How to age objects: all aging techniques. The Art of Deception: Real Geniuses and Geniuses Fake Paintings and Postcards with Aging Effect

Craquelures (crackles) are cracks in layers of paint on paintings. We suggest that you familiarize yourself with the sketches of a mosaic panel for the pool, the production of which you can order from us.

Initially, artists used various methods to avoid cracks in their works, but time took its toll, the paint dried and cracks appeared. The paintings were covered like a cobweb consisting of cracks and thus emphasized their ancient origins.

The addition of egg yolk as a binder in paint formulations partially prevented the paint layers from cracking.

Contemporary artists use the craquelure technique to artificially age their work. Today, pieces of furniture, ceramic dishes, wall panels, painting of walls of cafes and houses, frames of paintings and photographs are often cracked.

To protect the niches and entrances to the basement of your house, we recommend ordering the covering of pits made of cellular or monolithic polycarbonate from our company. We will manufacture and assemble metal structures according to your order.

Craquelure technique, artificial aging of modern painting

In modern painting, they have learned to artificially achieve the effect of aging.

To do this, they deliberately cause a crackling layer of paint on their works. Craquelure gives the work a certain charm and spirit of antiquity.

The craquelure technique (craquelure) provides for cracking by applying special craquelure varnishes to the surface of a paint layer. To highlight and emphasize the resulting cracks, patina compounds, oil paints, pastels, ink or gold powder are additionally rubbed into them.

The use of each of the materials for rubbing creates its own effect of imparting antiquity. The more a layer of craquelure varnish is applied to the surface of the painting, the larger and deeper the cracks will be in the future.

Craquelure obtained by artificial means always differs from cracks in the paint layer of a work created by time, and this quality distinguishes fakes from originals.

Application of various techniques of artificial aging crackle

For one-step and two-step craquelure (crackle) technique, respectively, one-component or two-component compositions of craquelure varnishes are used.

The use of various crackle techniques for the artificial aging of modern painting allows to give artistic works a touch of special originality and value.

Crackle techniques are somewhat different from each other in the composition of the used craquelure varnishes and the methods of applying it to the decorated object.

One-component craquelure varnish and one-step craquelure technique

After applying the background color to the surface to be decorated, let it dry completely. Next, a one-component craquelure varnish is applied, it is applied with simple movements and in one direction.

If the direction of movement is changed, then the cracks will acquire a chaotic order or they will be small and ugly.

When the surface of the varnish has dried, another layer of paint of the background color is applied to it. Wet paint begins to affect the dry layer of varnish and its surface begins to crack along with the top background layer.

The first background layer is also visible in the formed cracks.

Two-step technique of craquelure and two-component craquelure varnish

The difference between the two-step craquelure technique is that both the first and second components of the craquelure varnish are applied to the decorated surface of the painting itself.

When the varnish dries, transparent cracks are formed into which dark-colored paint is rubbed to give them visibility. For the subsequent strengthening of cracks, the surface is sealed with a transparent varnish intended for acrylic paints.

Applying a two-component craquelure varnish in layers of various thicknesses and changing the intensity of drying with a hairdryer, allows you to get cracks of the desired size and frequency.

The advantage of using a two-step craquelure is that it preserves the original image of the work, on the surface of which cracks also appear, which create the effect of antiquity.

Paintings can be a great way to decorate an interior. At the same time, they look very noble. There are many techniques to age a piece. Some of them require skill, and therefore try on some material, and then start processing the picture.

You will need

• -painting;
• -hot camera;
• -cold chamber;
• - varnish;
• -sandpaper;
• -tea brewing.

Instructions

Try to make sudden temperature changes. First put picture in a hot dry cabinet for 24 hours, and then soak it in a very low temperature cabinet for the same amount. Repeat the procedure several times until the paint cracks, then cover the painting with a patina effect varnish.

Another possible way is to rub some parts of the painting with sandpaper (with a fine grain) until cracks form, and in some places until the pattern is completely erased, and then cover the work with a varnish with a patina effect.

Get a craquelure finish. This varnish gives the effect of cracks on the surface of the painting. You will need a two-step craquelure, but don't apply it to the painting right away - try on other surfaces to get a feel for the material - it's moody enough. Then apply varnish on the picture only in those places where you want to add the effect of antiquity, do not cover the whole picture with such varnish, it will not look good.

