LAYERED ACETATE

This is a technique I've been wanting to do for a while as it allows your background to have some texture to it while floating a piece of acetate above it, which also has some additional elements to create depth.  Not a technique that can be appreciated fully unless you are holding it in your hand though I'm hoping by including the picture of the side-view of "Anemones", it will give you some idea.  I used die-cut shapes cut from JAC (double-sided adhesive paper) to create the layers on top of the acetate and then used foil on those.  Though I also added some normal coloured die-cut shapes on a couple of them as well for extra interest.  For this technique, Couture Creations skinny foam tape and squares are your friend (I just about exclusively use the black as it gets lost in the shadows underneath).

"Succs to be you"

"Anemones"

Side view of Anemones, showing the raised areas
of the seaweed on front of the acetate, then the 
fish is raised on top of the acetate as well.

"Dark and gloomy"
This one is actually a shaker!  The little crystal and 
metal skulls and little skeleton inside the coffin
all move about along with some Distress Glitter.

"Dead of Night"
The bat is once again raised on top of the acetate.

"Wander"

"Find Joy"

 

Alcohol Acetate Smoosh

The technique for this fortnight's class is called Alcohol Acetate Smoosh.   I wanted to use alcohol inks on acetate as I know how wonderful they look when placed against a light coloured background.  Usually you would stamp an image on the un-inked side of the acetate and place the ink down against the card to protect it and the light coloured card stock would show not only the wonderful ink colours, but the stamping as well.   This technique incorporates that technique but also uses the fantastic properties of glossy card stock as it also takes alcohol ink really well!    So we've all done Tim Holtz's Distress Ink Pad smoosh technique on craft sheets but I wanted to do a similar thing but using the acetate on one side and the gloss card on the other.   This way you get two pieces of wonderfully coloured background to work with. 

 

There are several ways to treat the card and acetate once it's coloured.  The first sample below "Horticulture" is the gloss card with Red Pepper, Pitch Black and Silver Alcohol Inks, then stamped with Black Archival Ink.  You can see how wonderfully the silver actually shows up and this would have to be one of the first times when I've seen Pitch Black actually behave as a black.  Sometimes it ends up a weird dark purple colour, depending on what you are doing it on.  The sample below is the acetate piece that was smooshed against the gloss card, then the image was stamped on white card stock and the coloured acetate was layered over the top.  Wonderful!!!

 

"Horticulture"

"Rules"...

 

"Wicked Intention"... (This one has the coloured acetate layered over a stamped image that was

stamped onto a piece of book paper instead of plain card stock.)

"Black Bird"... (This is the gloss card piece of the acetate/gloss card smoosh

from above.  The moon is a small piece of acetate

that has been coloured with alcohol inks

then layered over a piece of foil tape to give it shine. 

This was layered under a hole that was punched in the atc.)

 

"Destiny"... (Alcohol Ink on acetate and then stamped onto the

un-inked side of the acetate, layered over a buff coloured

piece of card stock.)

 

"Like a Star"... (This stamp was stamped onto a piece of white card stock, then

coloured with markers and a coloured piece of acetate layered over the top.)

 

"No Fear"... (Alcohol Ink acetate layered over stamped image on white card stock).

 

 

I know people have some difficulty in working out how to attach acetate to cards.  As you can see from some of the samples above, I stitch the layers together using a sewing machine, you can also run the acetate piece through a Xyron sticker maker machine to add adhesive as it's pretty clear (you can't use JAC paper, it's too milky).  I have also used a very thin double-sided tape around the 4 edges to attach some of them and if the adhesive shows up you can also disguise this with thin German Scrap or similar (as in the sample above called "Destiny").  Of course you can also use brads or even the Tim Holtz Tiny Attacher (mini stapler) but just make sure that you have no buckling in either the acetate or the card behind and they both lay nice and flat against each other.

Alchol Inks & Transparency atc's

When I heard that Ranger were releasing 24 new colours of alcohol inks I was absolutely thrilled! I love my alcohol inks and am really looking forward to the new selection of "lights & brights"...particularly the lights! If you want to check out the new colours that are coming, as well as the already released 24, click here. Gorgeous or what!

So my next set of atc classes that I'm teaching at Scraptivate is called Alcohol Inks and Transparency, or more correctly - acetate. I've found that I don't need blending solution as much if I'm using the alcohol inks on acetate to colour it when compared to using the alcohol inks on gloss card. Of course, if it's just way too bright then blending solution is just perfect for lightening it or blending colours if you've just gone overboard and it looks like someone has thrown up a technicolour feast!


I also like to use the alcohol ink to colour gold or silver German Scrap for added cohesiveness. Don't you just love thesaurus.com when you're stuck for a word! German Scrap is available at Scraptivate, look on the left for German Scrap in the list of items for sale. Of course, it works perfectly on all of your metal and plastic embellishments, shrink plastic, glass ...keep up.... I'm talking about alcohol inks, not thesaurus.com. lol


I've also set myself a little challenge...when I make my sample atc's showing each new technique, I MUST use black texture paste somewhere on at least one of them each fortnight. Not a problem she says...I simply LOVE that stuff!!! If you have a look back through the atc's in my previous posts on coloured gloss, embossing, and the original texture paste class, you'll see at least one of the atc's will have black texture paste on it, generally with rub'n'buff over the top. You can also get this at Scraptivate too, though it's not on the website but you can email us contact@scraptivate.com.au with "black texture paste" in the subject line, or ring us on (08)9444 6626 and ask us all about it!


"Conjurer"... (with black texture paste along the bottom)

"Embrace the unusual"...

"Rubies"...

"Visionary"...

"Contemplate"...

All of the above atc's were made by using stamps on gloss card (Stazon of course!) and then alcohol inked acetate over the top. You can also use images instead of stamping if you like, as shown in the following samples.

"Anatomy"...

"Inner-beauty"... (with black texture paste down the sides)

"Bachelors"...

One more class before I go away to Melbourne - brushless watercolour - coming soon!