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!