how to use Kroma Crackle
Kroma Crackle is a versatile product and can be used in several different ways to produce different effects.
Here are Step-by-Step instructions for Three Different Techniques.
basic technique
1. Apply a layer of acrylic colour to your surface and allow to dry -
this is the colour that will show in between the cracks.
2. Apply a layer of Kroma Crackle straight from the tube. Spread it around with a palette knife as if you were icing a cake. The layer should be at least 1mm thick - The thicker the layer the bigger the cracks. When completely dry, the crackle layer will be white. The drying time will depend on the thickness of the crackle layer. Within 24 hours cracks will have formed but complete drying of a thick layer may take longer.
3. To make a surface that is flexible and durable, a layer of clear acrylic medium should be applied as a sealer – this will make it possible to bend, cut, fold and handle your crackled surface so thatit can be used in all kinds of creative projects.
see how this technique works here:
tinted crackle technique
this technique teaches you how to tint your crackle with acrylic paint to make beautiful, coloured cracking patterns
1. Apply a layer of acrylic colour to your surface and allow to dry -
this is the colour that will show in between the cracks
2. Mix a small amount of acrylic paint with Kroma Crackle (up to 5% colour). Spread it around with a palette knife as if you were icing a cake. The layer should be at least 1mm thick - The thicker the layer the bigger the cracks. Allow to dry. The drying time will depend on the thickness of the crackle layer. Within 24 hours cracks will have formed but complete drying of a thick layer may take longer.
3. To make a surface that is flexible and durable, a layer of clear acrylic medium should be applied as a sealer – this will make it possible to bend, cut, fold and handle your crackled surface so thatit can be used in all kinds of creative projects.
see how this technique works here:
Michael DeMeng’s demented derma technique
Looking for a nice lizardesqe skin? Who isn’t? If you’re like me you might find yourself in a situation where you need a nice cold-blooded-critter skin as a surface. Look no further I have just the thing for you, using Kroma Crackle.
I followed all Kroma’s instructions and got some really amazing effects. The only problem was that I wanted to teach with it and it took a couple of days to get the effect. I knew this would be a problem for classes that were only one day long. Was there a way to may this process speed up? It was time to get out the mad scientist gear and experiment.
Experiment after experiment failed. I was pretty certain that I would not be able to get the instantaneous effect I sought…I was pretty certain…until….
I was working on a little shrine and set it on a gunked-up work surface to dry some acrylic paint with a heat gun. As I dried it I noticed that the surface below had a bit of wet Crackle medium on it. Then I was amazed. Before my very eyes the Crackle started to crack with the heat gun. This had never happened before, so the question was: What made the Crackle crack with a heat gun on this particular day, while every other instance failed in my tests? What in the world was different?
It seemed pretty obvious to me that the only thing it could be was something with the surface the Crackle was on.
I don’t have a CSI lab in my studio so I couldn’t test the molecular components of the work surface, but fortunately I remembered that a day earlier I spilt some Elmer’s Glue on this surface, which mixed with wet acrylic paint and then dried. This had to be what did it. I knew that there were some very, very simplistic crackle effects created by using white glue and acrylic, so my hypothesis was that this somehow expedited the Crackle medium.
Now I needed to reproduce the effect. I covered a surface with Elmer’s Glue then while it was still wet I added a tiny bit of acrylic paint (just enough to tint it). I then dried it with a head gun. Next I slathered a nice coating of Kroma Crackle on…not with a brush, but with fingers. Okay…now was the moment of truth. I took out the heat gun and sheepishly started to dry. At first, nothing. My heart sank. But then I noticed the Crackle turning bright white, and then: Eureka! Big crocodilian cracks! Not quite as delicate as the original Kroma recipe and much more complex as the Elmer’s/acrylic combo. A very unique reptilian texture…best yet it could be done in five minutes.