If you paint yourself, you can get a good effect with a simple varnish. Cover a wet painting with it and the paint will crack.

The effect of an old painting can also be obtained from a reproduction printed on a sheet of paper. Soak the sheet, glue it to another surface, slightly collecting some parts of the picture (like folds). Rub some areas with sandpaper. Let the painting dry. Then cover it with a patina-effect varnish.

You can try to age the panel like this: rub the painting with tea leaves (just tea leaves, not a soaked bag), and then let the panel dry, then cover it with varnish.

Several varnishes with different bases can be used. Apply acrylic-based varnish to the painting and then oil-based varnish several times. Cracks form after drying.

of the past fascinate with their colors, play of light and shadow, the relevance of each accent, general condition, color. But what we see now in the galleries, which has survived to this day, is different from what the author's contemporaries saw. Oil painting tends to change over time, this is influenced by the selection of paints, the technique of execution, the finishing coat of the work and the storage conditions. This is not taking into account the small mistakes that a talented master could make while experimenting with new methods. For this reason, the impression of the paintings and the description of their appearance may differ over the years.

Old Master Technique

The technique of oil painting gives a huge advantage in the work: a picture can be painted for years, gradually modeling the shape and prescribing details with thin layers of paint (glazing). Therefore, corpus writing, where they immediately try to complete the picture, is not typical for the classical manner of working with oil. The thoughtful step-by-step of applying paints allows you to achieve amazing shades and effects, since each previous layer, when glazed, shines through the next.

The Flemish method, which Leonardo da Vinci loved so much to apply, consisted of the following stages:

• On a light ground, the drawing was written in one color, in sepia - the outline and the main shadows.
• Then a thin underpainting was made with sculpting of volume.
• The final stage was several glaze layers of reflexes and detailing.

But the dark brown copy of Leonardo over time, despite the thin layer, began to show through the colorful image, which led to a darkening of the picture in the shadows. In the base layer, he often used burnt umber, yellow ocher, Prussian blue, yellow cadmium and burnt sienna. His final paint application was so subtle that it was impossible to catch him. Self-developed sfumato method (shading) made it easy. Its secret lies in highly thinned paint and dry brushing.

Rubens, Velazquez and Titian worked in the Italian method. It is characterized by the following stages of work:

• Applying a colored primer to the canvas (with the addition of any pigment);
• Transferring the contour of the drawing to the ground with chalk or coal and fixing it with a suitable paint.
• The underpainting, in places dense, especially in the illuminated areas of the image, and in places completely absent - left the color of the ground.
• Final work in 1 or 2 steps with half-glaze, less often with thin glazes. In Rembrandt, the ball of the layers of the picture could reach a centimeter in thickness, but this is rather an exception.

In this technique, particular importance was given to the use of overlapping complementary colors, which made it possible to neutralize saturated soil in places. For example, a red soil could be leveled with a gray-green underpainting. The work in this technique was carried out faster than in the Flemish method, which pleased the customers more. But the wrong choice of the color of the primer and paints of the final layer could ruin the picture.

Coloring the picture

To achieve harmony in a painting, they use all the power of reflexes and complementarities of colors. There are also such little tricks as applying a colored primer, as is customary in the Italian method, or coating a painting with pigmented varnish.

Colored primers can be adhesive, emulsion and oil. The latter are a pasty layer of oil paint of the required color. If a white base gives a glow effect, then a dark one gives depth to the colors.

Rembrandt painted on dark gray ground, Bryullov - based on umber pigment, Ivanov tinted the canvases with yellow ocher, Rubens used pigments of English red and umber, Borovikovsky preferred gray ground for portraits, and Levitsky preferred gray-green. The darkening of the canvas awaited everyone who used earthen paints in excess (sienna, umber, dark ocher).

For those who make digital copies of paintings by great artists, this resource will be of interest, where artists' web palettes are presented.

Varnishing

In addition to earthy paints that darken over time, resin-based topcoats (rosin, copal, amber) also change the lightness of the picture, giving it yellow tints. To artificially impart antiquity to the canvas, ocher pigment or any other similar pigment is specially added to the varnish. But severe darkening is more likely to cause excess oil in the work. It can also lead to cracks. Although such the craquelure effect is more often associated with work on semi-wet paint, which is unacceptable for oil painting: they write only on a dried or still damp layer, otherwise it is necessary to scrape it off and write again.

