Aging & Antiquing
with Cherril Doty & Marsh Scott
At times we want to give a piece of art an aged or vintage appearance. There are several ways to achieve this effect: antiquing gels and patinas, abrading surfaces, and many techniques in between. Here are a few to help you get started.
Materials
• Several prepared substrates (partial or complete)
• Brushes
• Spray bottle filled with water
• Bronze or copper surface coating (for patina)
• Patina antiquing solution
• Metallic spray paint
• Paper towels
• Gold or copper composition metal leaf
• Acrylic medium and gel
• Plastic wrap
• Acrylic paints (gold to browns)
• Tea bags
• Strong coffee or tea
• Eggshells
Solutions & Sprays
These techniques should be done in a well-ventilated area.
Patina Solution
Step One Brush a metal surface coating of your choosing over the entire substrate or in specific areas. Allow to dry, but just barely.
Step Two Brush the patina solution gently over the surface (avoiding some areas to leave the original metal color). Place the piece in an area where it can dry slowly. It may take 2 to 6 hours for the patina to develop.
Step Three When dry, seal the surface with acrylic medium or spray.
Metallic Spray Paint
Step One Coat the substrate with gel, medium, or paint.
Step Two Spray water over the entire surface.
Step Three Shake the paint can thoroughly, and spray the surface of your substrate. Immediately blot with a paper towel. Let dry.
Gold Leaf
The chemical changes that take place with this method give the gold leaf an antique appearance.
Step One Brush acrylic medium where you want to place the gold leaf. Cut or tear the leaf and drop into place. With a soft brush gently coat the surface with the medium. Wait one minute.
Step Two Tear off a piece of plastic wrap. Drop it over the gold leaf area you wish to antique. Do not rub or press. Set it aside for 20 minutes.
Step Three Carefully remove the plastic. The full result will not show until it is completely dry.
The gold leaf in the upper half shows no effect where the plastic is not used, whereas the lower half shows the aging effect created when the gold leaf is covered with plastic wrap.
Paints Used to Age
This technique works well for antiquing a painting or a photo. For best results, the surface should be nonabsorbent, so make sure to coat the piece with acrylic gel or medium.
Step One Dampen a paper towel. Brush a small amount of paint on the surface of the piece. Start at the edge, scumbling the paint around. Before the paint dries, rub it to blend. If the result is too dark, blend medium into your paint colors.
Step Two Darken the corners more than the rest of the piece. If the paint is too light in any area, allow it to dry and repeat the process.
Used Tea Bags
Tea and coffee have a wonderful effect in aging a piece. Sprinkle tea and coffee grounds on a work for speckles of dark color. While there are many techniques using tea bags, below we discuss their use as a background.
Step One Brew a strong batch of tea and set the bags aside to dry completely.
Step Two When dry, carefully remove the staple and string, and empty the tealeaves. Unfold the bags to lay flat.
Step Three Use acrylic gel to adhere the unfolded bags to your substrate and then let dry. The background can then be stamped, stenciled, collaged over, painted on…you name it!
Steeped Tea & Coffee
The stains achieved in this method create an aged effect.
Step One Brew a batch of strong coffee or tea (three or four bags).
Step Two Brush, spray, soak, or dribble the coffee or tea liquid over absorbent papers or collage materials. Let dry and repeat as needed.
Eggshell Crackle
Save eggshells and crush them to smithereens!
Apply eggshells with gel medium to a painted or unpainted background for an aged, crackled appearance.
Paint over the eggshells and allow to dry. Then brush over the piece with acrylic medium and add thin tissue-like paper pressing down lightly.
