CHENNAI: Mini trunk boxes bear Moroccan tile patterns. Hexagonal earrings are painted with vibrant flowers and butterflies. Pencil boxes are wrapped with gingham patterns. Decoupage artist Prasanna Vadhana’s choice of materials and medium for the artwork will leave you wowed. While decoupage art has long been associated with glass bottles, this artist has gone a step further by experimenting with other objects and materials. Prasanna showcases her collection on her Instagram page, The Memoire Decor. She uses tin boxes, wood and faux leather as her medium of work.
“The decoupaged objects must have a utility value. They can’t be just showpieces. I select designs based on the objects. I’ve made trays, accessories, key chains, passport holders, coasters, coin pouches, photo frames, cardholders, plates, tissue boxes and bookmarks,” says Prasanna, a resident of Nungambakkam, who took to decoupage art last year, after attending a course offered by a parent at her daughter’s school. A teacher by profession, Prasanna pursues this as a part-time activity.
“I learned most of the techniques from YouTube videos. Reverse decoupage is one such. With experience, you get a hang of what’s new and what sells in the market. Everybody wants variety. We have many artists working with glass bottles so I ruled out that medium in the beginning. One needs to channel the thought process creatively to stand out in the crowd,” shares the artist. Prasanna is currently on a quest to find and use different fabrics as decoupage material.
She selects themes keeping in mind the upcoming festive seasons. “Earrings are the most challenging to make. The smaller the size, the more difficult it gets to stick the decoupage material. Sometimes clients come up with interesting themes and I go by it to do something new. We’ve so far had only individual orders and no corporate gifting. I want to try the photo transfer technique with decoupage, where you get to design on your computer and transfer it to the medium,” she explains. The products are priced from `50 onwards and are shipped across India. For details, visit her Instagram page @TheMemoireDecor