Experimentation Time

I've been doing some experiementation over the last two days - the studio is clean and orders from Stitches have been sent off to dispatch.

This first experiement was a result of a failure - and I coudn't let it go until I'd found out a solution. I ran a sheet of brass through a Cuttlebug embossing folder to produce a fantastic, highly detailed image. But I wanted to crackle it and Distress Crackle paints won't stick to metal. So, I coated the embossed metal with black Gesso, waited for it to dry, then sanded it down to expose the brass underneath. Next time, I know to paint a thinner coat. Then I glooped (that must be the technical term, right?) Black Soot Distress Crackle Paint over the metal and left that to dry. There is a very fine crackle as a result. I sanded it back again, but was unhappy that I couldn't see the crackle all that well because of the black Gesso underneath. So I painted over it with Gold Precious Metal (from Vario), working the paint into all the cracks, then wiping it off the surface before it had a chance to dry thoroughly. I love the effect and the photo just doesn't do it justice.

To finish it up, I wrapped two pieces of gold ribbon around the bottom, stamped a PaperArtsy image in Versamark and embossed it with Ranger Super Fine Detail Gold powder on black cardstock, vcut around the image and mounted it with Pop-Up Glue Dots (Glue Dots UK). I couldn't find my gold mirror card, so I mounted it on a Tomato Paste tube which has been flattened in my Wizard and used the Glue Dots to mount it on a Black Glossy (Ranger) card.

This next piece was more of an experimentation. I met a lovely company at Stitches called Vario (when I find a like to their website, I'll put it up here) and they very kindly gave me some stuff to take home and play with.

This is an A5 gessoed canvas that I picked up from Hobbycraft. I base coated it with Turquoise Precious Metal paint, then stencilled Tim's Time Masks with Gold Precious Metal Paint. I let the whole lot dry thoroughly, put Tim's Time Masks down again and smothered Vario's Transparent Croco (crackle medium) over the top and let it dry. I came back this morning and the cracking is very impressive. However, the transparent Croco had dulled down the Precious Metals, so I went back over with a paint brush and repainted the Gold and Turquoise in.

These mediums are fantastic. The Precious Metals will adhere to all manner of surfaces: glass, ceramic, wood, metal and can still be used in normal applications. They're water-based, so the brushes simply was out. The Croco is best applied with a spatula or foam brush and laid down really thickly. The label says at least 2mm, but I applied it a lot thinner than that in some places and got a beautiful crazed look to the crackle. The best bit, is that I can paint over the transparent to give it colour in particular places. The leaflet even shows it being used on glass. Wow!

Again, the photo just doesn't do this justice. I can't see a way of getting the glistening effect to show up in a photo. You'll just have to come to my studio to see it for yourself.