First, seal the paper-mâché letter with DecoArt Media white gesso. Using the Decou-Page paper glue, apply a printed serviette as napkin decoupage. Finally, edge the corners with DecoArt Media white gesso to finish. The butterflies are more decoupaged napkins, stuck to white card and then cut out.

Seal the letter first with DecoArt Media white gesso. Once that’s dry, paint all over with DecoArt Media Hansa Yellow Light and dry. Quickly paint over with DecoArt Media Cadmium Orange Hue and splatter water droplets over the painted surface. Dry briefly with a heat tool before blotting off the water droplets to reveal the yellow beneath. Once you’ve done all the surfaces, dry completely and then brush on thinned DecoArt Media white gesso to knock the colour back a little. The flowers are custom printed and cut from stiff white card, and then painted with DecoArt Media fluid acrylics.

This letterform is a little more complex. Instructions assume you are using 5mm foamcore board or similar thickness cardboard and you’ve primed the letter with DecoArt Media gesso. Start by marking a line 5mm from each edge, and then with a new blade in your craft knife, cut out the centre – keep this as you will need it for a template in a moment. Add foamcore board ‘stilts’ across the base approximately one third the height of the letter – these will support a new base. Using the template you cut out from the front, cut the base from foamcore board and glue into place. Measure the height from the platform to the top and cut strips of board to fit – glue into place all the way round, making sure the board butts up against, and is glued to, the top overhang. Use Decou-Page Paper glue to line the inset with tin foil, ensuring good overlap as you don’t want any gaps. Finally, fill with beads or other ephemera and building up thin layers of DecoArt Media Liquid Glass, drying between each layer, encase your ephemera in a resin-like finish. If you do a one fill layer, it is much more difficult for the Liquid Glass to dry clear, and any small gaps are more likely to drain away all you’ve added. Finally, finish by painting the surround with DecoArt Media fluid acrylics – in this case, Medium Grey Value 6.

Prepare the letter with DecoArt Media White Gesso. Using the DecoArt/Andy Skinner Sunburst Stencil, spray DecoArt Media Primary Yellow Mister over. Remove stencil and clean, dry the misted colour thoroughly. Replace the stencil and rotate it to fill in the gaps, before misting with DecoArt Media Primary Magenta Mister. Clean up and dry. Paint the remaining surfaces with DecoArt Media fluid acrylics, in this case a mix of Cobalt Blue Hue and Titanium White. Embellishments are as described before. The figure uses the DecoArt/Andy Skinner Hippy Chic stencil to trace and cut out from a painted master board

This letterform uses the same techniques as described for the first letter. I thought it would help tie the word together visually. And it was quick!