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Background Play and ATCs*
©2008 Wanda Hentges

*links go to www.quietfiredesign.ca
each link will open a new window. When you are finished looking at the new page, just close it and you will return here!

Instructions

For this background we are going to start with watercolor paper and use gesso on it as a resist. We don't want to cover the paper with gesso, but just get it on in a random manner. There are many ways to accomplish this. With any of these, if the gesso is too thick, you can add some water to thin it down a bit. You can…..

Put some gesso on a toothbrush and spatter it onto the paper by running your thumb or finger across the bristles.

Dab it on with a paper towel.

 

Mix gesso and water in a mini mister bottle and spray it on

Put gesso and water in a pipette and drop it on

Sponge gesso on a rubber stamp and stamp it onto the paper.
Clean your rubber stamp immediately!
After you have your gesso on the paper, let it dry completely or use a heat tool to speed it along.
Use a wide brush to wet the paper. Wet the back of the paper first, flip it over, and wet the front of the paper. This will keep the paper from curling as you work.
Now we'll add our color to the paper. You can use as many or as few colors as you'd like. For this piece I've used 3 colors, a yellow, pink, and green.

Use a pipette to drip the first color of Ecoline ink onto the paper

With a new pipette add the second color to the paper.

With a new pipette add the third color to the paper

Allow the colors to blend somewhat. You can use a spray bottle to add extra water if you want. You can pick up the paper and tilt it.

If the paper is too wet, you can lay a piece of cardstock on top, press well, and peel off. This will remove the extra water and color and also give you a second piece you can use for backgrounds.

At this point you have a great background to use. The gesso has resisted the color giving great texture to the piece. You can use it as is or continue to add to it.

I decided I'd like to add to it. Here I'm stamping the same flourish image using Versamagic pink petunia.

A close-up of a small section of the paper.

Here I'm using a toothbrush to flick gold paint over the whole piece giving it a subtle but wonderful accent.

It's really hard to see the tiny speckles but tilted in the light you can see some near the bottom of this picture.
A scan (rather than digital camera) of the whole sheet.

ATC #1

You can now use the sheet however you'd like cutting it into whatever sizes you'd like.

This is an atc. The background paper is cut a little smaller than an atc.

Stamp the quote with black ink, edge the piece with gold Krylon, wrap with silk ribbon taping it to the back, layer to an atc-sized piece of black cardstock, glue on flowers and crystal sticker over silk ribbon, and add white dots along the bottom with the Inkssential white pen.

ATC #2

Bonus atc.

This atc was cut from the extra piece of cardstock made while making the background.

Stamp the music with Versamagic lime green. Stamp bird, saying, and flourishes using black ink.

 

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© 2008 Suzanne Cannon
The images on this site are the property of Suzanne Cannon and credited artists.
Use without the permission of the owner is absolutely prohibited.
For information about these images please contact us.