What to do with empty coffee jars instead throwing them away? Give them "new" old, vintage and worn look.
What you need:
- glass jars (I used coffee jars) - white spirit and piece of cloth - structure paste - matt paint (black, turquoise, chocolate, dark green) - gilding glue, gilding varnish, gold flakes and leaves - liquid patina or blending gel - napkins with birds available - decoupage glue - patina varnish or yacht varnish - sponge brush flat brush
1. Clean your jars to remove labels. Wipe with white spirit to remove any greasy stains.
2. Apply structure paste with fingers in few places (for example around the top and bottom). Repeat on lids. I added some water, but if you don't want to see white spots inside your jars you can add black paint.
3. Paint whole jars with black or dark brown paint. Very dark background is perfect for gilding.
4. You can add a few spots with different colours (like a dark green or brown). Your background will be visible between the gilding, especially in places where you use the flakes.
5. Now is time for gilding. Apply gilding glue and leave to dry for about 30min. You do not need to be very accurate, because we do not want to cover the entire surface with gilding. Remember to cover larger areas under the decoupage.
6. Once the glue becomes transparent apply gilding flakes and leaves. Leaves are perfect to cover larger parts for decoupage.
7. Once surface is dry remove access of gilding with brush (you can add some scratches using sandpaper). Cover whole surface with gilding varnish to avoid tarnish. Gilding products don't like water based products, like decoupage glue ;)
9. Mix turquoise and dark green paint for verdigris patina look and apply according to your taste. Wipe the excess while it's still wet (you can use dry sponge brush).
10. Now decide what napkins you would like to use. Match design to larger gilded spots. Remember - napkins are transparent so they won't be visible on dark background.
11. If possible, tear or cut your napkin as close to the theme as possible. Glue your napkin on desired position. After gluing you can add some more paint or bitumen around decoupage.
12. Time for finishing touch. In my opinion yacht varnish is the best for that kind of work (because yellowing and giving extra aged look lol). Yacht varnish dries very long and stinks, so you can use water based Daily Art patina varnish instead.
If you like my tutorial, feel free to use it in your work, but please remember to give credit where credit is due.
All photos are Reverie-Art property and protected by copyright. Do not copy any part of this tutorial without permission.