The Latest From My Instagram Feed - Click to View!

Wednesday, May 31, 2017

Oddball Art Stamps TAW: Sprays 3 Ways

Good morning blogland! I'm super excited this morning! Why, you ask? Because I have the chance to bring you another Technique a Week tutorial from Oddball Art Stamps

Sprays - 3 Ways!
So, who knows about crafty "sprays"? There are about a million different brands, versions, colors, etc. You can get them with or without "sparkle" (mica powders within the liquid matrix). There are also many, MANY ways to use these fun, messy (but SUPER cool and versatile) products, no matter which brand you may favor. Today I'm going to show you 3 EXTREMELY EASY ways to use this great stash item -- admit it, if you don't currently have any, you've probably bought them at one time or another! I'll also include some personal tips that can give you even more reason to reach for the sprayer the next time you get the urge to create. Oh, and note that ALL of my techniques use these products on paper and then those pieces are made into cards. These are also a great tool for mixed media artists!
 

You will need:
  • Cardstock and/or watercolor paper
  • Spray bottle or small dish with water
  • Paint brush
  • Sprays of your choice
That's it! Seriously. That's the whole supply list.

The Deets:

These sprays are basically a water-based ink wash, sometimes with clear or colored mica added to the mixture to enhance the shimmer and shine of the final product. Some of the bases are better than others (better colors, brighter pigments, stays rich and true even when dry, etc.), and some of the bottles and mechanisms are better than others as well. I've personally used more than half a dozen different brands over the years, and my personal opinion is that the Fun Stampers Journey sprays are the best. They give gorgeous color, have a full sprayer bottle that lets you give a perfect fine mist, or partially engage the mechanism for blotchier "spitting", the mixture of the powder and liquid is excellent for even coverage, and I have never had a mechanism clog on me as I have with some other brands.

Anywhoooo...here's what we'll be seeing today:
  • Watercoloring backgrounds with diluted shimmer spray colorwash.
  • Sprays + Stencils = WOW!
  • Direct to paper spraying.
  1. Watercoloring a background - here's what you will need:


    1. Get your paper wet. You can spray it with the water bottle, or get a little container of water and use your brush to get the surface wet. For this project, I used watercolor paper. I made it even LAZIER by opening the top of the spray bottle and sticking the paint brush in to get the water I needed to wet the surface. 
    2. I told you this was easy!
    3. Shake up your spray so you mix all the pretty sparkly bits into the liquid matrix. You want that good stuff to be showing itself on your project!
    4. Open the top of your spray bottle. If you're doing a large project, or watercoloring with multiple colors, you may want to transfer a bit of the spray(s) into another container to avoid contamination and the potential for spills.
    5. Wash color onto your wet paper in whatever background pattern/look you're going for. You really can't go wrong! Trust me! And, it's fun. ;)

    6. Once it's dry, you can use it on your project however you'd like. (Photos of all my finished projects for this tutorial are at the end of the post).
       
  2.  Spraying a Stencil - here's what you will need:

    1. I printed this awesome Oddball sentiment (from Image No. 207) onto regular white Neenah 80# Solar White cardstock, just like I do for every digi that I print for cardmaking. I cut it to size (4.125" x 5.375") before I prepared to spray and stencil my pattern onto it.
    2. After it was ready to go, I lined everything up just so, and taped down both the base layer and the stencil. You want to get as close of a fit as you can so that you minimize the bleeding of the spray on the edges of the stenciled image.

    3. Now, you spray! Make sure you use a backdrop paper to catch overspray so you don't have a gigantic mess on the rest of your crafting table.

    4. Yay! Looking good. Spray some more if you want!

    5. After a minute or two, when you're sure the paper underneath is dry, you can blot the stencil with a paper towel so it doesn't bleed or run when you take it off. Then carefully remove it from the paper and get it out of the way so you don't have any accidental messes (we have all been there, ask how I know...).

    6. You're done! Really!
       
  3. Spraying Direct-to-Paper - here's what you will need:

    1. Yep, paper and sprays of choice. Nothing is missing from the photo!
    2. Now, as I mentioned earlier, sprays (and sprayERS) all work a little differently. You may have to play around with them to get the angles and pressures right for the look(s) you want. Don't be afraid to go through a few pieces or scraps of cheap cardstock while you're learning. You WILL be surprised at how differently the various brands act, so my BEST advice of this ENTIRE ARTICLE is "test-spray often". Enough said.
    3. Direct-to-Paper is EXACTLY as it sounds. Spray. Onto. Paper. I like to cut mine to size first so that you don't end up removing any awesome bits at the edges if you had to cut it later. That would be tragic.



...viola! Sprays 3 Ways! You can also use these fun products to spay ONTO things you will use on your project, like patterned paper, fabric or paper flowers, tags, vellum, etc. etc. Experiment and enjoy!

Here are the finished projects using the sample pieces I created for today's tutorial.



Card showcasing Melody the Mermaid, Image No. 321.



Card features sentiment from Image No. 207, along with Whimsical Hearts Image No. 224.



Cuteness courtesy of Kawaii Panda Pack, Image No. 316.

I hope you're inspired to try a new technique! If you make a project using this tutorial, feel free to link it up so I can come "ooh" and "aah" over your creation!

 photo e7222538-56f5-48de-b78d-3aa7deb8e3d1.jpg

Penny's Challenge #332: Anything Goes!

Good morning stampers! I hope everyone's week is going well! The new challenge at Penny's starts today though! Our sponsor this week is Sasayaki Glitter. Who DOESN'T love Bugaboo?! Prizes are up for grabs, WOOT. You have until Tuesday night to link up with us on the Penny's Challenge blog.

