A VFR M20 PILOT ENCOUNTERED IMC ENROUTE AND BEGAN PICKING UP ICE. ATC DECLARED AN EMERGENCY FOR HIM AND VECTORED HIM TO A SAFE LANDING.

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SHORTLY BEFORE DEP; I CALLED FSS AND RECEIVED A WX BRIEFING. AFTER DEP; I CONTACTED APCH FOR FLT FOLLOWING TO ZZZ1; WHILE CRUISING AT 11500 FT JUST N OF ZZZ2; I ENCOUNTERED SOME WIDELY SCATTERED CUMULO NIMBUS AND STRATUS WHICH WAS EASILY NAV'ED AROUND WITH AMPLE VFR CLRNC. AROUND THIS TIME CTR CALLED AND ADVISED ME ZZZ1 WAS 2500 FT OVCST. I INFORMED THEM I WOULD CONTINUE TO ZZZ3 WHICH WAS CLR AND 10 AND WOULD ADD 20 MINS TO THE FLT. AS THE FLT PROGRESSED; VISIBILITY REDUCED TO APPROX 6 MI IN HAZE AND THE NUMBER OF CUMULO NIMBUS INCREASED; MAKING IT MORE DIFFICULT TO REMAIN ON COURSE. NE OF THE ZZZ VOR; I CALLED CTR AND INITIATED A CLB TO REMAIN CLR OF CLOUDS BUT SOON FOUND MYSELF UNABLE TO CONTINUE CLBING OR MANEUVERING TO REMAIN VFR AS TOWERING CUMULO NIMBUS WERE BUILDING IN EVERY DIRECTION. JUST BEFORE CLOUD PENETRATION; I LEVELED THE NOSE AND INFORMED CTR I WOULD NOT BE ABLE TO MAINTAIN VFR. UPON ENTERING THE CLOUD; MY ACFT IMMEDIATELY BEGAN TO ACCUMULATE ICE SO I ASKED FOR A DSCNT TO 6000 FT. THE CTLR QUERIED ME ON MY ABILITY THEN DECLARED AN EMER ON MY BEHALF AND CLRED ME TO 9000 FT. I WAS HANDED OFF TO APCH CTL AND CLRED LOWER AND GIVEN DIRECT ZZZ4 WHICH WAS RPTING VFR. I BROKE OUT OF THE CLOUDS AT 4100 FT 3 MI SE OF ZZZ5. AFTER A FEW MI IN VFR; I SPOTTED ZZZ4; THANKED THE CTLR; AND LANDED SAFELY. JUST PRIOR TO ENTERING CLOUD; I FELT THE SAFEST ACTION WAS TO LOWER THE NOSE; STABILIZE THE ACFT; AND TELL ATC WHAT IS HAPPENING; WHEN ICE BEGAN TO FORM MY THOUGHT WAS TO DSND TO WARMER AIR. UPON ENCOUNTERING MORE THAN SCATTERED CLOUDS; I SHOULD HAVE COMPLETED A 180 DEG TURN TOWARDS BETTER WX. 2 DAYS AFTER THE EVENT; I CONTACTED MY FLT INSTRUCTOR TO BEGIN TRAINING FOR THE INST RATING.