Group of Seven - Batik

Hi everybody.  This month over at the Group of Seven Cardmakers it is all about creating the look of Batik on cards by using an emboss resist technique.  I used a fern from a set called Grasses by Art Journey and a couple of different leaves from a set by Chocolate Baroque called From Nature 1.  I also used the Torn Edge Oval dies from Creative Craft Products and a Crafter's Companion set of leaf dies called Thankful and Blessed - Forest Floor.

I started by ink blending some different colours onto a piece of white card cut to fit a 6" square base card using Ripe Persimmon, Salty Ocean, Mustard Seed and Blueprint Sketch Distress Inks.  I kept the coverage quite light and then covered the piece with the fern and leaves using Versamark Ink and heat set with WOW Clear Gloss Embossing Powder, first making sure the background inking was perfectly dry and I also dusted it with an anti static bag.  In between adding the various stamped and embossed leaves I added a bit more colour so that some are paler and those added later were a bit darker as the strength of colour beneath the embossing was heavier.  I felt that there were still too many big gaps and perhaps needed a flower stamp, and I had the Spellbinders Bold Blooms out and I decided to make a stamp from one of the smaller flowers using craft foam, and I die cut one and then cut it twice more from a bit of white card and layered them together with the craft foam on the top.  I then inked it with the Versamark and tested it out on a scrap of card and it worked well, so I used that a few times to fill the gaps.  I then inked over it all with the first three colours but the images still did not seem to stand out enough so I used the Blueprint Sketch DI over the whole thing to give it more definition and it just darkened the background sufficiently to make the images pop a bit more.  The last step was adding the creases to the card with a bone folder, and at random intervals and slanted rather than straight across the card I think looks best, and I then inked again with the Blueprint Sketch to add ink into the creases.  I did also run the bone folder over the back of the piece to flatten it out a bit which made it easier to add onto the card but didn't spoil the look of the creasing.

I finished the card by adding a Torn Edge Oval sentiment plate and inked and heat embossed the sentiment quite lightly with Versafine Majestic Blue with a bit of the Salty Ocean ink over the top to keep it a bit lighter, and clear embossed with WOW EP, and a little Salty Ocean left on the brush added around the edges, and also added three gold die cut leaves using the Crafter's Companion set and having its first outing, and then added this all onto a 6" square white card.

You can also add just one colour on the background and then stamp and emboss the images and also if you prefer you can stamp and emboss straight onto the white card and then add some colour over the top and then the images will be white, and also instead of stamps you emboss through a stencil which works well too.  If you want to see more do go and visit the GO7 blog and you will find lots of wonderful examples of ways of doing this technique and also a link to a video, and if you make something there is a Linky at the bottom of the page where you can add it for us all to see and enjoy.

Thank you for visiting my blog today and I'll see you again soon.

I am entering the following challenges:

Allsorts Challenge - No. 824 Happy Birthday/Anything Goes.  How great to have reached 16 years!

NBUS Challenge - No. 74 Where we use our Never Before Used Schtuff.

Addicted to Stamps and More Challenge - No. 493 Birthdays.

Simon Says Wednesday Challenge - Anything Goes.