Collage & Mixed Media Art

Edgar Allan Poe Shrine

The Edgar Allan Poe Art Shrine is one of my favorite assemblages.

The elements include a raven printed on muslin, in three sections.

I found him in a Dover book, and added color in PhotoShop (Image-> Adjust-> Saturation).

Then, I printed him on iron-on tee shirt transfer paper that worked with inkjet printers. (This was back in 2009.)

I repeated the design several times on the paper, and then ironed the raven onto plain muslin, which I later cut to size. The edges were treated with Fray Check, a Dritz sewing product that prevents unravelling.

Black feathers and dried Black Malva flowers, plus dried wild rose petals, accent these compartments.

The portrait in the gold oval frame is Virginia, Poe’s great love.

I found her portrait in an old biography of Edgar Allan Poe, and copied it.

I printed it with sepia brown ink, on my inkjet printer.

The frame is a dollhouse decor frame.

In front of her rest dried wild rose petals, gathered at the seashore. I usually collect them at the park at Cape Neddick “Nubble” Lighthouse, in York, Maine, just over the border from New Hampshire.

(More info about “the Nubble” – Cape Neddick Lighthouse [offsite link]).

A leaf of dried sage is to the right of the portrait. Traditionally, in addition to sage’s popularity in cooking – it’s used in turkey stuffing/dressing – it also signifies healing. It’s also supposed to be an aphrodisiac.

According to Poe’s biography, he never recovered from the death of his wife. So, the healing quality of sage is most appropriate.

In the section to the right of her, there is a skull which was hand-carved from a deer’s antler. I found it at a flea market in Hollis, NH.

That dealer sells all kinds of weird and wonderful antique and reproduction beads and trinkets. He had only a few of these, and while it felt creepy buying one, it also seemed the right kind of creepy for this shrine.

In front of the skull are brass-colored metal candlesticks and dollhouse candles (probably plastic). I really like including dollhouse items in my shrines, especially if they look reasonably accurate. They can be pricey, but I find the best deals at crafts supply shops; these came from A.C. Moore in Nashua, NH.

In the center section, the lines of poetry are from The Raven.

The scan quality isn’t very good in this copy, so here’s what the lines say:

Then, upon the velvet sinking
I betook myself to linking,
Fancy unto fancy, thinking
What this ominous bird of yore
Meant in croaking, “Nevermore.”

Next, a golden and teal-colored pillar represents Poe’s famous Fall of the House of Usher.

In the bottom row, the center image shows a photo of Poe, taken from his biography. I’ve modified this so it looks somewhat pointillist, and a little eerie.

At the far right is a limbless china doll’s body. I’m not certain why I included it, but it adds to the Gothic sensibility of the piece. It also came from the flea market in Hollis, NH.

The outside of the wooden shrine was painted black. On the back, I glued a title card and signed the piece.

The shrine is about 8 3/4 inches wide, and about 10 1/4 inches tall. It was completed in late September 2000, and immediately purchased by a happy collector.

Making a Matchbox Shrine (Tammy Faye shrine and more)

Art should always be fun, and perhaps a little flippant. Here’s one way to make an art shrine using a small, empty matchbox… the kind you’ll find at a dollar (or £) store.

Shrine to the goddess of mascara,
Tammy Faye Bakker Messner

Tammy Faye Bakker Messner (March 7, 1942 – July 20, 2007) remains an icon today as she was during her brief time with us.

Her continuing optimism was a beacon for all of us. Her sincerity was almost as remarkable as her mascara — or were those false eyelashes…or both?

When I began working with art shrines, I had to make at least one shrine to her.

When I had reason to create sample “pocket shrines,” it was clear that one had to be to Tammy Faye. Few women have achieved such distinction in modern society. She was a legend in her own time, and success never spoiled her.

Inside the shrine, I’ve posted one of my favorite quotes from Tammy: “I’m just a small-town girl at heart.” (How could anyone not fall in love with someone that sweet and naive?)

The Supplies

The box is a plain matchbox, bought at a scrapbooking store in Massachusetts.

