Acrylic Block Stamping | Halloween Series | Video

It’s much later in the week (and month, for that matter) than I’d planned, but I’m here with my first Halloween series video for this year! I thought that for this video it would be fun to show the acrylic block stamping technique and use the resulting backgrounds to make Halloween cards. This technique is quite new to me but I made another card with it recently, which you can see here, and I thought it was really fun.

I began by creating all my backgrounds. I first cut some panels of watercolour paper. Actually my pad is mixed media paper, because I picked up the wrong one, but it worked well enough. I cut them all to a bit bigger than a standard card front, which would allow me to cut them down to size later.

For the acrylic block stamping itself you will of course need an acrylic block and some ink. I used Distress Oxide inks for most of my panels, though one uses regular Distress Inks. I don’t have many acrylic blocks to chose from, but you could use any size or shape block you have.

I chose my smallest acrylic block, which is still quite large as they go, and started inking. The background I’d made in my previous attempt at the technique used Seedless Preserves, Milled Lavender and Spun Sugar Distress inks. I’d also made panels at the same time with Squeezed Lemonade and Wild Honey Distress Oxides.

The made several different panels for the video, experimenting with different colour combinations. I created the same yellow-orange blend but with the addition of a little pink using Squeezed Lemonade, Wild Honey and Worn Lipstick. I used Mermaid Lagoon, Cracked Pistachio and Lucky Clover for a blue to green background that I felt gave the impression of grass and sky. The Mermaid Lagoon came in again for a blue combination with Tumbled Glass and Stormy Sky. And finally I created a two colour blend with regular Distress inks, using Spiced Marmalade and Tea Dye.

The technique itself was the same regardless of the colour combination, whether I used two or three colours, and whether it was Distress Ink or Distress Oxide. First I applied the ink to my block, starting with the lightest and working through to the darkest. I then spritzed the ink with water, and placed the block ink side down onto watercolour paper. I used more blocks to add weight and let everything sit for a couple of minutes.

I then removed the block, peeling it carefully in the direction of the stripes rather than against them. This helps to avoid the colours muddying or over-mixing. I used a paintbrush to move any extra ink to cover any areas that hadn’t taken the colour properly.

Having completed my panels I trimmed the all down so that they had an even border of white around them. I then turned them each into clouds.

Card 1 – Spooky House

I used the Tea Dye and Spiced Marmalade Distress ink panel for my first card. Some slight warping of the paper gave the look of clouds in a spooky sky, which I felt went perfectly with the house from Simon Says Stamp’s Creepy Cute. I stamped and white heat embossed the house with white embossing powder, then stamped over the top and embossed again with Glow In The Dark powder. I fussy cut the house out and adhered it to the panel which I’d attached to a black card base. I added a sentiment from Love From Lizi’s Happy Haunting stamp set and finished off with some Ebony Black Nuvo Drops.

Challenges:

Addicted to Stamps and More – Holiday

Digi Choosday – Anything Goes

Fun Friday – Birthday Inspired (my birthday is just before Halloween)

HLS Watercolour Challenge – Anything Goes

Simon Says Stamp WCMD Challenge – Anything Goes

The Library Challenge – The Woman In The Window

Card 2 – Meow-lloween

The second card uses a panel block stamped with Wild Honey and Squeezed Lemonade. I adhered it to a black card base and added a cat die cut with Simon Says Stamp’s Witch Cat die from another snippet of black. I used stamps from Creepy Cute to create my sentiment and again finished off with Ebony Black Nuvo Drops.

Challenges:

Creatalicious Challenges – Anything Goes

Fabrika Fantasy – Halloween

HLS Anything Goes With Dies – Use Dies

Power & Spark – Birthday Inspired (my birthday is just before Halloween)

STAMPlorations CAS Challenge – Anything CAS and Optional: Black

Card 3 – Trick or Treat

I completely trimmed away the white edging from the Squeezed Lemonade, Wild Honey and Worn Lipstick panel for my third card. I again used a black card base. I stamped the panel with three bats from Creepy Cute, added a sentiment from Happy Haunting, and finished with a fussy cut pumpkin stamped from Creepy Cute and coloured by ink blending with Spiced Marmalade. I completed the card with Nuvo Drops again, this time using Ripened Pumpkin along with the Black Ebony.

Challenges:

Double D Challenges – Scarecrows and/or Pumpkins

Mod Squad Challenge – Pumpkins and Gourds

SheepSki Designs – Fantasy and/or Wings

Sweet Stampin’ Challenge – Halloween

TCP Tuesday – Holiday

The Sisterhood of Crafters – Cute Spooks

……….

The acrylic block stamping technique is very fun, and a great way to make some quick and easy backgrounds. I think they worked really well for these Halloween cards. My favourite is the first one – which is yours? If you head over to my YouTube channel and leave a comment on the video you could win one of these cards! And be sure to tag me on Instagram or Facebook if you make a card inspired by these.

Love,

Lady Joyful

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