Crackle glazing tip.

This is probably old news to most out there that have dabbled with crackle glaze, however i did not know about this tip until i tried it myself, so I'm passing it on to anyone else who is new to crackle glazing.

In the past when i have used crackle glaze to give that lovely vintage crackled effect, i have just squeezed it on as level as possible on my stamp board, and just hoped for the best as far as it evening itself out. This has led to thicker parts of crackle glaze in some areas of the stamp board, and thin in others. This can also result in you using more than needed.

So last night i tried painting the glaze on, which gave it a thin, even layer, which when dry will leave a thin, even crackled texture which will not hinder the view of the picture underneath.

Here is a quick look at it step by step, very basic i know, but it may help.

*Click on images to enlarge*

1. First i used distress ink pad colours and did a two colour blend on a piece of white stamp board. Once dried, i then chose an image and stamped it onto the board with black archival ink. (You do not have to use archival ink for this).

2. Next i squeezed the crackle glaze around the stamp board in random lines. You could just do a blob, it doesn't really matter.

3. I then took a paintbrush, this one is a 1/2in soft bristle ordinary cheap paintbrush......

.....and painted the glaze on the board as you would if you were painting normally. the glaze should now be evenly spread across the board.

4. Allow the crackle glaze to dry. Follow the drying times on the instructions as this can vary from product to product. You should be left with a nice even crackled effect on your piece, ready to use as you wish. Normal rule of thumb is that the larger the cracks you want, the thicker you apply the glaze.

5. Lastly, i rubbed over the whole piece with a distress pad, the ink colours the cracks nicely.

Like i said, this is probably a basic tip that most already use out there, but i didn't know it so i can't be the only one! :)

Ah......as usual the woman is right......my girlfriend Maddy has just said that you have to be carefull that you do not force air bubbles into the glaze when using a brush to apply it. Plus if it is too thinly coated, it can cause bits to come off later down the line. Cheers for the tip Maddy.

Maddy has a nice crackle glazed piece on her distressed album card on her blog here.

So as long as you bear this in mind, hopefully this will come in handy.

Edited to say: Looking back on this, i'm not 100% happy with the result, maybe thats due to the colour, maybe i did it too thin? Definately needs more crackle to it! Have i then wasted the best part of an hour trying it? Nah.....i'll file this one under "learn from experience". :)