"august technique challenge" – tim holtz(c) 2008
supplies: craft sheet, adirondack alcohol inks, blending solution, ink applicator tool, jet black archival ink pad, glossy accents, glossy paper (ranger); fragments (tim holtz idea-ology); ghost (heidi swapp); non-stick scissors (tonic); stamps (stampers anonymous); soft cloth
step 1: apply a piece of felt to the ink applicator tool.
step 2: ink up the tool by placing the nib of the alcohol ink bottle into the felt and squeeze for about 2 seconds.
step 3: repeat with any additional colors you want (*tip: be sure not to overlap colors to avoid making mud).
step 4: ink up one side of the fragment by tapping the inked tool on the fragment completely covering it with ink (*tip:be sure to just ink ONE LAYER AND STOP!)
step 5: wait about 5 seconds and then you can apply additional layers of color (*tip: you can add as many layers of ink as you wish just wait 5 second between layers).
step 6: allow inked surface to dry completely.
step 7: ink up a stamp with jet black archival (*tip: stamp selection is key here – you want an image with a definite shape, not words, and not faces – you’ll see why…).
step 8: place stamp inked rubber side up and press fragment inked side down over image.
step 9: immediately lift off of stamp and LIGHTLY blot wet ink off of fragment with a soft cloth (*tip: you need to work quickly as archival ink is a permanent ink and will dry black on the fragment if you wait too long).
step 10: working from a clean area of the towel, wipe off remaining archival ink to reveal image. wait a minute! what just happened? did my image disappear? it sure did…
step 11: place the fragment over a piece of white glossy cardstock INKED side down – WOW! the jet black archival ink actually removes the alcohol ink underneath when you remove it while it’s still wet – a weird chemical reaction, it works every time. (*tip: now do you see why we don’t want to use words? they would appear backwards at this point {well there is a way to stamp in reverse, but that’s a whole other technique} i have to say i don’t mind backwards numbers for some reason though?..).
step 12: apply a small amount of glossy accents around the inked side edge of the fragment and place down on to glossy cardstock.
step 13: trim excess cardstock to size of fragment with non-stick scissors (*tip: glossy accents bonds to paper in about 7-10 seconds!).
step 14: repeat above steps to create enough mosaics for tag of project (*tip: be sure to change felt between colors).
step 15: (variation) – you can also do this technique on anything smooth – heidi swapp ghosts, memory glass, dominoes, transparencies, metal, mica, and more…
so there you have it. pretty neat huh? just image the possibilities – oh never-mind…. experience the possibilities, give this technique a try today. you may have to try it a few times to get perfect, but that’s what blending solution is for. if your image doesn’t work out the first time, simply apply some blending solution to a paper towel and wipe all of the ink off of the fragment and start over. let the inking playtime begin….t!m
