Shabby chic Crackle

The shabby chic course is well on its way. Tomorrow night I will teach how to  apply gold leaf  on smaller items or furniture pieces.
Last week the ladies tried to crackle frames and furniture. There are many products on the market, but we used PVA glue to achieve bigger cracks. The secret is not to let the glue  dry and apply the second coat of paint when the glue is tacky. Also a contrasting colour works better.
Experimenting is the key. The ladies found the process a bit scary, because you don't really know the results, but thats the exciting part.
To achieve a very fine crackling effect I like to use the Jo Sonja crackle medium brand.
You have to apply a few coats of paint and than apply the crackle medium while the paint is not cured.
Very fine cracks appear and will show up more by rubbing a darker glaze into the cracks.
The Jo Sonja product is waterbase, so no yukky fumes to inhale.
The crackled pieces can be waxed or varnished to protect.
The chair has a "shabby chic" finish and will be protected with a matt varnish.
 Again I use a waterbase varnish and let it cure well.
Tomorrow I will photograph results of the gilded items done in the course.