DOUBLE GLITTER TECHNIQUES by Lynell Harlow
MATERIALS
Double sided mounting paper (MPDS)
Ultrafine opaque and transparent glitters
Variety of Dreamweaver metal stencils
100% natural soap (DHHS)
#3, #6, and #12 Dreamweaver stencil brushes
1. Soap the back of the stencil with a bar of natural soap (DHHS). A 100% natural soap works best because it is not so crumbly. The soap will act as a resist to the tackiness of the mounting paper, so that when you remove the paper from the metal stencil, you will not ruin it by bending it.
2. Gently brush away any soap flakes from the stencil openings with a firm #12 stencil brush. If there are any clumps of soap on the back of the stencil they will resist the distress powder and could distort the finished image making it blotchy, so smooth these clumps away with the brush.
3. Cut a piece of Double Sided Mounting Paper (MPDS) just slightly larger than your stencil and remove one side of the release paper to reveal the sticky surface. Save this piece of release paper that you have removed for the next step.
4. Press the soaped side of the stencil onto the sticky face of the paper very firmly, to avoid air pockets which could create a way for the glitter to seep under the stencil. You could use the release paper that you saved to place over the stencil and press to keep the sticky mounting paper clean from dirty fingers.
5. Sprinkle the glitter into the design of the stencil and use a circular rubbing motion with your fingers to make it stay on the sticky mounting paper. Then, tip the paper at an angle so this glitter will fall away from sticky parts of the design that you later want covered with another color of glitter. Repeat this process with other colors of glitter and remember to angle each color away from sticky areas not yet filled. We call this angling process a “waterfall” technique.
6. When you are finished, tap off the excess glitter and place your card, stencil side down, on the table. Now your stencil is hidden from your view. Carefully peel the glittered mounting paper off the stencil with one hand, while supporting the stencil with the fingers of your other hand to ensure that the stencil remains flat against the table. (See how the soap keeps the sticky paper from “sticking” to the stencil?) This way you are bending the cardstock in the removal process and not the stencil.
7. Now the background of your glittered design is revealed and this part is still sticky (this is the area the stencil was sticking to). To finish the card I sprinkled a transparent background glitter all over this, now sticky, background. You can even do a circular rubbing motion with your fingers to work this glitter into the tacky background area.
Other Techniques
I usually suggest doing the stencil design portion with an opaque glitter and the background with a transparent glitter or vice versa. This will achieve better color contrast. However you could also use colored transparent glitter on both the stencil design and a different color of transparent glitter on the background area, and then reposition the stencil on your glittered piece with removable tape. Next add color on top of this transparent glitter by stenciling with inks, using a dry brush technique for added shading and detailed coloration. Use our small #3 and #6 blue and gold handled brushes for the best results for these small stencil holes.
Great results have also been achieved with flocking or embossing powders with the double glitter technique.