It will not harm the paints, but rather, give them an extra vibrant boost. If applied liberally and allowed to dry in a well ventilated, dust free area, you can achieve a spectacular "pooling" effect, where the clear gloss creates concaved edges with your black fabric paint, thus adding to the stained glass look. An added bonus to this last step is that it not only protects your work for many many years, but it makes them relatively flexible, too!. |
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