Daring Cardmakers-Men

Making cards for men is the challenge from the Daring Cardmakers this week and when it comes to mens cards I always thank heaven for rubber stamps because without those images I would struggle to make any mens cards at all.

So the cards I am sharing today are both done using the same set of stamps from Rubbadubbadoo but done with different techniques.

The beautiful background on the blue card is a technique called drunken chalks which I love doing because you get a different look every time you do it.

For this technique you need to have-:

Fluid Chalk Ink Pads

Encore Metallic Silver Pigment Ink Pad

Surgical Spirits (Rubbing Alcohol)

White Gloss Card

Cheap Hairspray

I wanted to get a sort of misty early morning effect for the background here so I have used fluid chalk inks in blues and mauves.

Starting with blue at the top I have coloured direct to paper just by dabbing the chalk ink pad onto the card.

The next step is to cover the whole of the piece of card with the metallic ink until you can no longer see the chalk colours applied.

Then take a piece of cotton wool and soak it in Surgical Spirits.

Starting in one corner and working your way across and down the card, dab the cotton wool onto the metallic ink. Dab once and then move on, try not to go over the same spot twice.

You will see the metallic ink start to fracture.

Now either leave on one side to dry or if you are impatient like me.......dry it with a hairdryer.

Take some soft facial tissue and start to very gently buff the card. Some of the silver ink will come off but some will stay behind having been dried by the applied spirits.

Every time you do this technique, even with the same colour inks, you get a completely different finish so I usually make two or three pieces and then choose the best one for the images I am using.

If you are not happy with the look of your first application just re-apply the metallic ink and the spirits again then dry and buff.

Once you are happy with the look of your piece....spray with two coats of cheap hairspray and leave to dry.

The silhouette images look really good with this technique and couldn't be easier.

Stamp your image onto plain smooth card and cut out. Then using the same ink pad that you stamped with just cover the cut out image.

If you use a different ink or a pen to colour you will see the outline of the ink pad ink through the colour which spoils the effect so I always stamp and colour with Stazon.

The second card is just really chalking but then I have spritzed over that with a Sticky Fingers Autumn Inks Spray in Olive.

All stamping has been done in Stazon.

While I am not the author of the Drunken Chalks technique how I have described it above is my own version of the technique which works best for me.

Surgical Spirits is a flammable substance so as always please always observe good working practice and work in a well ventilated area........and put yer fag out!!!

Thanks as always to the DCM Team for the challenge.

Sheila

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