Making it my own ...

Creative Chemistry 103 was an intensive technique course,

crammed with information, tips, advice, ideas ...

During the first week, Tim Holtz released video tutorials each day,

leaving us some time during the second week to review & play.

Below are my favourite techniques, one from each day,
but before I begin,

you may be wondering about the title of this blog post ...
well apart from one tag,
I had to adjust & adapt the technique to fit the supplies I had,
thus
"Making it my own ...".

Day 1 - Distress Micro Glaze Resist

I used Micro Glaze for the first time to create this background.
I'm intrigued to see what else this glaze will do.

I was suppose to use Distress Spray Stains,
but I don't own any,
so I squished some Distress Ink on my craft sheet
& spritzed with water to make it more fluid.

This was an easy way to create interesting backgrounds
& I can see myself using this method in my art journal.

Distress Micro Glaze Resist Technique

I used the following:-

Manila Tag #8

Tim Holtz Stencil - Dot Fade

Tim Holtz Stencil - Flourish

Tim Holtz Stencil - Bubble

Tim Holtz Stencil - Typo

Distress Stain - picket fence (decantered into a Mini Mister)

Distress Ink - broken china

Distress Ink - weathered wood

Distress Ink - mustard seed

Distress Ink - picket fence

Day 2 - Paint Lifting 

We were suppose to use Distress Paints for this technique,
but I don't own any.

I usually use kitchen towel to lift paint,
which gives me more control over the result.

The wet wipe that I used was far too wet,
which lead to some crinkling when I lifted the stencil off,
so although this was unintentional,
it added another level of interest.

Paint Lifting Technique

I used the following:-

Manila Tag #8

Tim Holtz Stencil - Flourish

Tim Holtz Stencil - Bubble

Tim Holtz Stencil - Typo
Own Stencils (Vintage Market/Pebbles)

Distress Stain - picket fence in a Mini Mister
various acrylic paints

Day 3 - Texture Paste Resist

So what do you do when you don't own any Transparent Gloss Texture Paste?

Try Glossy Accents instead.

I squeezed some Glossy Accents on to my craft sheet
& used a palette knife to spread it over & through the stencil.

Quick rinse under the cold tap with some liquid soap
& the stencil was clean.

I like the texture & shine that this technique gives to the cardstock,
without totally obscuring the detail underneath,
so I will probably use this method again.

Transparent Gloss Texture Paste Resist Technique

I used the following:-

Tim Holtz Patterned Cardstock
(distressables - Circus)
Glossy Accents
Tim Holtz Stencil - Flourish

Distress Ink - picket fence

Day 4 - Distress Crayon Gesso Fresco 

I adore Faber-Castell Gelatos,
but now I also love Distress Crayons.

They were easy to blend on the white gesso base,
but definitely hard to rub over a non-treated surface.

Love the intense pigments.

They are a friendly medium & will definitely be used in my art journal.

Distress Crayons Gesso Fresco Technique

I used the following:-

Manila Tag #8
Distress Crayons - Set 1
(picked raspberry/spiced marmalade/mustard seed/
twisted citron/peacock feathers/mermaid lagoon)

Dylusions Stencil - Honeycombe

Tim Holtz Stencil - Bubble

Tim Holtz Stencil - Typo

Day 5 - Alcohol Ink Splattered Floral

I always find that the vibrant colours of the alcohol inks
seem to fade quite quickly as the ink begins to seep into the substrate,
even on glossy cardstock.

I don't own any Alcohol Yupo paper,
so my work around for this technique was
coating a manila tag with white gesso
& allowing it to dry thoroughly overnight.

Alcohol Ink Splattered Floral Technique

I used the following:-

Manila Tag #8
white gesso
Alcohol Inks
Blending Solution

As this was my last tag,
I spent more time on it than the others,
doodling with my Blending Pen.

It was fun, but alcohol inks are not for me.

Summary

I enjoyed Creative Chemistry 103 as much as the others,
but as with the rest of Summer of Creative Chemistry,
what I enjoyed most were the live chats.

A lot of the techniques Tim used incorporated stencils
& although I have starting making my own,
I got bored quickly using the few professional ones that I own.

I may have to invest in some of Tim's Mini Stencil sets,
to add interest & variety to my art,
as they can be used in so many different ways ...
see I'm justifying my future expenditure already!

Creative Chemistry 103 with Tim Holtz

The third online class with Tim Holtz starts today.

Make sure you have signed up.

Lessons Learnt

I've hit quite a few snags during the second lesson.

It's all about Archival Inks & my old Jet Black has run out of fuel.

And I do not own any of the lighter brighter colours.

Also for one of the tags, Tim uses his wonderful Sizzix Vangabond machine & embossing folders, 

neither of which do I own or have access to.

So, I've had to rethink my objectives.

Basically we are learning how the different products work by themselves & with each other,

so if I don't have those products, then at this stage, I don't need to learn how to use them.

Instead when I hit a hurdle, I can still watch the techniques,
make notes, recreate the tags,

but I will use Tim's own tag as my reference image.

I was pondering over the Brushless Watercolour tag from the first lesson

& realised that a much simpler way to colour the stamp is to use Distress Markers.

But I only have those in a couple of colours.

Before Distress Markers we used Cut-n-Dry pen nibs,

which have a brush tip that you dip/press into the ink pad.

But I don't think these would give enough coverage.

My conclusion was to dab my selected ink pads directly onto the craft mat

& pick up the colour using my water brush.

A much easier way to get the right colour in the right place.

No more muddy flowers for me!

Better Late than Never

I signed up for Tim Holtz's Creative Chemistry 101 lessons, yes the one he launched back in 2012.

I am taking things slowly doing one class a week, watching & re-watching the videos,

making notes, making tags using his techniques & learning ...

Here are my first three tags, made using Ranger's Inkssentials

Craft Tags #8 size in manilla & black.

Day 2

I printed out the full step-by-step technique to attach to the back of each tag, for easy reference.

Reverse of Tag

I added my own reminders of things that I personally need to remember.

Life tab to reveal the step-by-step technique & my own hints

It was fun getting inky & let's say "interesting" trying to get Word to do what I wanted it to do!

I got there in the end & that was very satisfying.

The stamps I used for the watercolour technique are from Ecogreen Crafts (Garden Chic).