EMBOSSING POWDER SKINS

 I have previously done a class where we used embossing powder to create blobs on a craft sheet that could be peeled up and used as an accent when cooled. This is a further adaptation to this class. I'm sure that everyone who has used embossing powder has a huge collection of colours that will last them forever so this is an excellent way to use what you have.  I used Ranger Collage Medium to glue my embossing skins down but I know that the Tombow Mono Glue and the Ranger Matte Medium will both work fine as well. The trick is to be gentle with your embossing powder skin as it can break where it is thin. To stop all of the embossing powder from blowing everywhere as it is in little piles, I use a piece of baking paper over the top as the baking paper can take the heat of the heat gun and it keeps
the powder in place. It can make the powder matte though, so you need to heat it once again without
the baking paper in place to make it glossy again. But that causes holes, so it's a fine balancing act between the two.

"Walk in nature"


"If found dead"

"No longer available"
(I've wanted to use this quote for a 
ghost image for ages.)

"Fake smiling"

"Broqué"

"Feels"
(This one is a little different. It has the layers of
embossing powder on top of some chipboard
wings that have been attached before dumping
all of the colours of embossing powder down.
This gives a very thick layer of embossing powder
in various colours that also run off the edge onto
the background to give a very organic look.)

WATERCOLOUR WICKING

 

Distress Oxide Inks and Distress Inks are both water-reactive which can be an added bonus when you want a stamped image that is not too perfect and precise. I used the Distress Oxide Inks for my examples below as I prefer the extra opacity of those inks as well as their oxidation that softens the colours. I have done the technique in the past where you ink up your stamped image, then spritz the stamp and press down onto your receiving surface. This creates a watercolour effect and blurs your stamped image. This one is different in that you stamp your image directly from an inked stamp, then spritz your stamped image with water which causes the inks to wick out and bleed. Working on atc's doing this technique can be challenging as you are working with such a small surface to start with and you need to be careful with which images you choose. I must admit, I wasn't particularly happy with any of mine as I was working on them, but found as I added more colour in the background or added some shading where needed and some words, they came together in the end.

"Aura of foreboding"

(This one is my favourite! I 

used my Stabilo All black 

pencil & my aqua brush to draw the
figures in the forest on the bottom left.

It can be nerve-wracking to spritz
the words directly on the background
as you don't know how much they will
wick out, and black is super-strong!)

"Get busy living"
(The Frayed Burlap tumbleweed stamps
wicked out really well but I found the
Hickory Smoke on the top of the twiggy
tree didn't want to wick.)


"WTF"
(This one has some added shading under the hyenas.)


"Live everyday"
(The floral stamps lost their definition a fair bit
so I used my Unipin fine liner to redraw the
shapes of the flowers.)


"Sea the positive"
(This one wicked out a lot!)


"Enjoy today"


Finally, a card that I made using my left-over atc that wasn't required for the class. I've started to make sure I turn these excess atc's into cards to add to my card stash for when they could be needed.