When sorting out my folders with files, I found a long ago stored tutorial in the technique of volume decoupage with a birdie decor on a small box and decided to share it with you :) However, now I'm doing more detailed tutorials, and detailed description of all actions makes it easy to understand and implement.

I really like the technique of volume decoupage, when you get things with convex elements. And if there is a motive with an animal, or even a character, it looks like a real one.

At the example of my birdie box, I’ll tell you how to vivify your item with the help of decoupage.

You need:

1) wooden blank;

2) 2 pc. of bird printout; one on glossy paper and another on matt paper;

3) acrylic glossy Olki (artistic) and Kiva (structural) varnish;

4) building coating;

5) palette knife;

6) sandpaper 180, 400, 800 and 1000, emery sponge 180;

7) acrylic paints: gold, bronze, umbra, black, white, blue, ivory, bordeaux (I used Plaid, Decola, Pebeo);

8) brushes of different size (плоская №10, 20 для лака и декорирования, тонкая №1, 2, 4 для подрисовки);

9) self-adhesive felt;

10) lace and satin ribbons;

11) Mod Podge decoupage glue or any other thick glue;

13) scissors and office paper / newspaper / tracing paper;

14) Sonet prime coating;

15) painting tape;

16) Crystall instant glue (transparent);

and a great will to create :)

PS: You can use any other materials according to your experience and preferences.

1. Surface priming

Sandpaper the box (180 and 400). Mine box had a tough lid, so I sandpapered the border properly until the lid closed tender.

Remember that paint and varnish would thicken the sides (!), so if you don’t rub them properly, the box would be unclosable at the end.

Prime the blanck with 2 layers and sandpaper again until complete smoothness.

2. Decoupage.

Put the blank aside and take the lid.

As the lid has a convex shape, you need an elastic printout. Make it on Lomond glossy paper, cover it with 2-3 layers of Olki glossy varnish, each layer at right angle to another. Dry the last layer for 30-60 min.

Then cut out the image of the lid size and wet it for approximately 30 min (the better it gets wet, the better the paper layer would flake away from the varnish film).

Take it away, put on the table and hook on the upper layer of the film with a needle. Glue it with ModPoge and remove all bubbles from underneath of the printout.

As the lid surface is convex, it is impossible to escape little folds, so move them towards the springs or leaves to hide there under pattern and additional painting.

Glue the top again. Dry and fix with several layers of glossy varnish.

Sandpaper extra edges of the printout and the top of the lid with the motif, especially where folds are found (800 paper and 180 sponge) until this all gets smooth.

Cover the lid with several layers of the Kiva glossy structural varnish. Thoroughly dry each layer.

3. Volume decoupage

Now you are coming to the most interesting part — volumizing the bird.

Take the coating and fine-grained structure paste and apply it on the image of the bird with a layer of 2-3 mm, leaving approximately 1 mm the edge.

If you put a thicker layer, the coating may crack. Never mind, after drying you can recoat the crack.

After all gets dry completely, work a little bit with the emery sponge, it easily rubs the edges. Remove the dust.

Take a damp cloth and start ‘washing’ our bird, so now rub the bird and its contours effortless. This allows you to make more realistic and soft contours.

The second printout I needed was on matt photo paper, though you can make alike lacquer printout, but I'm going to proceed by a different method.

I make the printout thin with a wide tape by the method of Anna Turchina.

Cut out the bird strictly along the contour with your nail scissors.

Take a pad and start slightly smoothing the bird image from the back side with the rings of the scissors from center to edges. This deforms the paper; make it curved / rounded so she it could easily lay down on the layer of coating.

Stick our bird with decoupage glue on the coating bird.

If our bird has not covered the coating, do not worry, perfect the outline and uncoloured bits with a dark paint (borrow one from the bird palette), and add highlights with white colour. This will give the bird a visual volume and realism.

Also paint a couple of sprigs over the folds. To do this, use gold, brown colours and their mixture. Apply cream colour to the wings and head, highlighting them.

Fix the result with a glossy varnish.

4. Base and Lid Decoration

When all hard work is left behind, start decorating the base and finish the lid.

Paint the inner part of the box and the inside of the lid blue with several layers; then varnish.

Paint the outer part of the base and under the "rim" of the lid with the main colour of the motif mixing colors (ivory, a drop of drop brown and burgundy); you need several layers again. Varnish.

The rim of the lid should be painted bronze; slightly rub the sponge against the edge and the printout contour. Varnish all.

Continue working with the base. Take a narrow painting tape, leave a little space on the top and stick the tape; do the same with the bottom. Paint the free space and the very bottom of the box with bronze paint. Varnish with several layers, remember to sandpaper in between the layers.

Sorry, the photo is missing, but you can see the result at the next lace decorating step.

5. Lace and satin ribbons decorating

I had a very beautiful thin Italian lace, but of a wrong greenish color.

But so what! My favorite black tea came to help! And, by the way, after such a long work one can drink some tea :)

So, brew a tea bag and put the lace in the cup. Brew a cup for you, too :)

While you’re drinking tea, the lace is getting tinted into the desired colour. Dry and iron it.

Here's what’s come out:

So you see that the lace has attained the bronze hue that will perfect match the light surface, and the bronze trim at the top and bottom will make transition to the lace gentle.

Glue the lace decoupage, trying to join the junction parts as close as possible.

Stick quickly as Mod Podge is getting dry right under your hands, firmly, though. It is not necessary to decorate the top, otherwise all beauty of the lacewould fade away. PVA glue doesn’t work that well, even pervades the lace, so is not used for these purposes (I had such experience and came to this conclusion for ‘live’ lace).

Take a ribbon, fix its ends with glue. Make a double bow out of blue and bronze ribbons and fix them with Crystal glue to the place where ribbons join.

So that jewellery didn’t fall with noise in the box, cut out a felt circle and glue to the bottom from inside using a pattern.

Make the pattern out of a newspaper or office paper, put it on the bottom and press the edge with your fingers.

Since I have self-adhesive felt, I just removed the protective layer from the back side and gently put it inside, smoothing out with fingers.

It comes out quickly and neatly.

The work is over!

Enjoy your result :)

Inspire and create!

Sincerely yours,
Tatyana Olkhovikova