You can buy blank matchboxes at Amazon.com, usually in bulk. Also, discount stores and smoke shops often carry inexpensive (full) matchboxes. Empty them and cover them with art. (I suggest trying one or two of these art projects before buying 50-or-so blank matchboxes.)

I lined the matchbox with a glitzy, iridescent pink fabric that I bought at the local JoAnn Fabrics.

The beads that spell dear Tammy’s name can be found at Amazon.com, and the little star bead was from a bead shop in Harvard Square (Cambridge, MA).

The photos of Tammy are from several websites. Use any search engine to find “photos of Tammy Faye Bakker.” If any are too small, you can use a service like MidJourney’s Upscaler, to produce a crisp, clear, larger photo.

The outside of the matchbox is covered with a thin foil, which I got from Gayle Page-Robak.

My Art Shrine Process

To start, I cut out a photo of Tammy to feature her remarkable blue eyes.

The eyelashes are false, bought for $2.74 at WalMart. They’re the closest that I could find, to the “official” false eyelashes given to lucky members of the audience at the premiere of “The Eyes of Tammy Faye.”

(I have since acquired two sets of the official false eyelashes from the movie premiere. However, you can probably find similar eyelashes at any dollar store.)

I glued the eyelashes, beads and fabric in place with Perfect Paper Adhesive. Everything else was glued with Rollataq, but any paper adhesive could work fine.

(Now, I use Yes! Paste, the far better adhesive I prefer for all of my collage art. It’s pricey, but lasts forever, is repositionable for a while, and nothing puckers or buckles. Big thanks to Nancy and Milan for recommending it!)

Here’s another matchbox shrine, simply called “Create!” It was inspired by a visit to an antiquities museum in London (England).

If you have any questions about making these kinds of art shrines, leave a comment. I’ll answer as helpfully as I can!

[P.S. I’ve been enormously flattered by the many requests for the Tammy shrine, but it’s not for sale.]

Prosperity Pocket Shrine

This is one of my workshop samples. It’s a pocket shrine in an embellished matchbox.

When I made this, I was inspired by a visit to the China pavilion at EPCOT’s World Showcase, in Orlando, Florida.

The left photo shows the outside of the shrine, and the right photo shows the matchbox, opened.

For this shrine, I used a plain matchbox that I’d covered with pieces of a Chinese newspaper.

I glued the hare (rabbit) sticker (from a swap) to the outside of the box, partly because I was born in the year of the hare. Then, I added the word “Prosperity,” since—in Chinese culture—the hare is a sign of longevity, peace, and prosperity. I like that idea.

Also, I cut the outside (the cardboard case) of the matchbox so that it would serve as a “door” to the shrine. It opens and closes, making the shrine interactive.

If you’re going to do something similar, I recommend gluing the case to the matchbox. For this shrine, I attached the case with a small amount of hot glue. So far, it’s held up well.

Inside the shrine—and for fun—I used decorated origami papers and other items that seemed to fit the theme.

Prosperity pocket shrine - inside — Inside the Prosperity pocket shrine, with the “doors” open on either side.

Elements in this shrine include:

a gold paper notary seal
the Chinese symbol/word “prosperity” from a rubber stamp
a yin/yang symbol on a Chinese newspaper
and a small replica of a Chinese coin, held in place with hot glue.

You can learn more about making matchbook shrines at my how-to article, Tammy Faye Bakker Matchbox Shrine.

Also, if you’d like a peek at EPCOT’s China pavilion, here’s one of my videos for you to enjoy:

“Art and Alchemy” Pendant Shrine

I created this pendant shrine for a friend. The symbols in it were specific to her interests.

When I started this project, I knew that I wanted to make a pendant/shrine using a matchbox, a Premo-covered book, and hemp and glass beads strung together.

The results were fabulous!

Here’s how it looks from the outside. First, I created the little book to match the size of the matchbox cover. It has just a few pages inside.

The book was printed on paper, folded and bound with muslin, glued inside the covers, and then bound with hemp twine, which is also used for beaded strands.

The pendant was made from a matchbox covered with metallic purple Premo (polymer clay) with added gold leaf accents. The images on clay were applied from laser prints, with gin.

