These elegant placemats are the ideal addition to any dinner table. Create them for yourself or give them as a house-warming or Christmas gift.
Materials
Craftwood placemats (available from major craft outlets)
Jo Sonja’s Basecoat – Primrose
Black and White photocopies of floral designs from botanical prints or wrapping papers (or choose your own theme)
Jo Sonja’s Artist’s Acrylics: Pine Green, Yellow Oxide, Warm White and Burnt Umber
Jo Sonja’s All Purpose Sealer
Jo Sonja’s Satin Water-Based Varnish
Brushes: No 12 flat, No 2 round
Manicure or decoupage scissors
Craft knife and cutting mat
PVA glue
Roller/brayer
Chux cloth
Permanent black marking pens: fine point and thick point
Ruler
Sandpaper: fine grade and 120 Wet & Dry
Winsor & Newton Japan Gold Size
Liquid Gum Arabic
Jo Sonja’s Archival Oil: Burnt Umber
Mineral turpentine
Feast Watson Gloss and Satin Oil-based Varnish
Adhesive contact felt or suede (for the back of each mat)
Method
Mix Primrose basecoat and All-purpose Sealer 1:1 and paint placemats with three coats, using the No 12 flat brush, sanding lightly after the second coat. Allow the paint to dry overnight, then apply one coat of sealer.
Make the desired number of photocopies for your placemats. Tint your photocopies with colour wash as follows: paint leaves with diluted Pine Green, adding more intense colour on the shaded areas of the leaves. The stems are painted with Burnt Umber. Paint any flowers with Warm White mixed with a little Yellow Oxide. When the photocopies are thoroughly dry, seal the back and front of each with a coat of Sealer. Cut out the pictures using decoupage scissors and use the craft knife to cut out any enclosed areas.
Using a soft brush, apply slightly diluted PVA glue to the back of one picture and position the image on the placemat and smooth it over with the roller to remove any air bubbles. Finish by wiping the surface with a damp Chux cloth to remove excess surface glue. Repeat to attach all your pictures to the placemats and allow to dry overnight. Measure 0.5cm in from the edge of each placemat and rule a border line using the fine black marking pen. Use the thick pen to colour the edges of the mats.
Seal the entire surface of each mat with two coats of satin water-based varnish, and allow to dry thoroughly.
Paint the front of each mat with a coat of Japan Gold Size and allow to dry until it is just tacky (this will take anywhere between one and three hours, depending on weather conditions). Next, apply a layer of liquid gum arabic over the size. Allow to dry. After 30-60 minutes, cracks will begin to appear on the surface and the drying process can be speeded up by using a hairdryer set on low held about 10cm from the surface of the mat. Repeat for all the mats and allow to dry overnight.
To accentuate the cracks, rub a little Burnt Umber oil paint into the surface using a dry cloth, rubbing it in a circular motion. Use a clean cloth to wipe off the excess paint, and allow to dry overnight. Finish your mats with four coats of gloss oil-based varnish and for a satin finish, another two to three coats of satin oil-based varnish, with a light sand using 120 Wet & Dry sandpaper before the final coat. Apply contact felt or suede to the back of each mat for a protective finish.
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