Intaglio ATCs

The theme on 9ATC group is Intaglio. I wasn't successful in my attempts to make an intaglio plate and create an image. Not sure if it was because I don't have a printing press, or I didn't get the thickness of my plate right. Oh well, decided to make an Intaglio style embellishment for these atcs.

I choose one of the sheets of paper I created when making a Squishy book at an art retreat a few years back. I adhered this paper to a card stock base, stamped tree images on with black India Ink, added some torn foreign newsprint to the side. Inked the edges with black ink.

 To make the embellishments, punched a circle out of black card stock. Inked with VersaMark ink, covered with embossing enamel and heat set. Repeated this step 3 more times.

 On the 4th layer of heated embossing enamel, while it was still liquid, pressed in a star image that had been inked with VersaMark ink, and let the stamp sit in the embossing enamel until it had cooled. After removing the stamp, I rubbed silver metallic rub-ons over embellishment, then rubbed most of it off.

 Placed the embellishment on the atc, and layered it on black card stock, then added 3 tiny black star brads to the bottom left.

"I" Technique ATC

For December, the letter of the month is "I" on ArtVentures group. For my ATC background I used the ink wash faux bleach backgrounds made earlier. The embellishment uses the intaglio technique. Colored the ribbon with tumbled glass Distress Ink. Stamped the word with black Archival ink on the ribbon and attached with purple brads

Intaglio Embellishment

 I'm playing with "I" techniques, I wanted to give the Intaglio technique another try and use it as an embellishment.
Used a die cut to cut out butterfly shapes from thin cardboard packaging. Colored the white side with light blue Distress ink, covered with clear embossing powder (ep) and heat set. When ep cooled, covered surface with VersaMark ink, then clear ep and heat set again. Did a total of 4 layers of ep.

Before the 4th layer of ep, inked a flourish stamp with VersaMark ink, then pressed the stamp into the hot ep of the 4th layer. Left the stamp into the ep until the ep cooled.
Used light purple metallic rub-ons to color the surface and dark purple StazOn ink to color the edges.
 Here's the finished embellishment:

I is for Intaglio

One definition of Intaglio is "ornamentation with a figure or design sunk below the surface". This technique has been called Intaglio and  the Extra Thick (or UTEE) Embossing Technique and probably several other names as well.  I've also seen this technique done with regular embossing powders using more layers of embossing.

 Start with a thick card stock, you can use plain or colored card stock or ink the card stock. Since I am experimenting, I pulled out a previous done background that I didn't like at the time. Cover the surface with VersaMark ink (it helps if you re-ink the pad before doing this technique). Coat the surface with embossing enamel and heat set. I've seen people add extra embossing enamel while the previous layer is still hot and heat again, but I find the layers work better if I coat the layers with VersaMark ink before adding the next layer with embossing enamel and then heat setting. I did 4 layers of VersaMark-embossing enamel-heat set.

 While the fourth layer was still hot, I pressed down a rubber stamp image that had been inked with VersaMark and left the stamp in the embossing enamel until it had cooled.

 Remove the rubber stamp and you can see the impression stamped into the embossing enamel.

 You can either color the raised areas to show the contrast OR color in the depressed areas with alcohol ink or other medium. I choose to rub a combination of green and gold metallic rub-ons over the raised areas.

 I've added a large "I" chipboard sticker and will use this to be a place marker in my notebook for the upcoming "I" technique ATCs