It’s been years since I made this, but I think I printed it backward on paper, turned it print side down on the baked Premo cover, and then soaked the paper with gin so the ink transferred.

Images included a classic “palm reader” hand image and then the words “art” and “alchemy” scaled to the size of the mini-book cover.

I glued the mini-book to the matchbox cover, which I’d painted with a matching metallic purple paint.

When it was dry, I sealed the surface with a clear acrylic spray.

Above, the photo shows the outside of the art shrine/pendant. The book cover opens to a small book

Above, you can see that the inside of the matchbox slides out, revealing the tiny art shrine inside.

The shrine was lined with black velvet fabric, glued in place with Perfect Paper Adhesive.

Inside the shrine, there is a tiny, metallic-looking photo image of an ancient Ishtar figure. (I think it was reduced from a photo in National Geographic magazine.) On either side of the figure, I placed two tiny, actual candles. (I used the smallest birthday candles that I could find, lit them for just a second so the wicks would be black, and then placed them in miniature candleholders made of Premo, as well.)

The beads are glass, or made from Premo and gold leaf, strung on thin hemp cord.

It was a successful gift for a good friend.

Otherworld Shrine and How It Was Made

This is a pocket shrine that I created for an art shrine exchange – an art swap – hosted by Patty Harrison in the UK, September 2000.

Artist’s statement:

This box represents the “other” world. It’s the fantasy land of the faeries. In legends, it’s a world similar to ours but also different.

The black sky represents the darkness people travel through to reach this land. The flowers (painted, and dried, natural flowers) are part of the dazzling beauty of this fairy world.

The dangling opalescent star is what gives the shrine movement and life. The small bit of quartz crystal in each box represents “magic” in everyday life, which we add in our own, unique ways.

How each one was created

Preparing the container

I started with small wooden boxes, purchased at the local fabric store, JoAnn Fabrics. They’re each about four inches tall and have a removable lid with a star cut in it. (You could probably use one like this, at Amazon.com.)

I stained the outside of each box light oak and added color stains using a stencil that I’d cut into a classic star shape.

The inside of the lid is painted with gold. Inside the box, I used a moss green shade of Lumiere paint. The back of the box is lined with black plush velvet, which I glued to and wrapped around a cardboard base, before gluing it in place with Aleene’s Tacky Glue.

Then I drilled holes in the sides of the box, inserted part of a bamboo skewer (from barbecue supplies) and painted it black, so it’s sort of like a rod in a closet.

The shrine elements

In the very back, I used a moon-and-black-bird image that I’d created for one of my history websites. The bird represents the Morrighan, of Irish mythological history. She is one of the Tuatha De Danann, also called fairies.

Next, I drew a dolmen and painted it with watercolor. Both this and the moon/bird images were scanned a printed on shiny photographic paper, which I trimmed neatly before gluing the images in place on the velvet.

The flowers and elements of the green world were drawn with a zero-point Rapidograph (any fine-point, waterproof pen—like a Sharpie—will work fine). Then, I painted it with Dr. Ph. Martin’s concentrated watercolors. I scanned the art and printed it in full color on heavy matte paper.

These pieces (two per shrine) were glued, diorama-style, using tabs I’d left on the sides of the art when I trimmed it.

Next, I trimmed and glued bits of moss and dried natural flowers in the shrines. I used Aleene’s Tacky Glue for this.

Then, I added one small quartz crystal in each shrine, slightly hidden in the greenery.

Finally, I suspended an opalescent star bead from the “closet rod” in the box, using black thread. I glued one opalescent glitter star to the “closet rod”, and one directly to the black velvet background.

(In this photo, the black rod conceals the topmost edge of the moon. The rod is visible in the real shrines but does not generally obscure any of the images.)

Completing the shrines

The outside of the box was highlighted with gold and varnished using a glossy polyurethane finish.

Each of the four shrines sent to this exchange contained a small plastic bag. In it, there was a quartz stone with a hole in it, strung on a purple satin ribbon. (In fairy lore, if you look through a stone with a hole in it, you may be able to view the faerie world. Since childhood, I’ve loved that kind of fantasy.)

I made a total of eleven of these shrines.

