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Decoupage.

Decoupage for beginners...

Literally means to cut out. At its most basic all decoupage consists of is cutting a picture or design out of a book or magazine and sticking it onto a chosen surface. The surface can be anything that you choose; ceilings,walls,door panels, a mirror, teapots, plates or any crockery, wardrobe, chest of drawers, a tray, a wastepaper basket, a hairbrush, even a book cover, anything which you think might be suitable for the decoupage treatment.
Odd wallpaper rolls are a good source of material especially flowery and exotic patterns.
Designs can be scanned from old books and printed out repeatedly in different colours or colored in by hand.
Magazines, old books and advertising and travel brochures.
Mail order catalogues are a good source of colorful shiny images.
Don't forget photographs, they can add a personal touch to childrens bedrooms etc.
Images can also be scanned into a photocopier; useful if you want to color them yourself.
Remember that paper can discolor easily so protect your cut-outs with a coat of varnish especially where they might get wet.
Collage is decoupage at its most extreme. That is, the complete surface, wall or ceiling or door, is entirely covered with cuttings. They are often a mixture of pictures and text. An eye-catching effect can be achieved by allowing the collage to fade before adding striking new highly-colored images. Then applying the protective varnish.
When cutting out it is unecessary to follow every intricate detail if you are sticking it onto a wall you have painted. Merely touch up around the image with your wall color.

Beginners decoupage.

Basic equipment and materials:
Small scissors
Pencil
PVA glue
Water
Acrylic varnish
Sponge
Artists brush
Paint and paint brushes if you are doing the background color.