Decoupage -a teeny bit of information on this artform

Heya ladies!!!
This is a looooong post with tons of information in the art form 

Please read ONLY if your interested in knowing more of the art from or if you're a bookworm ;) 

Now a days découpage is a much trending art form in India 
I was introduced to this art in mid 2000 but not the completely flat napkin decoupage.... What we used to do was 3dimentional paper layering decoupage...
 I hope you guys are having a good time making your découpage projects 

I was a bit bored so I googled around for some Découpage details

Here are some FAQ 's I came across so I was thinking to share with all you Découpeurs out there 

-What On The Surface Of This  Earth is Decoupage or Découpage ?

-Decoupage (or découpage) [pronounced Dey-kouh-pahzh or Dey-Kouh-pAaj ]
is the art of decorating an object by gluing colored paper cutouts onto it in combination with special paint effects, gold leaf and so on. Commonly an object like a small box or an item of furniture is covered by cutouts from magazines or from purpose-manufactured papers. Each layer is sealed with varnishes (often multiple coats) until the "stuck on" appearance disappears and the result looks like painting or inlay work. The traditional technique used 30 to 40 layers(woah!THAT'S A LOT!!) of varnish which were then sanded to a polished finish. 

*Ladies one coat is enough not an issue  .... But I would personally recommend atleast 2thin coats {completely dry the first coat after you even think of applying the next .... Then what? Sky's the limit ladies!! Carry on until you attain that perfect gloss you desire ;) }

I've personally seen dècoupage pieces in my last visit to my teachers place in Thailand her walls tables all things decoupage! Marvellous !!

Okay now next question

-What is it's origin??
-The origin of decoupage is thought to be East Siberian tomb art. Nomadic tribes used cut out felts to decorate the tombs of their deceased.(BUOY! We've got talented there ) From Siberia, the practice came to China, and by the 12th century, cut out paper was being used to decorate lanterns, windows, boxes and other objects(Smart people). In the 17th century, Italy, especially Venice, was at the forefront of trade with the Far East and it is generally thought that it is through these trade links that the cut out paper decorations made their way into Europe.(glad they had trade.... Atleast we got Découpage )
Artisans in Florence, Italy have produced decorative objects using decoupage techniques since the 18th century. They combined decoupage with other decorative techniques already popular in Florence, such as gilt (as far as I know gilt is something like gold leafing on uneven carved surfaces) and carved wood designs. 
Florentine artisans made use of decoupage by adding it to the space within a carved gilt frame, or by adding the decoupage to a wooden plaque. Artisans used pasted reproductions of famous artworks, nearly always religious depictions. Florentine triptychs using decoupage images of such Biblical scenes as the Crucifixion are a common motif. As society became more secular in the early 20th century, and non–Roman Catholic tourists began buying more crafts from Florentine artisans, decoupage images became less religious in orientation and more reflective of famous Italian artworks in general.

{I want to share how I was intoduced to napkin decoupage =) Thailand (Bangkok to be precise ) introduced me to this art ... It was like just another day in the bazaar walking around with super heavy bags with my mom when she (my mom ) said Sam woh dekh.... (Look at that shop) I was like kya? (What ?? where ?? ) she said Arey gheli udhar dekh .... (Look at that you idiot!!) ... Then what I saw was a shop with some cane bags with gorgeous floral prints. N ladies overcrowding that shop .... Pushed ourselves in and what we saw was baskets filled with paper napkins in every possible design ... Bottles of paints and glue kits .... Had a talk with the person who was handling the shop (imagine me not knowing thai and that humble lady with broken English ) I gestured with my eyebrows and pointed on one such bag like what is this? She told me the price *mega face palm!!

I asked again this time in words "What is this ?how to do?"

She pulled up a kit and explained verbally (paint -paint-gnue (glue) napkeein -cut deisignnnn -stick - seal ) 

Not that difficult I thought to my self but I asked her if she would teach me A big NO is what I got ....

Then I told her I'll go to my hotel n try ... If I'm stuck somewhere I'll come back tommorow .... She agreed .... Picked up an oval basket a kit n a few napkins  n we left the shop ...

Next? 

We went on a treasure hunt in that market with over à thousands of shop to search for some more decoupage supply shops

Found only 2 more .... They also refused to teach but I picked up their kits also so I could research n experiment as to which kit is the best :p 

Tried them out .... The first shop was perfect for further purchase ;) 

I tried making the basket ...

Turned out well :) 

Now when we went to bangkok again I found myself a teacher ^_^ 

In this manner I managed learning from four different teachers with good intervals this last time was the best I got to learn cool projects with my mom n sister :D }

cutting my story I want to continue with our question answer session :p

-WHAT ARE WE CALLED?

-Someone who does decoupage is known as a decoupeur, or rather "cutter".

(Yayyy! I finally found an artistic word for myself)

-ANY ONE FAMOUS FROM THIS FIELD OF ART?

-yes yes! I just found out 

Mary Delaney achieved unexpected fame at the age of 71 in the court of George III and Queen Charlotte of England thanks to the 18th century decoupage craze. Moving in the circle of Jonathan Swift and Sir Joseph Banks, and possibly taught art by William Hogarth, she was introduced to George III and Queen Charlotte by Margaret Bentinck, Duchess of Portland, and became a court favourite.

In 1771, she began to create cut out paper artworks (decoupage) as was the fashion for ladies of the court. Her works were exceptionally detailed and botanically accurate depictions of plants. She used tissue paper and hand colouration to produce these pieces.(WOW!) She created 1,700 of these works, calling them her "Paper Mosaiks [sic]", from the age of 71 to 88 when her eyesight failed her. They can still be seen in the Enlightenment Gallery at the British Museum today.

(Awesome lady !! I would love to see her work some day InShaAllah)

MODERN DAY DECOUPEURS 

Modern day "master decoupeurs" include Durwin Rice, Violet Knoxville (Vanesa de la Puente) and Queen Margrethe of Denmark. Modern day decoupage has evolved over the years beyond the simpler style of gluing images to plates and vases. The use of high-tech printers, resins, and enamel sprays contributes to the "modern" decoupage method.

SOURCE WIKIPEDIA

with a little inputs from myself 

Here is a link to my Facebook page where you can have A look at my decoupage work
If I am wrong anywhere please inform me :) I'll rectify my flaws :) 

Ladies if this post inspires you please ask for permission before you share ....

And please don't copy paste this anywhere 

Have A Superbly Awesome Day Decoupeurs