The first thing you need is a board. I went to Lowe's and bought a small board and then using the table saw, Glen cut out 4 11x14 boards. Then he flipped the board face down and lowered the saw blade so it would only cut a groove in the board. We measured from one side in about 2" and made our first groove. We did the same on the opposite side and then for the top and bottoms, we measured in 1 1/2". That made our center tile. Then on the side again, we went in 1" and made our second groove. For the Top and bottom, we went in 9/16".
You might be able to find pre-cut boards at a Craft store, but I think it's way cheaper cutting your own. It's more fun too because you can cut it anyway you want. I heard it's about $5 to buy them pre-cut, but it works out to be about 1$ if you cut it yourself.
Next thing you need is a picture. It can be from a calendar or one that you took with your camera etc. Cut your picture into pieces matching your board pattern and set aside. (When you put your cut out picture pieces together, it should match up like it did before you cut it. *some people get confused if they should cut a "groove" space in the picture. Don't do that or it won't look right.)
Next, go to a walmart or craft store and buy some acrylic paints (they're only 60 cents each!), some cheap sponge brushes and mini paint brushes (used for the grooves) and the yellow holey sponge. Then in the scrapbook section, get the permanant tape runner or a glue stick will do. (Don't use liquid glue, it will make your picture wrinkle and bubble.)
Make sure your board is free of dust and start painting the grooves and outer border. Make sure your first coat completely dries before you apply a second coat. (If the paint isn't fully dry, it will run and blead into your picture when you pour the poxy on.) You can use a hair dryer to speed up the process. I like to use a base color and then sponge on a gold or pearl. It gives it a marble look. :)
Once everything is dry, apply your glue stick or tape runner on ALL edges of the picture pieces. DONT MISS A SPOT! Any edge left unglued will allow poxy to seep in and make your picture bubble. Glue your picture to the board. If you are using a glue stick, I would wait a day just to be sure everything is dry. The tape roller is faster, no waiting involved.
Now that your board is painted and the picture is glued to it, you're ready to pour the poxy.
You can find Envirotex Lite at a craft store. This box I got was about $17 and is good for 4 11x14 pictures.
On a LEVEL surface with protective covering ( I use a giant garbage bag over my kitchen table)
place four plastic cups to hold your board.. Get two more cups and mark them equally to hold about 4 oz. of liquid. It's important you use equal amounts of the poxy or it won't set up. Mix the two together. Don't just stir it...you got to Whip it for no less than two minutes! Once whipped, pour immediately on your board and let it smooth out. Use your giant pop sickle stick to smooth it out. Don't scrap it off the board. What drips off the board can be put back on with the stick.
Once the board is covered, use your stick to clear the grooves. If you notice any lint that has fallen in it, use your tweezers to pick it out. You might notice a dip in your picture after removing lint. To fill it in, scrap up some that dripped off the picture and let a little drip drip in the dip to fill in. Let things settle a little more and continue clearing the grooves.
You will notice a million little bubbles on your picture. To clear them, use your straw to blow and gently pop the bubbles. They clear up fast. (Make sure your straw stays dry of moisture from your breath. If a bubble doesn't pop, it could be because it's not a bubble, but really saliva)
Now it's time to let it sit and every so often check on your picture and clear the grooves. It will thicken and get tacky in time and soon the grooves will stay clear. Once the grooves stay clear, you can place your frame on it and let the frame dry to the picture. Let is set overnight before attempting to move it.
Before hanging it on your wall, let is completely cure for two weeks laying flat. This is to avoid the poxy from sagging.
3 comments:
wow, this does look like a LOT of work (and a lot of work to post and explain too).... but I THANK YOU ten times over. I am so going to print this out and try it sometime and then when I do...I'll post about it and dedicate it to you! Thanks again!!
Good job explaining that. I would like to do that again--maybe when you come to visit. I think it'd be cool to do some wedding pictures like that. A friend of mine is going to take some formal pictures of us to add to his portfolio (to become a professional photographer) and I thought I want to use one of those too. I'm excited to make more. Now that I understand it I can plan it out a little better.
thank you so much for doing this!
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