INKY FINGERS

Someone asked me about Marvy Metallic backgrounds the other day and I’d been planning a few background sessions for here, so here’s the Marvy Metallic one :)

All you need is a spritzer (a common old garden spray will do – don’t go to any unnecessary expense), Marvy Metallic markers (or ANY OTHER WATER BASED BROAD NIBBED METALLIC PENS), glossy cardstock (I used black and white), a Craft sheet or newspaper to protect your work surface and some Cling Film (Saran wrap for those in the US)

Shake those pens up and down – see, you’re getting exercise while you do this – then pump until the ink is flowing freely. You can either do this on some scrap paper, your worksheet, or the actual card you’re working with – which is what I did :)

Then add scribbles and dots of the marker randomly over the glossy card.

Now spritz with water.

You can, of course, also scribble the markers onto your Scrap Sheet and ‘mop them up’ with cardstock, but beware, they do muddy! So keep them apart. I have to confess that I don’t like the results as much when I do that.

Then

a) Leave to dry naturally

b) Place another piece of card on top, smooth down and pull apart carefully (it’s worth enlarging the white card on the right, to see the gold on it – it’s lovely)

c) Place another piece of card on top, twist and pull off

OR

d) Crinkle up some Cling Film, spread it over the ink and LEAVE TO DRY!

I know this last one is blurred but it’s pretty!

Then use to your heart’s delight, either for stamping on, behind acetate or as a matte.

A few people have said they will try to get these pens - PLEASE DON'T!!! This tutorial is for those who actually already have them and need to find a use for them - you can stamp with them, too and they do look good on black. But you can get just (or almost) the same effects with metallic acrylic inks, metallic acrylic paints, Lumières and even with Mica powders (Pearl-Ex, Moondust, Faerie Dust, Perfect Pearls, etc). You need some kind of medium to hold them in place but you don't need anything too fancy - the ever resourceful Jo used spray starch in a workshop at Stamp Club a couple of months ago and it worked fine, giving very similar effects :)

Twinkler Backgrounds tomorrow!