Today's card features this super fun Sweet Lilly from Sasayaki Glitter. I got this image earlier this spring for a DT card, right when I started having all my medical issues and eyesight problems. I wasn't able to use it then, so I was SO excited to get it colored up for the challenge this week!



Colored with Copics, dies from Gina Marie, tag, gems, and paper from my stash. 

That's it for this post! Don't forget to swing over to the Penny's Challenge blog to link up your projects for your chance to win! My DT sisters have created some beautiful inspiration, so leave them some love too!

Wednesday, May 24, 2017

Penny's Challenge #330

Good morning stampers! I hope everyone's week is going well! Busy busy busy, I bet! Spring and the end of school around the corner - yikes! I feel like I'm going 100 mph right now.

The new challenge at Penny's starts today though! Our sponsor this week is Bugaboo. Who DOESN'T love Bugaboo?! Prizes are up for grabs, WOOT. You have until Tuesday night to link up with us on the Penny's Challenge blog.

Today's card features this super fun "Unicorn Be You" from Bugaboo. I got this image earlier this spring for a DT card, right when I started having all my medical issues and eyesight problems. I wasn't able to use it then, so I was SO excited to get it colored up for the challenge this week!




Colored with Copics, dies from Gina Marie and Spellbinders, tape and paper from my stash. 

That's it for this post! Don't forget to swing over to the Penny's Challenge blog to link up your projects for your chance to win! My DT sisters have created some beautiful inspiration, so leave them some love too!

Thursday, May 18, 2017

Creative Knockouts 194 - Humor!

Good morning stampers! Today I'm sharing my project for the challenge over at Creative Knockouts where the theme is....Funny Cards

This week's sponsor is KennyK Stamps, and they are offering a wonderful prize to a lucky player!






Here is my project, featuring Cookie Guy, colored with Copics. I had this fun paper from a bunch of back to school projects I made in August and September, and it's PERFECT for this guy! On top of the fun-factor, I need teacher thank you cards for the end of the year for the kiddos, and this one is perfect for DS#1's science teacher!!

That's it for me today! Don't forget to swing over to the Creative Knockouts blog to link up your projects for your chance to win! My DT sisters have created some beautiful inspiration, so leave them some love too!



Wednesday, May 10, 2017

Oddball Art Stamps TAW: Salted Backgrounds

Good morning blogland! I'm so happy to finally be posting again. I had some issues with my eye health, which also affected my vision. Very scary stuff, but I am doing much better now. Several medicated drops every day...better living through chemistry! To celebrate I'm getting back on board with my various Design Teams; all of the owners and coordinators were so amazing and supportive during this unpleasant ordeal. Thank you all!!

I am coming back with a BIG post that I'm so excited to share with you! It's a step-by-step photo tutorial that I've created for Oddball Art Stamps' "Technique a Week" feature. They started up a few months ago, but this is my first one - I hope you enjoy it!

Salted Backgrounds


Salted backgrounds are a wonderfully funky way to add uniqueness and character to any project. They're also incredibly easy to create!

You will need:

  • Glossy cardstock
  • Spray bottle with water
  • Ink pads and/or reinkers
  • AquaBrush or Paint brushes & water
  • Salt (I like coarse salt because the uneven sizes give a more mottled look to the finished product, but ANY salt will do!)
The Deets:
  1. Cut your paper to size and spray it with water from the spray bottle. You want a good amount of beaded water on the top of the glossy surface.
     
  2. Using your AquaBrush or wet paint brush, pick up some ink and begin adding it to the wet cardstock in the general arrangement you'd like the finished product's colors to be. You can get the ink in one of two ways, depending on your style of ink pads. If you have the type that you can press against themselves when they are closed and transfer a small amount of ink to the inside cover of the ink pad, you can do that. Alternatively, you can add a couple drops of reinker to the inside of the ink pad or any other plastic surface you have readily available.

  3. Continue adding ink to the cardstock surface until you are satisfied with the look. If your paper begins to dry out, spritz it again from your spray bottle to keep the ink flowing easily over the top of the paper. You may need to experiment to find the right amount of water; too much will muddle the colors.
  4. Now the fun part! Grab your salt...
  5. Add salt to your project while the surface is still fairly wet and the ink is bleeding slightly. You can shake, sprinkle, flick, fling....any transfer method you'd like will get the job done ;)
  6. After you get it salted, you won't want to pick it up until it is dry. (Plan accordingly!) If you're in a rush, you can help it along with your handy dandy heat gun. Otherwise, let it sit off to the side to dry normally.

  7. Once dry, gently brush off the excess chunks of salt that are still sitting on top of the paper. You will be left with a lovely salty haze on the top of the project, as well as some more obvious areas where the grains were sitting as the water evaporated and the ink ran.
  8. Use these finished pieces any way you like! I put mine into this card featuring Creepy Claire, Oddball Art Image #64. I kept the card fairly simple to showcase the background piece. This technique is SO PERFECT for Oddball's fantastic style of digi stamps!


...that's it! It's such a fun, easy technique that LOOKS like it took you way more time than it did! I colored up Ms. Claire with Copic markers, and added some Art Institute Glitter to her wings. The die is from Fun Stamper's Journey, and the Magic Mesh has been in my "misc." drawer for 10 years.

I hope you're inspired to try a new technique! If you make a project using this tutorial, feel free to link it up so I can come "ooh" and "aah" over your creation!

 photo e7222538-56f5-48de-b78d-3aa7deb8e3d1.jpg

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...