Four went to the exchange, three were kept in our family, and three were sent to “four creative somethings*” subscribers who requested them.

The remaining one was sold to a collector at Artfest 2001.

*”Four creative somethings” was a four-part subscription to small pieces of art, sent at random to people who signed up. That art subscription is no longer available.

The Pringles Lid Superman Shrine – Step by Step

You can make a small shrine using a Pringle’s potato chip lid. Here are some general instructions to create the base for the shrine.

It was created using very small artwork—some of it original—and a Pringle’s potato chip lid. You know, one of those clear plastic snap-on lids that allows you to reseal the container.

First, I washed it with dishwashing liquid to remove all grease from it. Then, I cut a notch in each side, so it could fold.

But, even if I scored it along the fold line, the lid wouldn’t stay folded at a right angle.

Plastic—such as this potato chip lid—has a “memory,” which means that it likes to return to the same shape it was made into at the factory.

In this case, the Pringle’s lid wants to snap back into a flat position. For the shrine to look right, it must be fastened at a 90-degree right angle.

My solution was to use my Fiskars 1/16″ punch.

I put four holes in the rim of the Pringle’s lid: two on the upright part of the shrine (one hole on each side) and two on the flat part of the shrine (also in the rim, one hole on each side, right and left).

Then, I used embroidery floss and an embroidery needle. I knotted the thread as if I were sewing and pushed the needle and thread through the hole on the bottom/flat side of the shrine. (The hole is actually in the rim, but it’s on the half of the lid/shrine that rests on the table.)

I sewed this from the inside so the knot is hidden under the rim of the lid.

Then, I put the needle and thread through the corresponding hole on the top/upright side of the shrine. It’s less important whether you go from the inside out or vice versa.

Either way, I went through the hole twice, knotted the thread, and left a good tail on it when I cut it.

Then I put a dab of glue (Perfect Paper Adhesive, but white glue will probably work fine) on the tail of the thread, and tucked it inside the rim of the lid/shrine.

I repeated this process on the other side of the shrine.

I know… this may be impossible to understand without a bazillion diagrams.

If none of this makes sense to you, experiment. You’ll probably come up with an even better design!

Here’s how the finished Superman shrine was displayed in our home. The pocket shrine is near the lower left corner of the photo.

Superman pocket shrine displayed in our home. — The pocket shrine is near the lower left corner of the photo.

Art and Science of Pocket Shrines

Let’s say you want to make an art shrine.

Perhaps you want a pocket shrine to display on your desk or dashboard, or carry with you in your backpack or computer bag.

You could give it to a friend as a gift or make several pocket shrines for an art swap.

First, you’ll probably start with an idea.

Well, maybe.

It’s where most people begin. You know, “Oh, I MUST make a shrine to chocolate!” Or Elvis, Barbie, the Banana Splits, Harry Potter, or even the Planet Melmac. (There are many more zany ideas at sites like Fandom.)

However, where you should start—but of course, many of us never do what we should (LOL)—is with the container.

Since this will be a “pocket shrine,” of course the container should be small.

Select the Container

A dashboard shrine may fit nicely in a Pringles lid, which is what I used for the Superman shrine in the photo above.

Something for your pocket might go better in a matchbox, a small jar lid, or some other kind of packaging you were about to discard.

The point is, the container determines everything. Unless you want to collect images and then scan them (or color photocopy them) down to size, start with the container. You’ll be glad you did.

The Three Cs

Containers should meet the “three Cs” requirements: Cheap, Clean, and Compact. Charming is optional, kitschy is a plus.

Select a container. I highly recommend glancing in your trash or plastic recycling bin, to see what you’ve discarded recently.

Cleaned, any one of those items might be perfect.

Next, choose a theme

Your theme can be absolutely anything. Select a person, place, idea, event or holiday. I’ve already listed a few, but don’t stop there! Movie idols, personal obsessions, fetishes, and weird/quirky stuff are what we’re looking for.

Serious topics? Why not? Draw on your spirituality, or history, or your dreams.

But find a theme anyway. Maybe it starts with a toy you bought at random from the 25-cent dispensers at the door of the grocery store. Or the fortune card you received at the penny arcade.