In this catalog of the online store site you can find and buy many variations of paintings Aged. All of them are printed on custom canvas using environmentally friendly paints and materials. The latest printing technologies ensure high quality and durability of printed images.

You can buy paintings on canvas Old in Moscow, St. Petersburg and other cities of Russia, to which delivery is also carried out, in just a few clicks. To do this, you only need to place an order on our website. Our manager will contact you within 5 minutes to agree on the time and place of delivery.

Prices for Aged paintings start at 930 rubles and depend on the canvas size you choose and the style of image processing. Delivery time in Moscow and cities in which there are representative offices of our online store is from 3 days, to all other cities - from 7 days. Also, you can find discount coupons from our partners, by which you can buy a painting Aged with a discount of up to 30% ..

You will need

• - a piece of genuine leather;
• - sketch of the future product;
• - plywood brace, small nails and a hammer;
• - razor blade, press, hard brush and emery;
• - spray bottle and water;
• - medical and ammonia;
• - glycerin;
• - Castor oil;
• - cotton wool and rags;
• - varnish-crackle or paint for leather;
• - sponge and brush;
• - salt.
• - shoe polish;
• - old iron;
• - roasting cabinet;
• - wooden form;
• - marble powder.

Instructions

Think carefully about the appearance of the future product. Sometimes it is enough just to stretch the skin, stretch it well diagonally in different directions. Using sandpaper, you can make the finished product more or less frayed in certain places (for example, on the elbows or knees). For clarity, draw a network of decorative creases and cracks on paper, in some places you can even outline cuts.

To create an enhanced effect of the antiquity of the skin, you will have to pre-prepare it, make it softer and more pliable. Dampen the cut with water from a spray bottle, pull it over the plywood with nails and dry in the sun.

Rub castor oil or glycerin into the surface of the leather. After the material dries, wipe it with alcohol and begin kneading and making a thoughtful wrinkle pattern. Scratches can be made with a stiff brush and creases with a press. Work carefully and slowly, because the process of creating artificially aged leather is irreversible!

Wipe the aged material with clean water, dry rags and stretch dry again. While the pores of the canvas are slightly moistened, saturate them with castor oil and a little ammonia. After fatliquoring, the material should dry and can be removed from the plywood. Knead the skin again so that the fat penetrates well between the collagen fibers.

To style your leather item, you can use a special leather patina from a designer and artist store. Read the information on the packaging carefully and follow the instructions exactly. The composition of -crackle turns a new product into a cracked one, as if from time to time.

Try out leather dye with a patchy, bleached look. This can be achieved by rubbing the surface with a sponge, brush and sandpaper, or by combining different shades of paint.

Finally, use the leather aging method from a shoe maker. Take a piece of brown color and soak it in salted water (50 g per liter) for a day. After that, remove it from the container with the solution, let the liquid drain and wrap it with a soft cloth to dry. The surface of the linen should become slightly wet.

Lubricate the leather with shoe polish and iron at a temperature of 120 degrees, being careful not to burn the material. For these purposes, craftsmen specially keep an old iron on hand. When shoe polish stops sticking to your hands, remove the rest of the product with glycerin alcohol. You can make it yourself: mix glycerin and alcohol 2: 1 and heat the mixture a little in a water bath. As a result of your manipulations, the brown skin should turn black.

Stretch the dyed material onto the desired shape (for example, a piece of wood) and place it in the oven (120 degrees). When strong, remove the material and quickly dip it in a container of cold water. After two or three repeated procedures, the skin will be covered with intricate cracks, and a brown color will appear in the seams between them. For a scuffed effect, additionally treat the canvas with marble powder.

Helpful advice

The process of aging leather using various dyes and varnishes requires a certain skill. It is recommended to first test this or that tool on a small sample of the material, and only then proceed with the decorative processing of the rest of the canvas. Protect your hands from chemicals with rubber gloves and work in a well-ventilated area to avoid breathing harmful fumes.

Sources:

• How to age a leather jacket

Face aging is a highly complex retouching performed by highly qualified specialists. But Adobe Photoshop allows you to make an old face in a simple way, accessible even to beginners.

You will need

• Tools: Adobe Photoshop CS2 or higher

Instructions

Save the work result (Shift + Ctrl + S).

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