I am really enjoying getting to know the other designers on the FSJ Creative Team. It just so happens that Marty McGee, who is on the team and is one of the other coaches I got to demonstrate with at convention in June, is also big into making Gel Press Prints! So, we decided to send each other some prints and get creative. The on stipulation was that at least one of the prints had to be one that we considered to be "UGLY". But Marty and I like to say, "There is no such thing as an ugly print, just an opportunity to get creative."
Here is the "UGLY" print that Marty sent me.
When I saw this print I thought of Halloween. And one of my suggestions when you are working with a print that you might find ugly is to stencil something over the top of it. So for this card I pulled out my Designer Series Stencil to add to the print. And, I stenciled Modeling Paste on to this print. First, let me show you the finished card, then I will show you the step by step on how altered my print.
First I taped my Gel Press print down to a scratch piece of paper. Then I taped the stencil down over the top of my print. That way, nothing is going to move.
Then I used a palette knife to spread the Modeling Paste over the stencil. It's just like frosting! Only it does not have to look perfect, so that is a WIN! But, you don't have to be afraid to give this product a try, you don't have to be a mixed media artist to use this. If you want something fun and new to add to your card making, this is just the thing! It's super fun.
So, the openings on the stencil will now be white and the areas where the stencil is will stay, letting my Gel Press Print background shine through.
Once you remove the stencil, make sure you rinse it off under water or wipe it off good with a baby wipe. Then you need to let the modeling paste dry. I did use my Heat Tool to speed up this process, just make sure you move it around like you would a hair dryer. Holding it in one spot can cause the paste to bubble up. But on a side note maybe there is a project in the future where you want to bubble up your modeling paste, so remember that.
Once my background was dry I knew I could not use it with the background that white. So I decided to color it with PanPastels. I used the Silver and a Sofft Tool to apply it. It gave my background shimmer and darkened it up just enough.
Then I had a fun print to use to make a Halloween card!
Below are all the products I used to make this card, if you have any questions, please reach out and ask. I love to chat with my readers and help with crafting questions.