Maybe it’s about spike heels, condoms, bubble bath, the Trix rabbit, or Elmo… or a scary combination of some of these!

The thing is, you need a fairly clear vision/theme. You can adjust it as you find trinkets and images for your shrine, so don’t get totally locked into one idea.

Gather shrine elements

It’s time to collect bits and pieces for your shrine. You already know the size you’ll need—something that will fit inside your container.

There are several elements to consider when constructing a shrine. Color… either lots of colors, or a single theme, such as Elvis and the color blue, referencing My Blue Heaven, Blue Suede Shoes, and “…a blue Christmas without you.”

Also, think in terms of dimension. Flat shrines are fine. No problem.

But, you can raise some elements above others, with foam tape or little blocks or something. Or go full three-dimensional, if you like.

Think about texture, too. You can improve interest in the shrine by using fabric to cover it, or to line it. Satin is an obvious choice. If you want to add something zany like mini-fringe or pom-poms for trim…excellent! (Dollhouse supply shops offer some wonderful trims.)

Of course, images are best if they’re the right size to start with.

If they’re not, you can digitally reduce any image to the right size and then print it. (If you’re not sure how to do that, take the original images to a print shop or copy center. They’ll help you.)

Online, I like free photo resources such as Pexels.com.

Your local public library may have some fabulous books to scan for images, and for inspiration, too.

(Keep copyright issues in mind, especially if you plan to sell your shrines. Above all, do NOT use copies of Disney images; even if your Disney images are legitimate originals, some sites like Etsy may balk at listing your art.)

Next, once you have your bits & pieces, you’ve reached the assembling phase.

Complete your shrine

The first issue is glue: Even “permanent” glue sticks dry in high heat and/or low humidity. The pieces fall off. Yep, done that… please don’t make that mistake!

Another poor choice is rubber cement. It can yellow and/or turn paper translucent as the years progress. One brand claims to be archival, sort of. Read the label, and decide for yourself.

I favor hot glue for the assemblage (3D) pieces, plusa Yes! Paste, or whatever you like for collage/assemblage work.

(Once I tried Yes! Paste, I never went back to any other paper collage adhesive. Yes! Paste is pricey, but the jar will last nearly forever, and it does everything we want when we’re working on collage.)

Mostly, be prepared to change your mind about what goes where. (At least for several minutes, Yes! Paste is repositionable. That’s important.)

Even if it means cutting up the collage elements to rearrange them, it’s important to feel “in flow” with your art… not stuck, staring at a problem you inadvertently created.

Keep going, placing items on whim. Don’t get too logical about it. If you get one of those “this area needs something” nudges, find something to put there.

(One of my rules in art is: If your eye lingers too long on one area, either that area needs something more, or its counterpart in the image needs something more. In other words, if your eye keeps getting drawn to the lower right corner, either try putting something extra there, or put something in the upper left corner to balance it.)

Keep going until you lean back and smile as you think, “I like this!”

All done? Congratulations! It’s time to display your work. Dashboards are good, as are office desks, snack room tables, kitchen windowsills, and so on.

(If the shrine is small and/or flat-ish, you can also put a pinback on it and wear it, too.)

Sure, you can tuck your shrine in your pocket or purse, but please—take it out regularly and enjoy it!

Pocket shrines are made to display, show off, and flaunt.

Here’s how my Superman pocket shrine was displayed in our home. (It’s at the lower left corner of the photo.)

Pocket shrines are FUN! Enjoy!

Elvis Matchbook Shrine

You can never have too many Elvises!

I made this shrine from images I scanned from a deck of Elvis playing cards, plus some glittery wrapping paper, a plain matchbook, and a few phrases related to the King of Rock ‘n’ Roll. (The image above is from around 2001, so the quality isn’t as good as I’d like.)

The “matches” are three layers deep. I folded a couple of them over so you can see the layers. A thin bead of hot glue holds them in place at the bottom.

(The glue is inside where the matchbook folds over to hold them. That’s where the striking area is on some matchbooks. On my matchbook shrine, there is no staple.)

Instructions

Although you can make an Elvis shrine, there are many other themes suited to matchbook shrines. For example, you could create a shrine to orchids, or to sunglasses, or to Godzilla.

