january technique challenge...

"january technique challenge" - tim holtz(c) 2008
supplies: non-stick craft sheet, distress inks: faded jeans, broken china, vintage photo, walnut stain, black soot, ink blending tool, clear embossing powder, heat tool (ranger); paper distresser, scratcher tool (tonic studios); craft iron (clover); stamps (stampers anonymous); #8 tags (office supply store)

step 1: ink stamp with a lighter color distress ink and stamp on to surface.

step 2: working quickly, cover the stamped image with regular clear embossing powder and remove excess powder and place back into jar. (*tip: remember distress ink is an embossable dye ink)

step 3: emboss the image using a heat tool until powder is completely melted. (*tip: do not over-emboss the image, when it's raised and shiny, it's done)

step 4: choose a variety of colors of distress inks for your background. (*tip: choose colors darker than the stamped image)

step 5: using your ink blending tool, begin inking tag using the lightest color.  tap the tool on to your distress ink pad and in a circular motion, apply the ink to the tag. (*tip: only ink various sections of the tag with this color, not the entire tag)

step 6: repeat above steps using the next darkest color. (*tip: again, only ink other sections of the tag you didn't ink with the previous color, but still leave areas of the tag un-inked)

step 7: repeat with next color following above steps.

step 8: finish inking the tag with the darkest color.  this step should cover up any un-inkned spaces left on the tag. (*tip: you can always go back to the previous colors if desired - be sure there is contrast from your embossed image to your background colors)

step 9:  place a piece of newsprint old paper bag over your embossed image.

step 10: iron over the newsprint using a craft iron set to the highest heat setting. (*tip: a craft iron is twice the temp of a household iron and does not have any holes)

step 11: continue ironing until you can start to see the embossed image show through the back of the newsprint.  (*tip: this step is re-melting the embossing powder and absorbing it into the newsprint. your image is now smooth and the original color you stamped in as the embossing powder acted as a resist to the top layer of inks.  this is similar to wax batik but using embossing powder instead)

step 12: drag paper distresser along edges of the tag.  this will tatter the edges and prep them for ink.

step 13: ink distressed edges of tag using your ink blending tool and a brown color of distress ink.

step 14: stamp bird image near the top of the tag across batiked image using black soot distress ink.  this will still resist the ink from the stamped image too!

step 15: stamp verse stamp in bottom corner using black soot distress ink.

step 16: distress the surface of the tag using a scratcher tool by extending the wires and dragging it across certain areas of the tag.  this will scratch away layers of the tag. (*tip: do not be too aggressive with this step to avoid putting holes into the tag.)

Comments

[karen in maine]

thanks, tim - great technique!

[tammy b]

what is there to say, besides: you rock. sadly, not everyone is as open and sharing as you are. i'm so grateful you're sharing your gifts with us, as there is no way i could ever afford to travel and take one of your classes, so this is 2nd best - although i do love to see your smiling face in your videos!
happy and safe travels, tammy b

[Lauren]

Love it, love it, love it! Defintely going to have to try it & I even have all the tools I need at home! I might try to purchase some similar stamps though. I just started a book club with some of my online scrappin friends that are fellow book worms as well & these would make great bookmarks! Thanks Tim! :)

[Luanne]

hurrah! I've been lovingly stalking yoor blog all day waiting...absolutely worth it! Thanks again for doing this for us!! Your products inspire creativity, and when you demo them the juices start flowing! Gotta run, I've got tags to make -luanne

[Linda van Vliet]

perfect inspiration! I never thought about remelting embossing and removing it with a paper. I have all the tools I need for this example :) yippiee! And I'm off again on the next step of my journey. Cya all along the way.

[Diane Radischat]

t!m, You're right it's all about the sharing. It's what got me into this industry and it's what makes me most happy to stay in it. I appreciate you're willingness to share so openly your creative talents. Thanks again, I am off to my studio to 'unclutter' it, reorganize my space and start to create again. This technique will be first on my list. diane

[Lynne]

Hi Tim, thanks for the lovely tag. My sister in law and I went to a show on Sat and saw someone demonstrate blending distress inks on gloss card. I'd never tried them on gloss before but they did blend really nicely and s-i-l and I spent all evening playing - do you often use gloss card?
Have a safe flight.

[Tigger]

Gorgeous tag... You're at Ranger this week? Stop by and have a beer... ;-)

#1

[Jana]

Great !
I was just wondering
if a normal iron would work, for the ones like me that does not have a craft iron

[sofiso]

I really love that batik look !!! thanks for sharing !! :=)

[TBL]

This is worth the wait, and i'm going for a try!

