You know when you've been Tando'd!

Some of you may know that the last online Book of Secrets workshop this year has just started and bookings will stop as of 12pm tonight.

Putting this workshop together is where my love affair with Tando Creative chipboard first started, I loved the thickness and the way it held up to everything I chucked at it... and I mean everything!

My next discovery was the fantastic durability of their stencils and as they are manufactured from 350 micron plastic, I have never had one tear yet and they are used by so many in workshops around the country each week that they certainly get put through their paces, hence when I decided to design my own stencils Tando Creative was the first and only place I headed.

So today is the start of my week over at the Tando Creative Blog be sure to check out the design team projects over there this week. I decided to make a special Book of Secrets but with a difference to start this week off, lets call it a book of parts.... Tando parts!

I wanted the book box to to look as if it had been discovered laying on the sea bed or in a shipwreck for hundreds of years,  this was achieved by applying many layers of Decoart Americana and Traditions acrylic paint.

Steampunk Background paper from Rob Kleeman http://www.flickr.com/photos/robkleeman/

In this close up you should be able to see the many textures and layers going on giving a decayed appearance.

For the reverse of the book I decided to apply Decoart Modeling paste through some of my stencils, you get a lovely smooth surface with great detail,  also great depth can be achieved because of the amazing thickness of the stencils.

After applying some crackle and a few washes of acrylic paint it was antiqued by painting with Raw Umber and wiping it back before the paint was dry.

Here are a few recent projects posted to my Facebook just to keep you up to date.

Made this on my demonstration at the Craftbarn... I think its close enough to Halloween to be acceptable?!?

Finally here is page three of my Altered peter Rabbit book.

Thanks for reading,

Andy