These how-to tips apply to any kind of matchbook shrine.

Collect graphics to use or as inspiration

If you don’t have images that are ready to use, you can ask any search engine for help. (AI may be useful, too.) For an Elvis shrine, you might try results from a “photos of Elvis Presley” search.

However, if you plan to sell your matchbook shrine, keep copyright laws in mind. That’s especially true if you’re planning to sell them at sites like Etsy.

Adding original graphics

When you plan your “match” images, ¼ inch wide is good. Allow lots of white space beneath. Distorting the image can look a little weird. If your matchbook shrine is humorous, like my Elvis shrine, you can stretch the image to fit a pretend match.

Desaturating the image (in a graphics program) allows the graphics to match (so to speak) the widest possible range of background/collage colors.

Cutting

Cut the collage elements bigger than you need, then trim carefully when you’re working with teensy stuff.

Scallop the “match heads” first, then cut between the matches almost to the bottom of the set of matches. Leave about ¼ to ½ inch at the bottom, where the matches will be covered by the fold-up part of the matchbook. The matches will be hot glued in place, inside that fold.

Also, when you trim them, leave a bit of “breathing space” around the top of each match.

Assembling

If you’re covering a matchbook, put the adhesive on the matchbook, then stick a too-large piece of paper/fabric to it.

After the adhesive dries, trim the paper or fabric you’ve used as the cover.

A thin bead of hot glue along the bottom edge is best for holding the matches in place. It will blob up, so use just a little.

Embellishments

You can add almost anything that will fit the matchbook, from beads to glitter to ribbons or fabric, and so on.

Continue ’til it’s done!

Your matchbook shrine can be as simple or complex, and as plain or ornate as you like.

Pause if you’re not sure whether it’s done. You can always add more elements later.

Even if you went too far, you can probably remove the excess elements.

At some point, you’ll have that “Yes, it’s finished” feeling, and be ready to show your matchbook art shrine to others.

Let me know if you have any questions. I’m always eager to be helpful!

‘Create’ Pocket Shrine (winged)

You can create wonderful, pocket-sized art shrines by combining tags with other art elements.

I’d already worked with many traditional matchbox shrines. This time, I wanted to deconstruct a matchbox – and add it to a tag – to see what I could do with it.

I had in mind a theme that was magical and whimsical, perhaps referencing the fairy world.

The results were okay. In fact, when I first made this and displayed it at Artfest 2002, it was considered almost radical.

Today, in late 2024, it seems a bit simplistic, but I think the concepts are worth sharing with you. You’ll no doubt take this idea further.

Here’s what I did.

I started by cutting the matchbox – the actual inside box – into pieces.

After refolding the new top side of that little box, and gluing it together, I lined the reconstructed box with origami paper.

Then, I attached a miniature Tarot card and a small iridescent bead like a crystal ball.

On the outside of the matchbox, I glued a bit of gold ribbon and some more origami paper, and I added my “signature” antennae with gold-colored wire and beads. (I’d been using wings and ornate antennae starting in the late 1990s.)

Next, I glued the matchbox to a pair of stamped wings, reinforced with wire so they bowed like real wings.

(I use this winged stamp often. It’s from Stampers Anonymous.)

Then I attached this whole thing to a small tag, stamped with the word “CREATE.”

Finally, I added beads to the tag string, and glued a miniature Artfest 2001 logo to the back of the tag.

Looking at it now, late in 2024, almost every aspect is a lot simpler than art shrines I’m making now.

However, the basic concepts remain the same, so I’m sharing this with you, hoping you’ll explore matchbox shrines, too!

Layering Paint and Polyurethane for Rich Depth

After draping your art shrine or assemblage with plaster and gauze, you can achieve astonishing results by layering paint and polyurethane.

These photos show just a few of my experiments with this technique.

