HOW TO CRACKLE PAINT

There are many answers to your question of how to crackle paint. First you need to decide what sort of effect you want.

Are you looking to imitate old flaking paint? Do you want to coat a painting or surface with a delicate transparent crazing? Or maybe the look of old cracked wood interests you.

So let’s explore how to crackle paint by testing some of the mediums available on the market.

GOLDEN Crackle Paste

In this detail of a larger painting, we used Crackle Paste manufactured by GOLDEN.

This is a a very thick medium that goes on and remains opaque after drying.

It's been formulated so that as the medium dries it creates deep fissures and cracks.

It is not recommended that this medium be speed-dried. A thick application will require days to dry.

The heavier the application, the bigger the cracks. Applied thinly the medium cracks lightly or not at all.

It's best to use this product on a rigid surface because of the extreme shrinking that occurs. Priming the surface with a couple coats of Gesso is recommended to ensure good adhesion.

The crackle medium is absorbent which makes it ideal for applying washes of colors. We did many layers of washes and pours of thinned paint to create the example above. See how the cracks filled with color.

You can also tint this medium with GOLDEN Heavy Body and Fluid Acrylic paints up to 10% by volume.

You can also add Gel Medium which seems to increase the adhesion. A good addition if you want to use it on canvas. Again, no more than 10% addition by volume.

DecoArt Weathered Wood

This is a layered process. In essence the medium is sandwiched between coats of contrasting colored paints.

Here the background was painted Black and allowed to dry thoroughly. A heavy coat of Weathered Wood was applied and allowed to dry. And finally, a heavy coat of Buff paint was quickly brushed over the top.

Any over-working of the paint will undo the crackle effect. So lots of paint and work quickly. The cracks will appear almost instantly.

Frescolina by Selkirk Painting Co.

On this mini basket lid, Jodi applied a solid thin coat of the medium. To create the crackled effect, she used a hair dryer to force the cracks. Speed-drying does not compromise the stability of this medium.

Once dry, you can paint the Frescolina. Or you can pre-tint it with an acrylic based paint.

To showcase the cracks, a wash of Burnt Umber was applied. And when that dried she went ahead and painted the lovely butterfly on top.

Frescolina does adhere well to both rigid and flexible surfaces. It can be applied with a palette knife or brushed on.

There are more how to crackle paint tips coming soon. Feel free to contact us with your questions in the meantime.