New technique! The “Acrylic Skin Stickers”

Who hasn’t tried it before? Acrylic pouring on objects such as boxes, frames, your husband’s smartphone cover… The thing that really frustrated me was the paint that dripped down at the edges. It often looked messy. Well, you can cover objects with acrylic skins but then there’s always the question how to stick it to that object. And that way you can’t remove it without damage. Therefore, I experimented a bit and found a technique that makes covering objects with the acrylic pouring design extremely easy. I call them “Acrylic Skin Stickers” and in this article I’m going to share this new technique with you.

Supplies I Used:

How to prepare an Acrylic Skin Sticker

I’ve tried to pour on a lot of self-adhesive foils and contact papers. The result was always the same: the paint didn’t stick on the smooth plastic surface. Or it cracked after drying. To solve this problem I found this method:

1. Tape the edges of a clear contact paper on a stiff material like a cardboard or a wooden board. The shiny part of it should be on top.

2. Roughen it with sandpaper so the surface doesn’t reflect the light any more.

3. Mix your pouring medium and an acrylic paint color of your choice 1:1 and apply it on the surface with a brush. For best results you should apply two layers. Let it dry.

Skin Stickers1

These are the three steps to prepare your sticker. From now on you can use it like a canvas. To pour on clear contact paper also saves a lot of money that you usually spend for canvases. And it saves storage space.

Acrylic Pouring on the Sticker Surface

On the sticker surface you’ve created every pouring technique is possible. Torching the paint is also possible, but don’t torch too long—you could easily melt and damage the sticker. Because you’ve taped the clear contact paper on a stiff surface you can also tilt it to create bigger cells.

My Acrylic Pouring recipe:

I usually mix one part Floetrol with one part Liquitex pouring medium in a separate container. Then I mix two parts of this mixture with one part Acrylic paint, stir well and then add some drops of silicone oil.

After you’ve poured the paint on the surface you should let it dry for about two days. After that remove silicone oil residue with a sponge, water and some dishwashing liquid.

Decoration

The possibilities of decorating objects with the Acrylic Skin Stickers are nearly endless. The only thing you have to keep in mind is that the surface should be clean and even. Here I’ve got two examples for you for how you can use our self-designed stickers:

Book cover

Skin Stickers2

Take a book that you want to cover with the design and use it as a template. Just lay the book on your sticker and cut out the sticker around the book. Leave some extra space so you can bend the sticker around the edges of the book afterwards. Then remove the protection paper on the back of your sticker and cover your book. An extra sheet of clear contact paper protects your design and makes it waterproof.

Picture frame

1220Skin Sticker3

Make sure the poured painting you create is big enough to cover the long sides of your frame. Cut the sticker in four long stripes and remove the protection paper. Apply it on the frame surface. Then bend the sticker on the edges. With a sharp knife you can cut the Acrylic Skin Sticker perfectly at the corners. With this method you can create a frame design that fits perfectly to the painting inside.

Some tips and tricks

  • In my experience, the swipe technique leads to the best results. With this technique you can create a very thin Acrylic Skin Sticker. This makes the decoration process easier afterwards.
  • Don’t mix too many colors. This is a general tip for all your pourings. Using too many and complementary colors leads to a muddy looking, dull painting.
  • Let it dry on a level surface. Otherwise the paint runs in one direction and your cells get destroyed.
  • Let it dry at room temperature or cooler. Heat can create cracks in your painting—Seal your Acrylic Skin Sticker after you’ve covered the object. You should use a varnish for acrylic paintings if the object is exposed to UV light or mechanical stress.

Hopefully my instructions are helpful and you will enjoy this new technique. You will find video tutorials and more ideas for using the Acrylic Skin Stickers on my YouTube channel “Acrylic Skin Sticker.” Just follow the hamster…

9 thoughts on “New technique! The “Acrylic Skin Stickers””

  1. Dionna Vallejos

    I’m very excited to try this. I wish I had known about this sooner so I could use this technique for my Christmas decor. I think it would be nice to use it for holiday projects because you’d be able to return the skin to the original backing to store away and use the “blanks” for another project. I think this would save a lot of money and space since there would be minimal need to have bulk decorations around. Thank you for this. I truly think this is awesome!

  2. Caroline Masson

    Very good idea for the skin sticky but my contact tape wasnt to sticky or me ! When you doing this why you didnt pour but apply with brush?

    1. Hi Caroline, I just apply the first base layer with a brush. The paint sticks better after that when you put a base layer on it. The rest can be poured.

  3. This is awesome. Such a wonderful and creative idea. I can’t wait to try this. So many things I am looking at to use this on. Thanks so much! I am a fan and I am hooked!

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