ATC simple Background technique

Hello and thanks for stopping by, Mark here with a little tutorial for making quick and easy backgrounds using the Decoart Media Fluids.

I have been a big fan of Atc's for years now as they appeal to my inner child who collected all manner of stickers and trading cards. Not only are they fun to make and trade they are also a perfect way to try out new techniques without working full scale.

For this post I have used Atc blanks in mdf and grey board ( I prefer working on the thicker substrates as they hold up so much better than the traditional thick stamping card stock and when finished just feel more substantial and special some how.

Start by painting the Atc with a couple of coats of Tinting Base to give a nice white base to work from.

Apply a couple of drops of Media fluid to a craft sheet and squidge ( technical term ) the Atc face down into the paint, Wiggle it around a little and carefully pull the Atc away from the craft sheet, this will create a nice textured pattern to the surface of the paint.

Repeat with more colours.

You can mop up the excess paint with additional Atc's so nothing goes to waste.

Using the tinting base or some of the Titan buff added to different colours will help lighten the darker colours and turn the translucent colours opaque.

sliding the Atc or tag around in the paint will help blend the colours together. when building up the different layers its some times necessary to let each coat dry first to avoid muddying the colours to much.

Also keep in mind if stamping with black ink the background needs to be kept on the lighter side other wise the image you stamp may not show up very well.

Keep adding layers of colour until you are happy with the results. To keep the colours on the brighter side use slightly less paint and dry between layers

To get a more muted finish try applying the different colours whilst the previous stage is still a little wet and by mixing in a little bit of the tinting base to tone down or lighten the colours.

This back ground was done by adding several colours to the craft sheet at the same time with a little squidging ( technical term ) and wiggling in the pant.

Stamp choice can be important and I have found with some of the stronger backgrounds stamps with a lot of fine detail and open space can get lost a little, finding a stamp that has a lot of inked rubber works well.

Stamp the image with a fresh or juicy archival ink pad.

I have used lots of Andy's stamps that are available from Stampendous for My Atc's and tag and once stamped they have been finished with a Gloss Varnish as I really wanted the colours to pop.

I finish the outside edge of the Atc's with a black Copic and some of the edges have been distressed with Archival Ink.

I finished the Heart Atc off by nailing several panel pins into it.

As always a huge thank you for stopping by. xxx.