[Carla H.]

Wow, now that I have spent a fortune on kewl Tim tools, it's again time to play. Can't wait to view all the new Ranger products you will be revealing. My lean pockets await your command, oh master ; )

[Linda Standart]

Tim

That's a wonderful combination of techniques. Love it, love it, love it!!

About sharing...
I couldn't agree more! I am a teacher and designer and demo artist at our local stamp store (Stamps and More by Eleanor). I design and create to SHARE. Sometimes I use what I THINK are my original ideas and techniques. Sometimes I use things from other artists. We just had our first "Tags and More" class, featuring your techniques (credit given, of course) and products from the 12 Tags series. The folks in the class, some of whom don't have computers or internet access, were just wowed and bowled over with these techniques. I loved seeing the creative lights come on and wish you could have been there to see it. I know it would have made you feel good.
The thing is that, like you, I teach and demo the techniques and basic design and then encourage my students to build on that to make projects that are unique to them.
That's where I get my joy from teaching.

Linda

[Missy]

I LOVE the tag and the colors are gorgeous! Thank goodness there are people out there who are so gracious in their willingness to share techniques. I can't even imagine what my projects would look like without you!! Can you say BLAH, BLAH, BLAH??!!
Missy

[Jill]

WOO HOO!! Tim is back and I'm back in the saddle making tags again. Thanks Tim. I love this tag and am off to create. Have safe travels and a great time.

[Kathryn Johnson]

Beautiful tag! Thanks for sharing the technique!

[NANCY]

I REALLY ADMIRE-RESPECT- & ENJOY YOUR ATTITUDE! THANKS FOR ALL THE INSPIRATION!

[Julie Corrigan]

So agree w/ the sharing! You're such an inspiration to me & how I teach stamping/crafting/altering to others. Love the tag ideas. Question - can't find the ink blending tool- any ideas? Been trying to find it since the last class I took w/ you. And of course "I have to have it!" Thanks & fun/safe travels!

[Tona]

Thanks yet again. I am learning so much from you. You explain each step/technique so clearly. I love that quote you put on the tag. - Words to live by. I agree with you that crafting/art should be about the sharing but for the insecure people it's always about tooting their horn or hoarding "their" process & ideas.

[Jo w]

Once again I am overwhelmed by your spirit of generosity. Thank you again for your willingness to share your talent & vision to inspire us all.
btw, loving the tag, I will trying this technique today

[elle]

really cool technique tim, can't wait to get my fingers dirty! and best yet, you're right, i have all the stuff needed to try this sittin' right in my studio :) i can tell already... i'll be looking forward to these challenges each month!

yea, if we all shared a little more, we could make this world a better place for sure.

thanks for sharing your journey with us...
peace,
elle

[Cherie Intintolo]

Tim, I so agree with your whole philosophy on sharing and I admire your willingness to share all these wonderful techniques with us on your blog. I think your openness and gracious attitude is why people love you so much! Thanks so much for this awesome technique. You totally ROCK!

[chel micheline]

Beautiful beautiful. Thank you for being such a HUGE inspiration to me. I needed a kick in the pants today to get going!

-chel

[Tracy B (in Alberta)]

Great to have another tip. Wow what a travel schedule you have.

[Julie]

Fantabulous, Tim! Thank you so much for sharing your tips. What would we do without you??

[Paula]

Very grateful to you for running these technique tips when you are so busy.
i have just invested in some of the distress inks & look forward to playing with them.

[Jen M.]

Love this -- thanks so much for sharing it! I don't have a craft iron either and wondered if there was another tool or technique I could use to get a similar effect, but I will play around with what I have to see if I can get it to work. Love your attitude about sharing too -- I'm a teacher and have been for 10 years and have met many others who see their work as "original" and are very territorial about it. True learning really happens when we let go of that.

[sarah]

Hi Tim. Hope you have a safe journey. i have been waiting patiently for this techinque and i love it. You are an amazing inspiration to me.... I remember 2 years ago walking into my Local craft store with my mum and the other asked me if i crafted i kept saying I cant do this..no way....looking through all the papers and inks and wondering what to do with them but now I own most of them,great technnique Tim....Now all I need is some help with crackle paint.....LOL
Sarah

[Andi M]

Thank you so much for sharing your techniques! I'm a novice at this. It's nice to get an online tutorial, so I can try the techniques myself. I absolutely love your attitude about sharing. Thanks again!

[Michelle]

Good one... thanks for the link to Tammy's site... love it.

Enjoy yourself on the road.

