How to Decoupage Painted Art

Look through your completed painted works and decide which you wish to use for your decoupage project. Avoid using any painted works you wish to keep intact or that you wish to display elsewhere. Alternately, paint a few unique works specifically for your decoupage display, but remember that if you create works for the project, you only need to paint the features and areas you intend to cut out.

Cut out pieces of your painted work to use for your project. Alternately, if your painted art is small enough, include entire projects in your decoupage project. Arrange them around your project area in the position you intend to affix them to your actual project, to give yourself an idea of how they will look and if you need to place any of the pieces on in a specific order, in the case of overlapping pieces.

Prepare your paste. Use decoupage medium at full strength for most projects, except on glass projects where you should dilute the paste half and half with water. Alternately, you can use glue, diluted for glass projects, or wallpaper paste, always diluted half and half with water. Make sure you have enough paste to complete your project once you begin.

Place each piece face down in your project area. Use a standard, thick paint brush to spread the paste, dipping the brush in water, then paste and then brushing the paste from the center of each piece to the outside, spreading the paste evenly.

Turn each piece over after you spread the paste and press it against the surface you are using for your decoupage art. Use a damp cloth to press the edges and side of each piece after you press it into place, smoothing the edges and removing any extra paste, which seeps from the sides of your pieces.

Spray an even coat of clear lacquer over your project, once you have each piece in position, to protect your work. Avoid touching or cleaning your project until it is fully dried, but once it is dried you can use a damp cloth to clean the surface.