Smile!

Good morning, it's Monday again so it's Kirsten here with another project. I hope you enjoyed the weekend. Thank you to everyone who Lisa and I for the Rusty Patina workshop in Grove Green yesterday. I've got some photos, which I'll add to the Lisa B Designs Facebook page later today.

My project today is a That's Crafty acrylic panel stacker, decorated with Woodware Clear Magic stamps, Deco Art Americana acrylic paints and Imagination Crafts' Starlights Metallic paints............

What are acrylic stackers??

 They are 3 pieces of clear acrylic and 1 piece of MDF, with four screws to hold them together. There are various shapes available and they make perfect gifts, or an alternative to a card. 

Two very important things to remember............

1. Remove the protective cover from each side of each acrylic piece before use.

2. Always use STAZON ink on the acrylic, it's the only ink that will dry on the acrylic. 

You could, if you're very careful, use Versafine and embossing powder on the acrylic, but heat drying runs the risk of warping it, so it's probably best avoided.

Firstly, I painted my background very simply with Deco Art Americana acrylic paints and some Starlights for the sun................

Now on to the fun part - the acrylic pieces. One of the pieces is slightly thicker than the other two, so you've got to have an idea of what's going where. I always stamp on the back, it's easier to paint the images that way, rather than looking through the acrylic, so I've also got to remember that the images will be reversed when I flip the acrylic over................

The Woodware Long Tall Flowers stamped in Stazon, painted with Starlights, then flipped over to the 'right side'............

This is the layer that will sit on the painted MDF bottom layer.

The first layer always looks a bit streaky, but if add a tiny amount of water to the paint and paint a very thin first layer, you can then build up the colour with the following layers.

The middle layer;  Smile! from the Woodware Just to Say set, (I love the font chosen for this set).........

The little monster from the Woodware The Blimps set is the top layer. Again, stamped in Stazon on the back, painted with Deco Art Americana acrylics and a little bit of Starlights...........

The colours you want to see have to be painted first, so the spots and the eyes were first, then I added the green paint and I always finish by painting over the coloured paint with either white paint, or gesso, it gives a smoother finish and the colours look a bit brighter...........

Let all the painted acrylic layers dry thoroughly, then use the screws to attach all four pieces together............

That's it, I hope you're still with me. 

The next Grove Green workshop is on November 12, click for details and booking information. Places are already limited, so don't delay if you'd like to join us.

              

See you next time.

Kirsten