Deco foil - Spruce up your paintings

I'm very fond of things that glitters, a bit like a magpie! Glitter is not always suitable for your art, but sometimes it can lift a slightly dull painting! In the past, I often used sheets of gold, but it was terribly messy and very fragile to use. So I was really happy when I found this product, which is a little thicker and very durable. It does not break when you pull it and it is generally very easy to handle.

Deco foil and the glue you need for this can be found at several hobby shops online. For the glue you can choose between deco adhesive pen and deco foil liquid adhesive depending on whether you want to use a glue pen or liquid glue in a tube and would rather apply it with a sponge. If you search for these names online you will find the products.

I begin by cutting out a few smaller sheets of foil since it becomes easier to handle in my experience. Remember to not use your best scissors, since cutting the foil can damage the sharpness of the scissors. You then have to shake the glue pen and dab on a "scrap paper" on the side until you see that the glue comes out. Then you just continue to "paint" with the glue where you want the glitter effects applied. You only need a very thin layer if you are going to make finer details. The pen usually comes with an extra pen tip in the package - save this in a safe place, they usually need to be replaced!

A suggestion is to angle the surface so that you can see where you put the glue, since the glue is transparent and can be difficult to see otherwise. If you dab with the pen, you will get a dot that looks like small drops of water. Only the imagination sets limits here, you can write text or make fine lines or dab a lot to get a "pool of gold" with a lot of gold feeling!

The deco foil glue pen is very special, because it never dries! The spots where you place the glue will remain sticky for a long time. Be careful and make sure not to place the glue more than in the places where you really want the foil. I usually apply the glue and wait about 5 minutes before applying the foil. When you place the foil you place it with the matt side down on the glue, and the shiny nice side should be upwards.

I have chosen gold-colored foil for this painting, but the foil comes in a number of different colors and multicolored versions are also available. If you want to have a finish on the surface there is also a special finish made for this purpose. However, it seems to hold very well without, but I have only tested one year yet so it is completely unscientific. ;)

You now press the foil against the glue, and you can press with your fingers or use a little soft paper / piece of cloth if you want to avoid scratching the foil. It is durable but can be scratched by nails or other sharp objects. I usually rub and press the foil quite hard against the glue (If you have dabbed nice little dots / dots, make sure to wait a few minutes before you put on the foil so the glue does not collapse when you put on the foil) It never dries completely but should also not be liquid as the area can accidentally spread out and then you will lose the sharp fine edges. Avoid getting glue on your fingers as you risk getting glue on the top when you press the foil.

Finally you pull off the foil, and you will see the effect immediately! If you fail to apply foil everywhere you can press the foil again and you can repeat this as long as you have foil left on the sheet you are working with. You can feel it easily with your fingers if it still feels sticky, in which case you press with the foil until the sticky is gone. If you are a beginner, start with a thin layer, and it is better to be able to apply more glue and foil than if you use too much to start with and end up with a sticky painting.

This is the final result! Here I actually put on a lot when I made both lines and dots to be able to show it clearly. It can be more tasteful with a smaller amount! It is very difficult to show glittery things in a photo but it can be seen a little bit better on video. In this video, I also show what it can look like with a different color of the foil on a dark surface and also some art prints that I re-worked in this way.

Video: Youtube link . Want to see more of what I do? Feel free to follow me on Instagram.

Final result, © Helena Henriksdotter