Tutorial: In Art Art Journal Tag

Hello Tuesday!  Here you are again!  It sure seems like Tuesday comes around faster than I am ready for it!  Didn’t I just finish posting the last Tuesday Tutorial?

Today I have another page I created for my art journal.  As you may remember, the main focus of my current art journal are die cut art tags and pages that are inky, with stamping and quotes that speak to me.  Although I am working on tags mainly, the pages are very technique based and could be adapted to any other type of project that you might be working on.

Today’s tag is a #10 manila tag by Ranger Ink.  The #10 is a large tag, the size in between the jumbo tag #12 and the standard #8.  I have punched holes in my tag along the left edge so that it will fit in my art journal and add a decorative edge along the bottom using the Tim Holtz Ornate On the Edge die.  (Don’t forget, there is always a complete supply list at the bottom of the tutorial with links to two online stores that I shop with.)

Ink a small butterfly stamp (Tim Holtz Papillon set) with Broken China Distress Ink.

Use a dry cloth to wipe away the ink on the text part of the stamp.

Stamp the butterfly onto the tag.

Sprinkle the wet ink with clear embossing powder.  If any powder clings to the text, brush it away with the cloth or a dry paint brush.

Heat the embossing powder until it melts.

Stamp several more butterflies with assorted colors of Distress Ink.  Emboss each with clear embossing powder as before.

Place a text or script stamp face up on a craft sheet.  Scribble the surface of the stamp with Picket Fence Distress Stain.

Place the tag face down onto the stamp.  Run your hand over the back of the tag to make sure the image is transferred.

Lift the tag off of the stamp.  The stamped design will be very wet and fluid looking.

Dry the wet stain with a heat tool.

Add color to the embossed butterflies using Distress Markers.

While the marker ink is still wet, smudge over it with your finger to blend it and to wipe it off of the embossing powder.

The result will be watercolor like effect, very imprecise.  If you do not care for the streaks, you can simply skip that step.  I think it adds an interesting detail.

Use an ink blending tool to apply Rusty Hinge Distress Ink to the upper left side of the tag.

Use an ink blending tool to apply Scattered Straw Distress Ink to the right edge of the tag and into the center.

Use an ink blending tool to apply Broken China Distress ink to the upper and lower left edges.

Use an ink blending tool to apply Peeled Paint Distress Ink to the lower right edge of the tag.

Mist water onto your hand and flick it onto the tag to create water spots in the ink.  The more water you flick, the more pronounced the spots will be.  The water will not only create spots, but will also help bring the Picket Fence to the surface.

Dry the water spots with a heat tool.

Mist the four corners with Biscotti Perfect Pearls Mist.

Dry the tag with a heat tool.

Use an ink blending tool to apply Vintage Photo Distress Ink to the edges of the tag.  Dry the tag with a heat tool thoroughly.

Rake the edges of the tag with the Vintage Photo Distress Ink pad to create a bold edge.  While the ink is still wet, sprinkle it with clear embossing powder.  You only want the embossing powder to stick to the edges, which is why you must dry the tag well before raking the ink on the edge.  The embossing powder will stick to any previous ink that isn’t dry which may look neat, but won’t create the crisp edge effect.

Melt the embossing powder with a heat tool.

The melted embossing powder will add a bold edge to the tag.

Die cut the word “ART” two times from manila cardstock using the Tim Holtz Artful Words die.  Apply adhesive to the back of one of the words.  (I ran mine through a Xyron.)

Adhere the two layers together to create a thicker and more durable die cute.  Trim any excess from the words so that you only have “ART”.

If using a Xyron, run the assembled die cut through again, leaving it on the backing strip.  Leaving the die cut on the backing strip adds some durability and makes it easier to handle while inking.

Use an ink blending tool to apply Scattered Straw Distress Ink to the die cut.

Use an ink blending tool to apply Broken China Distress Ink to the lower part of the die cut.

Mist water onto your hand.  Flick the water onto the die cut to create water spots in the ink.

Blot away the excess water with a dry cloth and dry with a heat tool.

Use an ink blending tool to apply Vintage Photo Distress Ink to the left edges of the letters.

Tap the surface of the die cut generously with clear embossing ink.

Sprinkle the surface of the die cut with clear embossing powder.

Peel the die cut off of the backing paper.  If you have any glue goobers around the edges of the letters, simply scrape them away with the tip of a pair of scissors.

Before heating, you can add a light sprinkling of super fine glitter if desired.  (I did, because I think the word ART should always have a bit of sparkle!)

Heat the die cut with a heat tool to melt the embossing powder.

Die cut two hearts from manila cardstock.  (The larger heart is from the Tim Holtz Mini Hearts die set and the smaller is from the Mini Love Struck die set.)  Use an ink blending tool to apply Broken China Distress Ink to the larger heart and Scattered Straw Distress Ink to the smaller heart.

Mist the hearts with Biscotti Perfect Pearls Mist.  Blot the excess mist and dry with a heat too.

Use an ink blending tool to apply Vintage Photo Distress Ink to the edges of the two hearts.

Apply Broken China, Peeled Paint, Scattered Straw, and Vintage Photo Distress Inks to a craft sheet.  Mist the inks with water to create colored droplets of color on the craft sheet.

Toss a piece of dry Crinkle Ribbon around on the craft sheet.  Continue tossing it around on the droplets until it is colored as desired.

Blot the wet ribbon with a dry cloth.  Dry the ribbon with a heat tool.

To add extra spots of darker color, tap the dry crinkled ribbon with ink blending tools.  (I use the ink already on the foam and do not re-ink them so that the color will be subtle.)

Adhere the large heart in the middle of the tag along the right edge.

Wrap the tag with the ribbon, overlapping the large heart.  Tie the ribbon in a simple bow on the right side of the tag.

Adhere the small heart over the ribbon and over the center of the larger heart.  Sew or glue the ribbon to the left in place.

Adhere the ART die cut over the ribbon, overlapping it onto the hearts.

Use alphabet stamps and Jet Black Archival Ink to add a sentiment or quote.

The bold embossed edge creates a striking contrast and creates a frame for the tag.

The Perfect Pearls Mist adds a fine shimmer that reacts with movement of the tag.  Depending on the angle, the color can look flat or full of shimmer.

Crinkle Ribbon dyed to match the tag is always a perfect addition!

I love how stamping these butterflies in color made them subtle for the background while also adding some interest.  They add color without overpowering the foreground.

The Picket Fence Distress Stain stamping creates a subtle background image that is almost ghost like.

 

And this quote… such a good one!

In art, the hand can not execute anything higher than the heart can imagine.

Ralph Waldo Emerson

Whew!  This was a long one!  Thanks for making it to the end!  I hope it gave you some inspiration for your own art!

sss: Simon Says Stamp  ie: Inspiration Emporium