[Michelle]

Good one... thanks for the link to Tammy's site... love it.

Enjoy yourself on the road.

[Theresa Dalzell-Wells]

Thanks Tim for giving me a fresh take on a technique I learned from someone else a couple of years ago. I learned clear EP and colored ink. But never took it farther. I think that you sharing is just the coolest! I know it's been said before, but YOU ROCK!
Thank you, can't wait to see what I come up with.
Theresa in Seattle

[Melanie]

I have been waiting and waiting for your next show and tell - thanks for some super tips! I think I am going to start an art journal and have the basis of each page as one of your techniques. The blank page intimidates me, but it would help me 1) try some of these wonderful techniques of yours just to do it, no 'special' reason thus no pressure to 'get it right' 2) leave me with no blank page staring back at me!
Thanks for your wonderful generosity!

[Denise Morris]

I had to remind myself to breathe while reading your blog and the techniques and such. I got almost to the end of the blog and honestly realized I was not breathing. I'm not insane - that's just how excited I got. Thank you Tim!!!!

Love Denise (Beer?)

[delphinescrap59]

waouh it's very beautiful tag
good journey

[Estivalia]

love the colors you used on this one... oh, and the birds! (I'm a sucker for bird stamps). Thanks for sharing, Tim and good luck with your travels! :)

[Kim DeRonde]

Hey Tim -

Still in the hospital on the wireless connection. It how I have been able to keep up with you. We are hoping to come home Wednesday. She has to start eating, then they can send us home. So keep your fingers crossed and prayers.

I love this technique....all the way back to the color washes. I still have the tag books from the class you taught at Ben's. I get them out often, and look through them.

Can't wait to get home and do this one again. Have fun at Ranger...say hi to everyone from me. Be safe and have a Blue Moon for me. Miss you!!

Kim

[Amy]

AWESOME Tim! Thanks soo much for sharing this.

[Carolyn]

Great technique. Thank you for sharing. I'm working on putting a little order back into my studio. Besides playing around with altered art I am a silver jewelry artist. My studio does double duty---so it goes with out saying that it's usually a mess.There's always room for my 9 year old granddaughter to come in and make art too. Right now it's painting rocks.

I too like to share my ideas with people. Anytime I do a jewelry show if someone is curious about my technique I let them know how I do it. I'm thinking of teaching some classes at our local art school.

Safe travels to you Tim. I will be checking for updates.

Carolyn M

[Pat]

Another great technique Tim, thanks for all the sharing you do. I tried to send a donation to Bernies site but looks like it will only take US postal codes and I am in Canada. Do you know anything about this? Pat

[Robin]

Tim, you are the most generous person ever!
I am always astounded by how much time you
make for your "students." Most people who
are as busy as you are would not take the
time to share ideas as freely and often as
you do. I am truly grateful that I was guided to your site! You are wonderful!Also
thanks for the info about Bernie Berlin's
cause. I think what she's doing is so
awesome.
Good luck on your many travels-I bet you miss Cooper when you're gone.
Robin

[Pam]

Love love this! Thanks so much. I'm off to try it right now!

[Anne Thompson]

Oaky, Tim, I'm psyched! Totally agree with you about sharing what we know and can do. I started a notebook for myself this year that I call INSPIRE-ations just to log the information on items I make to share with others in hopes of inspiring them to try some things out. I am definitely not a make one just like mine kind of person and I know I drive teachers crazy when I put my own spin on something that they want to be just like theirs! Thank you! I'm off to the studio...Anne, the Woodshed, Maine

[Gloria L.]

Very inspiring, as usual! Thanks for sharing a little about yourself along the way.
Gloria L.

[Melanie Messana]

T!m,
I think you are the best thing since the miracle bra...
Thanks
Melanie
AKA The Craft Diva

[Sue W]

Funny, I just got a huge order of your stamps earlier today. So guess what I'll be doing here shortly?! I think I'll try it on coasters and see what I can come up with.
Love the technique!

Thanks for sharing what you know!

[Mary]

Love! LOVE! your work. I am trying to transition into altered art. I have both of your books and have enjoyed reading them over and over. Your Christmas tags are unbelievable. I too love to share my techniques/style. I designed and made more than 800 cards in 2007 and gave them all away to friends and friends of friends. Keep up the great work!

[Barbara]

Thank you so much for posting a new technique. I am so willing to learn and especially from you.

[Lisa C]

Tim, you made my day! Thanks so much once again for sharing your ideas & creativity!!
You rock!!

[Gre]

Hi Tim Thanks for this great tag:-)
groetjes Gré