Avoid Decoupage Problems by Choosing Compatible Media

How to Determine if Media are Compatible and Suitable for Your Decoupage Project

The two most prevalent causes of problems in a decoupage project are:

• Incompatible media; and
• Impatience.

I can't tell you how to develop more patience so you always wait for incompatible media to cure before layering on a different base medium, but I can tell you how to avoid the problem by choosing media that work well together - even when rushed.

I have a photo that was printed on canvas photo paper (not real canvas) with the texture of canvas and want to know if it is safe to spray it with Krylon Preserve It! I am hoping you have used their Digital Photo & Paper Protectant.

This is a project I am doing for someone. The reason I want to know is that there will be no glass covering this photo as it will be plaque mounted on MDF board. I use Gesso to prepare the MDF, then use Mod Podge to attach photos to the prepared MDF.

I have used Preserve It for regular glossy paper photos, but never on Photo Canvas paper.

I am hoping you have used the Krylon Preserve It and will be able to help me out.

Thanks in advance,

Linda

I think I can help you, though not because I've used Krylon Preserve It Digital Photo & Paper Protectant myself. I've talked with two artists who have used it successfully to protect painted, inked and printed images on canvas as well as on other fabrics.

Note that Krylon says the product is for use with:

• Wood,
• Metal,
• Wicker,
• Plastic,
• Glass,
• Plaster,
• Ceramic,
• Paper,
• Paper Mache, and
• Dried/Silk Flowers.

Though they don't name any fabrics specifically other than silk, they do list wood and wicker. Cotton canvas is made from plant fibers as are found in wood and wicker (hemp, flax and/or cotton).

Preserve It is designed to "guard against moisture and UV fading ... [It's] ideal for protecting digital photos ... and more." That is to say, the purpose of the product is to protect the image, regardless of what it is applied to (with very few exceptions)

If you still are reticent to try it on the photo, do a test piece. That's always a good idea anyway when trying new media or technique. Take a scrap of canvas paper, scribble something with colored ink, let dry and spray away.