Book Study - Crackle Paste

 On NGS group, we're doing a study of Darlene Olivia McElroy & Sandra Duran Wilson's book "Surface Treatment workshop" This week we're looking at the section using crackle paste. The authors state the the surface needs to be rigid or the paste will flake off.
Used a palette knife and apply the crackle paste to the surface varying the thickness of the paste. The authors say to let the paste to dry overnight, however my jar of crackle paste said to let dry for three days and that is what I did.

Next step is to mist the crackle surface with water.

Dilute acrylic paint with water and apply it over the crackle paste, allowing the paint to seep into the cracks.

Then use a paper towel to blot the paint from the surface. This looks pretty good.

The authors state you can enhance the design y adding diluted paint. I added a layer of q. azo nickle gold.

On the next one, I started with diluted black acrylic paint.

Then did a layer of  Lumiere bronze paint.

 

Decided to spray Bronzite Brass Color Mist over it all.

Another suggestion in the book is to add crackle paste over a stencil. I used a home made flourish stencil over a painted dictionary page.

I painted the dried crackle paste with watered black acrylic paint. Then decided to try another suggestion in the book, which is to apply metal leafing over the crackle paste. I started by apply leafing adhesive to the crackle paste and let it turn tacky.

Applied metal leafing with a dry paint brush and rubbed off the excess.

The book suggests using masking tape to rub off the excess masking tape so the cracks appear. I did that, and not only was some of the metal leafing removed but chunks of the paste as well. A very distressed look.

I painted over the exposed surface with some of the Bronzite Brass Color Mist.