October 10, 2008

no more excuses...

show me the paint!!

i am kind of known as the 'paint freak' here at SC, and it's a title i'm ok with, lol. after posting my 'choose your path' mini earlier this week, i received several emails asking how to achieve the whole 'how-to-make-the-painted-chipboard-tear-without-destroying-it' look...so here goes.

first, gather a few goodies. chipboard, foam paint brush (i buy mine in bulk at Michael's when they are on sale 20/$1...time to stock up!), paint (i prefer Making Memories...it has less water in it which makes it dry a bit faster and go on thicker. i also have a ton of 'not Making Memories' acrylic paint in my stash that i use consistently...i just usually have to do more than one layer with it.), and a sanding file. (i have all but used my Basic Grey set to the bone and am trying desparately to find a new one, but i also use sandpaper from Mike's stash in a pinch.) one comment i hear alot from friends is that they don't like to use paint because they always put too much on and then don't like it. i hear you. the best advice i can give is to USE A LIGHT HAND...i squirt a plop of paint onto a scrap piece of paper and only dip the angled edge of the foam brush into the paint. THEN, i drag it across the scrap paper to get rid of most of the paint...you can always go back and add another layer, but taking away a layer doesn't work quite as well, lol.
ok, then paint the chipboard. ( i forgot to take a pic of this step, but i think that's pretty easy, lol) if i am going to distress the paint after i apply it, i make sure the chipboard is completely covered with the paint. if i don't plan on doing this, i use an even LIGHTER hand and swipe just a few times to give it that sparse look. then you wait. :)
not very long...see how the paint on this piece isn't quite dry?? that's when you grab your distresser and go to town.
i place the chipboard flat on my desk and then use the file at a very shallow angle...this one bends, which is nice, so i apply pressure to make it lie semi-flat against the painted chipboard. then i firmly drag it toward myself...see how the edges peel? that is actually the top layer of chipboard coming off...which is what you want.
once i have a free edge, i pull with a fingernail until i like how it looks.
cool, huh?

then to prevent further ripping, i sand the ripped edges after they are completely dry. it softens the look a bit as well.
if you don't have a BG file like this one, you can do the same exact thing with a piece of sandpaper...always keep some handy!
see??
one other thing you can do to distress your painted chipboard is to wait for it to dry completely and THEN sand. it won't rip this way...but you can see that it will lighten the color of the paint a bit. i always sand the edges of my chipboard too...
so when you wait until it's completely dry and then sand on top of it, use the file almost flat against the chipboard. this kind of distresses the entire thing slightly, instead of a distinct chunk, lol.

you can obviously do as much or as little as you like...just try it. it's a fun way to change up the way your materials look a bit...and you'd be hard pressed to find a more cost effective way to add a little something to your projects. and the choices??!! infinite!!
that's it my friends...no more excuses!!
:)

6 comments:

mommy2alex said...

Great instructions, thank you!! Love the step-by-step photos too.
Cute clock ;)

Anonymous said...

Awesome instructions! Love this technique. Guaranteed, I'm going to use it on my ATC. :)

kathleen said...

Very,very cool Nic! Thanks for the awesome step by step!!

MandeeM said...

I too love my BG distressing kit. My files are almost dead too, so I went and picked up some $.99 files from Wet and Wild at Wally World, Target, Walgreens... where ever, and slipped then into the pink sleeve. They are a bit bigger, but they work great and you can find them in all different varieties of coarsenesses. Is that a word? :)

Kimberly said...

Very cool technique.

Jocelyn said...

Hi, I am new to your Blog, but I loved the instructions on how to do the chipboard and paint! I tend to get heavy handed with the paint and then it takes so long to dry! Love all your creations. Come meet me on my blog! I will continue to follow your wonderful Blog! Have a great weekend!