Lantern Making
Adhere the napkin to the varnish tearing to create a seam so that there’s not too much overlap. Any overlap will show as a darker area. Firmly press the napkin into the varnish and then brush varnish all over the entire surface ON TOP…carefully as the napkin will tend to tear. Repeat as needed, bubbles tend to form as the napkin expands. This is where your brush becomes important. It needs to be a flat synthetic that’s flexible enough to press down the napkin without tearing it.
Select your background using about half a napkin. The upper edge should be torn. Using your tea pin make sure you have only one layer of the three ply napkin. In the very corner of the napkin you can insert your tee pin in between the layers and then free up the corner enough to be able to pull back just a single layer of napkin. Napkins are two ply or three ply… Don’t be fooled! Make sure you’re using only one layer.
Tools: T pins, acrylic matte varnish, scissors, a very flexible flat synthetic brush, and a variety of napkins. Small container for varnish. Clear glass vase. The brush is probably your most important tool here. A cheap brush is fine, it needs to be a flat flexible synthetic as the brush is used for pressing the napkin down when you do the second coat of varnish on top of the napkin once it is adhered.
Small inexpensive warm LED lights from the dollar store; 20 lights on a strand with a six hour timer.
Q