It’s best to read this entire page before shopping for paint, polyurethane, and related supplies. You may get some great, unique ideas as you read…

	Start with a surface that you’ve prepared by adding texture with plaster and gauze.The surface should be painted with at least one coat of gesso so that it doesn’t absorb so much paint. You’ll also need a paintbrush of some kind (foam is okay) and paint. I’m using mostly Brera acrylic paints, an Italian line from Maimeri (pronounced “my-MERR-y”), in my art. You’ll also need polyurethane with a glossy finish.
	1. If you need to paint a dark background, do that first, avoiding the raised areas that will be covered with gold. You can mask the areas that will remain unpainted, by covering them with easily-removed masking tape, if you like. I rarely use this, and prefer to apply the background paint carefully.Generally, I mix two or three colors on the brush as I paint, to give the surface a greater sense of depth. If I want the shrine to be very dark and mysterious looking, as in the three illustrations above, I’ll paint the raised areas as well as the background. In this demo, I’m using Brera Violet #443, Brera Phthalo Blue #378, and Winsor & Newton Finity in Permanent Rose. I’m leaving the raised areas white, so the gold will be especially light, too.
	2. When the background is fully dry, paint gold onto the raised areas. It’s okay to be a little sloppy. You can use one regular layer or a couple of thin layers of paint, depending upon what works best for you. In humid climates, two thin layers are usually best, allowing them to dry fully between coats.In this demonstration, I’m painting with Brera #142, Luster Gold acrylic paint. You can use any brand of interference-type gold for this, or even gold ink or a gold leaf type of paint. When wet, the paint will look whitish and opaque. The white vanishes as it dries, leaving the surface translucent gold. If you painted the raised areas with a dark color first, you will definitely need two coats of the gold paint over it, to get a “real” gold look.
	3. When the gold has dried, apply a very moist layer of paint in the color of your choice. Generally, you’ll use the same colors as your background. Press the paint into the holes in the gauze and the depressed areas in the texturing.If you’re covering a large area, paint some of it and wipe off the paint (see step 4), then paint another area of the surface, and wipe the paint off, and so on. In the photo, the lower left corner has been painted, the upper right has been painted & wiped, the and rest is still gold, waiting for paint. If you were sloppy with your gold, also paint over the areas that were highlighted. Let the paint dry for just a minute or two. (I used Cobalt Blue for this layer.)
	4. Using a paper towel or soft rag, gently wipe some of the fresh paint off, leaving some of it behind, especially in the depressed areas. Then, let the paint dry fully.In this photo, you can see how the paint remains in the tiny holes of the gauze, and in the depressed areas of the shrine.
	5. Paint with a high-gloss polyurethane. Acrylic polyurethane is not as shiny, but it dries faster and without toxic fumes. Regular polyurethane must be used with good ventilation, takes at least four hours to dry, requires turpentine or paint thinner for cleanup, and can yellow slightly with time.I use the paint-on kind of polyurethane, with a foam brush. However, you can use spray polyurethane in a well-ventilated area. Several light layers are better than one thicker layer. Important: Let each side dry flat before turning the shrine to polyurethane another side of it.
	6. When the polyurethane has dried, repeat steps 3 and 4, using another color of paint in the same and/or different areas on the surface.(Don’t cover the whole thing again. I like to paint areas no larger than one inch squares, and sometimes just 1/2 inch streaks.) Add up to four layers of paint (use polyurethane after adding two colors, for maximum depth). If you add more than four layers of additional colors, it can look gaudy or muddy. (But, if you make a mistake, you can generally scrub down to the last polyurethane layer, and try again.) If you want a “golder” look–and I usually do–highlight just the peaks of the texturing with gold. Press small pieces of gold or other leafing into the almost-dry paint, if you like. Add one or two coats of polyurethane after the final layer of paint. Additional layers can add to the ‘dichroic glass’ illusion.

Optional: When you paint the raised areas with gold, you might try painting the entire surface of the piece with a thin coat of Luster Gold or an interference gold. This paint is generally translucent.

In the photo on the left, the light is shining directly on the box. To the right, I’ve tilted the box slightly so that light penetrates the gold paint, and you can see the color beneath it.

Remember that, although these effects look like metal, they’re still based on plaster and gauze. So, the surface can be brittle if dropped or chipped.

The more you coat it with polyurethane, the better your protection.

However, it’s best to treat these objects as fragile.

They’re lovely to look at!