Showing posts with label Team ATB. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Team ATB. Show all posts

Thursday, November 27, 2014

Team ATB and 100 Proof Press Blog Hop!



I am so pleased Team ATB is collaborating with the stamp company 100 Proof Press and their Design Team this month. Oh my goodness, they have the best selection of stamps, my wish list is a mile long! (Santaaaa… you can bring me a gift certificate to spend there lol!) I created my very own ATB "Aquarium" using their stamps!


More views:





 

The outer block is cut from scrap plastic packaging using the Large Block die. You might want to cut a practice piece using your plastic to make sure it will bend on the score and not crack. Some plastic is more brittle than others.

The inner block is the largest of the set from the multi Blocks die. I cut it out of Sizzles matboard and swiped it with Tumbled Glass Distress Stain first as a base layer.


All the images are stamped with Archival Jet Black ink. Archival ink works well on plastic but you need to give it plenty of time to dry. I didn't want to risk using the heat tool on it and warping the plastic so I just let it dry overnight. I colored the images by painting on the back side of the plastic with alcohol inks. Don't apply the alcohol inks to the same side you stamped on! They will react with the archival ink and mess it all up.

For the inner block, I colored the images using Distress reinkers and Distress pads as watercolors. It's really easy to do. Using a water brush, dip the tip into a drop of Distress reinker and then paint your image. (I have a selection of reinker inks in a Tim Holtz Ink Palette which is very handy.) If there is a Distress Ink color I want to use that I don't have the reinker for, I'll just swipe the pad on my craft sheet and pick up ink from there with my water brush. I wanted to give the goldfish a bit of shimmer so I added some final accents using Perfect Pearls powder. Put a small amount of powder onto the craft sheet (or palette etc.) and add a drop of water. Mix it around to make "paint" and add it to your image. There are binders in the powder that are activated with water so it will stick and not brush off.

The outer plastic block was a little tricky to assemble. Being clear, I had to cut the tabs off because they would have shown through. Fortunately, I was making an aquarium so adhesive backed foil tape on all the seams fit right in! I colored the silver tape black with alcohol ink first. I cut the tape into the lengths I needed and scored and folded them into shape before applying them to the edges of the plastic panels. It was helpful to use a burnishing tool to smooth the tape and assure firm adhesion.

I used the top portion from the Cupcake Stand die as my base – it gives the cat a place to sit. ;-)

Well that was a lot of info! I hope you are inspired to get creative yourself. You can enter the Art with Heart November challenge with your creation and have a chance to win one of Eileen Hull's new Vintage Kitchen dies. (They are so awesome, check them out!!)

I am also entering my Aquarium ATB into the The Mixed Media Monthly Challenge #6 - STAMPS!
and The Craft Hoarders Anonymous Challenge #20 - Box it Up!

100 Proof Press stamps used:

Most of the other supplies I used for this project can be found at Inspiration Emporium. Follow the links below and use my code JUICE to save 10% if you go shopping. I will also point out that US shipping is always $5 and international shipping is just $10. ;-)

 
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Thursday, October 23, 2014

Fall ATB and Leaf Printing Tutorial

Hello everyone, I have a fun Artist Trading Block project to share with you today, plus a leaf printing technique I think you will really like. First, the ATB:


(Note on the Harvest Girl image - it can be downloaded from the Graphics Fairy.)

I wanted to make it look like the ATB was unzipping and an explosion of leaves and fall flora was coming out. It is certainly festive!

I also had an idea for making leaf prints using mini Distress Ink pads and the box sides make a perfect canvas. Let's dive in and learn how to do it.

First you need to collect your leaves. They should pliable if you are collecting ones that have already fallen. Crunchy will not work! Lay a leaf down on your craft sheet and dab the back side of the leaf with various colors of Distress ink. The mini pads work well because of their smaller surface area. You can blend more colors on the leaf, especially with a smaller leaf. Full size pads could work too. Mist the leaf once or twice. For me, one spritz gave me a more detailed print and two spritzes gave me a looser, watercolor effect. Don't spray too much on or the water will ooze out the sides in the next step and muddle your print.


Next lay the leaf, ink side down, carefully on the surface you are printing on. (I used tweezers.) Lightly hold the leaf in place and run a brayer over it to transfer the ink to the paper. Carefully lift off the leaf and that's it! You can dab extra ink off of your leaf with a baby wipe or paper towel and use it again for subsequent prints.


I tried watercolor paper, Sizzix matboard, manila folder and a craft tag as substrates while I was experimenting. They all worked very well! Here are samples of my experimenting:

watercolor paper

manila, matboard and kraft
Here is a close up of the printing on the ATB - it is really clear and I love the leaf detail transferred:

 

I hope you are inspired to give this technique a try. =) Most of the supplies I used for this can be found at Inspiration Emporium. Follow the links below and use my code JUICE to save 10% if you go shopping. I will also point out that US shipping is always $5 and international shipping is just $10. ;-)




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