Crackled wood panel

Time for my second Crackle inspiration piece for the Country View Challenges blog. Last time I eased you in with a quick and foolproof method (see here), this time I am taking the more traditional approach with a 3 steps crackle.


First a coat of acrylic paint in the colour you want your crackles to be (in my case black), second the crackle medium (today I have used Imagination Crafts) and third your desired top coat colour of acrylic paint (a mix of several Fresco paints by Paper Artsy).

To add a bit more of a distressed look I also added some light grey paint patches and Vaseline in a few places (sparingly). When dry I then removed the paint that didn't stick to the Vaseline with a soft cloth.

Notes: 1) With this medium, the direction of the brush when applying the top coat, decides of the direction the crackles will take. You can see on the photo that used both vertical and horizontal brushstrokes.
2) The crackling happens as soon as the top coat touches the Crackle Medium layer, and there can't be any hesitation, only put the brush down once on any particular area! If mixing colours make sure you have enough before you start (ask me how I know...).


For my focal image I unearthed a very old stamp by Joanna Sheen and as I wanted a Vintage feel I started with Versafine Sepia. But the image lacked strength so I inked first with Versafine then added black on one side then softened by tapping the Sepia inkpad until I had a smooth colour transition.

You can see that doing this DOES contaminate my inkpad but it's actually a bonus for me as I'm just as likely to need a darker brown next time and it's already there waiting for me. It does eventually disappear if you keep inking from that side.

For embellishments and mats I searched through my scraps and picked remnants of masterboard, patterned paper and die-cut metal. I added a piece of cream muslin and a length of natural twine.

Finally to frame my image,  I painted a Tando chipboard piece in red and applied tinted Grunge paste through a Prima Doily Stencil. When dry I rubbed Treasure Gold in Onyxite and White fire.

There you have it... I do hope I have inspired you to join us for our Crackle challenge and would love to know what you think of my board.
Have a great weekend,
I am entering the We Love To Create, Sandy & Amelie Steampunk, The Artistic Stamper and the Stamplorations Mixed Media challenges