Does decoupage decay in the daylight?

A worry customers have about my work is that the decoupaged surface might fade in the sunlight if place on a windowsill or in bright room for example. I am glad to report that I have not encountered any complaints regarding fading from customers to date since I began selling them as finished products in 2016, which is great news! I also have pieces dotted around my own home and gallery have not witnessed any fading myself. Provided that they are kept indoors modern window glass blocks enough U.V. light that fading should not be factor.

As my intention is that my work is also suitable to put outside as a garden feature, I try to use commercially printed papers (magazines, not newspapers) that are inherently fade resistant. I am working from observation, rather than having looked into this scientifically but it appears through trial and error that glossy published surfaces come with their own U.V. protection/a layer of protective varnish. I also aim to use papers that I believe are acid free in my work. Recently my work has been developing towards a greater use of acrylic paint in my decoration, both painted directly onto the work and in the use of hand-painted papers. I prefer the more graphic look that paintwork gives the creatures and this also helps avoid any problems with papers fading in sunlight.

Octopuss with his sunnies on.

I have also tried experimenting with various types of U.V. varnish with a greater and lesser degrees of success. U.V. protective varnishes do what they say on the tin, but create a plastic film that tends to peel off from the sculpture surface so is not good for waterproofing and will not allow other sealants to be applied on top.

If you are still concerned that your prized sculpture might fade in the light, my best piece of advice is just to have some sympathy with the materials - we are all advised to use factor 50 in the mid-day sun so maybe it's safest not to show off your paper art in the direct light of the conservatory, how about brightening up a dull corner with it instead!

You might be curious to know more about my processes, materials, techniques, experiments and the development of pieces - you will find lots of tips and information are available within my Blog. Watch the short video below to see a test subject!