I am so excited to share that you can make your own crackle finish with Elmer’s Glue. Yes, you heard me right.! I had no idea you could achieve this crackle look with glue! It was the perfect way to turn my paper mache skull into a spooky Halloween decoration!
Supplies for DIY crackle finish
Elmer’s Glue-All (this one in particular worked best for me), acrylic paint for base coat (color you want to show through) and a different color for top coat, paint brush and something you want to paint.
How to make a crackle paint finish
First give your object a base coat of acrylic paint. Allow paint to completely dry.
Paint a layer of Elmer’s Glue-All over base coat. Allow glue to dry for about 5 minutes. It really shouldn’t be any longer than that. The glue needs to be tacky. This is important.
Paint over the tacky glue with acrylic paint. Go in long strokes trying not to go over areas that have already been painted. The paint will start to crackle in minutes.
As the paint dries it will crackle all over…….
..and you will have a spooky skull!
Can you imagine the possibilities? This technique works on a variety of surfaces from picture frames to glass jars!
I am a proud member of the 2014 Elmer’s Craft it Crew. A big thank you Elmer’s for sponsoring this tutorial and helping me to provide content here. I only endorse products and brands that I believe in 100% and use in my day to day life! Elmer’s is one of those brands!
I used to work as a painter in a professional theater and we used this technique all the time. I once painted six 8ft tall church windows just like this for the wold premiere of “Memphis” (which happened to win a Tony for best show a few years later). So this technique can work on small scale projects AND big ones!
I love the crackle effect. I buy the medium to get this effect on my projects. I was thinking about doing a large piece and was not looking forward to how much of the medium I’d have to buy. I’m excited to give the Elmer’s glue method a try.