Decoupage

Derived from the French word which means to cut, decoupage is a nice art of decorating objects by gluing color paper cutouts into them, thereby giving an object the appearance of a delicate inlay. An object is also decorated with a number of effects, including paint, gold leaf and other innovative add-ons. Generally, a an object such as a small box, as well as piece of furniture, will be covered with cutouts from different types of paper, and are sealed with multiple coats, until it will look like it's a painting or some inlay work. Traditional decoupage techniques involved using thirty to forty layers that were even sanded to obtain a classy or modern polished look.

A Unique Form of Collage
Decoupage is generally described as the art of permanently decorating any surface or item with various sizes and colors of paper cutouts. This is also a form of collage, which many consider to be a truly accessible art form. The cutouts that are glued to the surface may also be coated with lacquer, glaze, quick-dry glue or varnish.

History of Decoupage
The art of decoupage has a long and unique history. Early versions featured cutout felt figures and designs which were used to decorate various objects. In 12th Century China for example, the paper cutouts were also used to decorate lanterns, gift boxes, wooden boxes, windows and other objects. After some time, artists started applying layers upon layers of lacquer to make their designs look more polished and more attractive.

During the 17th Century, lacquer furniture that came from Asia became stylish items in Europe. The demand was known to have exceeded supply, and so some European furniture makers, notably the Venetians, began to copy this method, and elevate it to a higher art form in the process. In just a short time, decoupage artists began copying famous artworks and began incorporating them to their creations. Some antiques are believed to have been just copies which used skillfully-made decoupage.

In the 18th and 19th centuries, decoupage flourished throughout the European continent. The works of a number of famous artists such as Pillement, Boucher, Fragonard and others were prized decoupage creations. A lot of wonderful creations are still found today in museums, offices, armoires and other similar furniture pieces in Europe.

Common Household Materials Can Be Used In This Art Form
Because decoupage was often considered to be a "poor man's art form", common household items and materials were easily incorporated. For example, if you wanted to decoupage something, you may choose to do it in a photo album, furniture, picture frame, lamp, ceramic plate, dish, mirror, candles, shelves, and a whole lot more. If you were looking for pictures to decoupage, you can get from a lot of sources, including magazines, newspapers, catalogues, greeting cards, wrapping paper, different types of fabric and even tissue paper. Your cutting utensils may include a craft knife, scissor or razor blade. Standard easy-dry glue may also be used to stick together the items you want pasted to your item.
To help with spreading the glue or varnish, you may use a Popsicle stick, or mini paint brushes and cotton swabs. You can also use sponges, old rugs and even toilet paper to spread the glue around the object. To seal the items you pasted, you may also use polyurethane, acrylic spray and other lacquer.
These days, decoupage is a very accessible art form, that's also elevated to higher artistic levels by many artists. Serious decoupage buffs are now even called "decoupeurs", and there's even a national association of decoupeurs in the United States today. The National Guild of Decoupeurs, or NGD, is a non-profit entity that's providing training and seminars to those who are interested in knowing more about this fancy art form. It also holds contests and forums, as well as encourages the exchange of innovative and creative ideas, and further widens the popularity of this "poor man's art" form.