Tool Talk!

posted by Deb Felts, With a Stamp and a Song

I was a painter before I became a scrapper/stamper. For a long time the two hobbies remained separate, but in the last several years, with the advent of acrylic paint specifically for use with paper, they have begun to merge. I thought it would be fun to give you a few pointers about using paint and painting tools in your scrapbooking and stamping...that opens the door to all kinds of fun projects, including a little home decor like the coffee cup holder I'm sharing with you today.

I started my project with a simple pine plaque. (You can usually find basic wood pieces at any of the major hobby stores. A good source for specialty pieces is The Artist's Club...this would have been really *sweet* on this piece!). I marked the placement for a shaker peg using a see-through ruler. I used my drill press (yes, it is MINE, not my husband's!) to drill a hole just deep enough to accomodate the peg without going through to the back of the plaque. I glued it in using Aleene's Tacky glue, being careful not to get glue on the visible surfaces.

It's a good idea to give the wood a quick once-over with some sand paper to knock off the rough spots. For larger pieces (or pieces with alot of wood knots) you should also apply a coat of wood sealer. The wood will *drink* less paint if sealed first. For this piece, I skipped the sealer and went straight to painting.

Acrylic paint for paper has a lesser water content than regular acrylic paint, and so you should choose your type of paint accordingly. Your work will be much easier if you buy the best brushes you can afford...and take proper care of them! Here are a few simple rules.

• Clean your brush frequently as you work. Dip only the bristles into the paint. Keeping paint out of the ferrule (the metal that holds the bristles) will keep your brush from splaying and fraying. Cleaning your brush also loads the bristles with a little moisture, which will help the paint flow smoothly onto your project. Of course, with paper, you will want to be careful of the water content so that you can avoid warping. I keep a cup of water on my paint palette with a paper towel nearby, so I can rinse, blot, and then load my brush with the amount of water I choose.
• NEVER...I repeat, never ever leave your brush standing in water! It will ruin the bristles! If you're still working, rinse your brushes and lay them flat on your work surface. When you are completely finished, stand them on end with plenty of breathing room between their tips so that they stay smooth and straight.

Apply paint in several thin coats, rather than one thick one. Allow it to dry thoroughly in between or the paint may clump. I like to give my wood projects a quick hit with a crumpled paper bag (the thinner ones, like wine bottles are packed in at the grocers') between coats...it is like ultra-fine sand paper and even leaves a nice sheen! When adding paper to my projects, I like to use Mono Multi glue, and if necessary, go over it with a brayer to work out any bubbles or wrinkles.

For this project, I used DRS Designs' soon-to-be-released Fresh Roast coffee stamp, H960 (one of three that work together). I stamped it using Memento ink and colored it with Gamsol, then trimmed the design, matted it with card stock and mounted it with dimensionals on top of the designer paper layer.

The last step in finishing a project is usually to seal it to protect it from dust and moisture. There are many kinds of sealers available, including brush-on and aerosol. A word of CAUTION: make sure your sealer is compatible with the paints and inks you have used on your project. It is awful to spend time, effort and energy on a project, only to have the ink smear when you brush or spray on a sealant. Certain combinations of products will cause the paint to bubble, so it is wise to test first on a scrap before moving to your actual project. I still have to apply sealer to this project (it has been raining)...I plan to use Krylon matte finish spray sealer and then attach a saw-toothed hanger to the back so I can display it.

I hope I've inspired you to try a new medium and make something fun!

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