I have a fun technique to share with you today. I happen to have found something that is really fun and easy to do. It involves using a mask. Yes… todays lesson is all about using masks.

Heidi Swapp has cornered the market on masks. She has some amazing designs out there right now. I love them all. I think I may even have them all too. One of my favorites is the crown mask. I can’t believe I have had it and never used it until now.

So… what the heck is a mask anyways? It is a repositionable template that works the opposite of a stencil by giving you the negative image. It has a sticky surface that will cling and stay in place once you have positioned it. You can use any medium on it. Everything from paint, ink and chalk. I have used them all and I like the effect they each bring. When you use paint you get a great even, strong coverage. With ink you also get great coverage. When you use chalk you can easily blend colors and get a softer look.

Once you have chosen your mask and your medium you need to chose your background paper. Position your mask on your paper and apply your paint, ink or chalk over the mask. Once you’re satisfied with the result, gently peel the mask away. You are left with a beautiful negative image!! Then, just wipe the mask clean. They are completely reusable!!

I used white paint with a little Ranger Crystal Stickles on the following layout of DD. I loved the overall effect.

You can also make your own masks by using stickers. This is very easy to do. I have also just traced an outline using a pencil or marker as well.

Have fun and play around with different masks and mediums.

~Tara~

This entry was posted on Thursday, March 27th, 2008 at 7:54 pm and is filed under Previous Posts, tutorial thursday. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.