ETA: Download now available for Technique Tag #1 - Ghosting Directions
Doesn't this sound mysterious? Ghosting!!! Can you hear the creaks and groans? LOL! This is a technique that I learned a long, long time ago that I have not used in a long, long time. Perhaps that is why it is ghost-like, it is now once again magically appearing J
This idea is not unique to me - it is totally inspired by the incredible tags that Tim Holtz creates. As an educator at heart I absolutely love how his tags aid in teaching and expanding ones creativity. I am SO going to go to Ranger University some day if they accept me!
I am so excited about Technique Tuesday Tags! My goal is to try and share a technique on Tuesdays along with directions that you can simply download and print on a sheet of labels. I know that I will not manage to do a new tag every Tuesday, but I will try my hardest to keep them coming on a regular basis. I find that pulling out my old "techniques" can really help push my creativity to new levels.
To begin I will simply explain and share an example of this technique. I would then like to encourage you to download the directions, create a simple tag showcasing this technique and put the label with step by step directions on the back of your tag. Most often I will try and use these Manila tags as my base. Eventually I would love to see a whole ring of Technique Tags that you can refer back to when inspiration is lacking and you just need a motivational "push." So get your tags and let's get started!
To create my tag I inked my background stamp using Adirondack Snow Cap Pigment Ink. The key to this project is to use a full-coverage white pigment ink. For other pigment inks and more in-depth information regarding the different types of inks, you are welcome to refer to my post on inks over on our In Touch blog.
Being a stamper with limited time I elected to set my ink using my heat tool. If you have plenty of time you could stamp your image and allow it to dry naturally.
Next use an Ink Blending Tool or a piece of Cut N' Dry Foam to apply the next layer of ink. The critical thing to remember is that you will now switch over to using a dye based ink pad. I love the Distress Ink Pads for this technique and selected a series of colors in the brown hues to create my woodgrain tag. Begin by inking the foam on your stamp pad by "smooshing" (do you like my technical terms - LOL) the foam in to the surface of your lightest color ink pad (I used Antique Linen first.) Then using a circular motion, starting on your non-stick craft sheet and moving on to the edges of your tag begin applying the ink. Continue moving in a circular motion until you have covered the entire surface you would like to see pop out.
I then moved to my next darker color using the same tool. If you were to switch colors from a blue to a green you would want to use a new foam for each color, but if you work within one color family you can simply use the same tool for each color as you progress from light to dark.
As you can see in the close-up image below the surface that is covered in white pigment ink resists the dye ink in a very subtle way and a "ghost-like" image appears. When applying each additional color I did not cover my surface evenly because I wanted it to appear like a natural piece of wood. Interestingly enough this tag ended up looking a lot like the Beech table top I was working on.
Variations:
Yes, there are always variations on a theme and so I want to leave you with some thoughts that will help you experiment with this further. These were thoughts that started running through my mind as I created and I wished that I would have more time to follow up on each one of these, but perhaps you can do it for me!
- create a sunset using an animal sihouette, or tree, or...
- instead of using white pigment ink try another light toned pigment ink and then apply your dye ink in a similar manner - what will it look like?
- what about the fly fisherman at sunset, or is it sunrise when they go out? This would make an awesome Father's Day card!
Now it's your turn! That's right - get out your White Pigment Pad and give it a try. I am going to provide you with the blueprint as well. This is a name that Julie Ebersole and I had talked about years ago when discussing the idea of starting a sketch book. Well... everyone now has sketches and books and challenges, but no one has "Card Architecture". Yes, that was the name I thought was so genious - LOL! Guess what, I still think it is genius, so that is what I am going to title the little sketches that go along with some of my posts. Obviously you can see my interior design and architectural detail training coming in to play with this one, but it is such a universal system and I just couldn't let it go. So without further ado - here is the very first "Card Architecture Blueprint." It needs work, but I was limited for time this weekend and I didn't want to miss this Tuesday! Watch for improvements soon I hope!
I would LOVE to see what you do with your tags! Please leave a comment if you would be interested in seeing what others are coming up with and I will give Mr. Linky a try again. You are also welcome to leave a link in the comments section! I do know a couple of very talented ladies who are probably going to share their versions of this technique soon. So please stay tuned to see what they have come up with.
PLEASE NOTE: I will do my best to have the download available later today so that you can simply print it off on to an Avery Label and adhere it to your tag. It is now almost midnight and it has been a long, but wonderful day! We celebrated Maddi's 15th birthday today and I am completely exhausted. I just couldn't wrap my brain around how to make this label tonight - LOL! I'm not certain I like this business of getting older - if she stays young doesn't that allow me to stay young and vibrant as well? It is so wonderful to see her grow up to be such a sweet young lady though, so I guess I just won't try and put the brakes on life too much.
Thank you for stopping in today - please return soon to see who our lucky winner of the "We Remember" set is along with yet another announcement I am over-the-top excited to share with you all!
