Crackle Painting Tips
This technique is not difficult, but you do have to follow instructions on your crackle finish product. Timing is important, as well as working quickly. These instructions assume the use of water base acrylic craft paint, which dries in about 30 minutes. If you use latex acrylic interior paint you will need to allow longer dry times. Refer to your paint manufacturer's instructions.
Leave it alone and let it dry thoroughly. Once dry, for smaller crafts, I like to use a spray-on acrylic finish, but you can certainly use a brush on finish. Use a water base finish for easy clean-up and fast drying. If spraying, I recommend at least 2 or three light coats. For something that will get lots of wear and tear, use more coats. You might want to practice on a scrap piece of cardboard to get the hang of crackle painting. It really isn't hard. Once you start, you will probably be hooked! For starters you might want to try a Wood File Box, or a Crackle Painted Wood Bowl.
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Next apply a base coat of paint. This will be the color that shows through the "cracks." So if you want a green crackle with brown beneath, your base coat should be brown. Allow to dry.
Once dry, you can apply the crackle medium. For craft projects, I generally use a sponge brush. You can use a regular brush too, but you may get a slightly different "crackle." On larger, flat projects you may want to use a roller. A roller will give a more uniform crackle. Brushes give a more directional crackle effect. Don't slap the brush back and forth every which way unless you want a really haphazard look. Smooth, one way strokes will give the best results.
Apply your topcoat. This is the coat that will "crack." Working fairly quickly and steadily, use smooth, one way strokes. Don't brush back and forth. If you need to go back over the section twice, do it right away, then leave it alone and move onto the next section. Don't stop working until you are finished. (This is one time you really should let the phone ring!). You should start to see the faux crackle appear within a minute or less.
