grungeblocks how-to...

hey bloggers.  hope you had a great weekend...  i had a very jam packed one!  of course there was lots of studio creative time, busy kitting and packing for my upcoming classes in kansas at stampers ink, and did a little antique shopping in downtown prescott (gotta love that).  so today i wanted to share a cool idea on how to work with grungeblocks.  grungeblocks contain 3 sheets of grungeboard letters, numbers, and punctuation, and 3 sheets of double-thick grungeblocks which are various size blocks to layer behind the grungeboard character selected.  i've gotten a few emails about how i personally like to use these, but keep in mind there are so many other ways to work with the pieces in this grunge pack.  the inspiration behind these were so i could create pieces that resembled vintage wood letterpress blocks.  if you've shopped for those before you'll know how pricey just one letter can be!  besides, these are much thinner when finished so you can use them in a dimensional project like configurations, or adhere them to a card or scrapbook page.  i'm sure you'll discover many uses for these, and after seeing how easy they are to create there will simply be no stopping you...

supplies: grungeblocks, distress ink (i like brushed corduroy or vintage photo mostly), ink blending tool, paint dabber (pitch black), glossy accents (or you could use multi-medium), paint brush, sanding grip

step 1: select your grungeboard piece as well as the appropriate size grungeblock.

step 2: stack the grungeboard piece on the block. note: the size of the grungeblock is entirely up to you.  sometimes you may want a larger block with more border, other times you might want to select one that comes right up to the edges of the letter.

step 3: apply a small amount of glossy accents or other adhesive to the back of the grunge piece.

step 4: adhere on to grungeblock and press flat to dry.

step 5: shake paint dabber and unscrew lid and remove from dabber.  dip end of paint brush into paint from lid.

step 6: paint entire grungeblock piece with black paint.

step 7: make sure you paint the entire grungeblock making sure you get paint inside all of the edges, sides, etc.  all you need is a thin layer of paint so don't get this too thick.  let paint dry completely!

step 8: once painted piece has dried, sand over the raised area with sanding grip scuffing the paint off of the raised letter.  the design of this grip allows you to sand only the rasied surface which is perfect for this.

step 9: continue sanding, scuffing, and scratching paint off of grungblock until desired look is achieved.  note: wherever paint is removed from the grunge, that will be stained with ink in the next step.

step 10: ink over grungeblock with distress ink using ink blending tool.  work ink into sanded areas using the tool until desired color is achieved.  note:  you can use any color of distress ink to create a variety of custom looks to your grungeblocks.

there you have it - they look pretty good don't they?  just think of adding them to your next project, or a perfect addition to a card for dad for father's day.  hope this little tutorial inspired an idea or two.  have a great monday!  i'll be back tomorrow to share a few ideas for kraft glassine.  enjoy today...t!m

Comments

[Joy Kennedy]

So cool! I love Grunge Blocks! :)

[kaz]

Fabulous as always x

[Melinda Brein]

I always enjoy your blog! Thank you ;-)

[Sherry Winchester]

Very cool....look just like the real printer's blocks! Thanks, Tim!!

[Erika]

Great.

[Bsavage]

Those do look pretty cool! I'll have to give them a try on some of my scrap book pages.

[Jingle]

Genius! I love it!!!

[Ingalill]

Wow - that looks so genuine! Thank you for giving us some step-by-step inspiration again; I´ve missed that..! :-)

[RuthAnn W]

Love these grunge pieces..thanks for the tut!

[bethann d]

great, i had no idea this is what they were designed for. duh me... now a question. i have a bunch of circles with raised designs, are they backs as well? i've used them for other things but i'd like to know the "proper" use of them, i'm sure i haven't thought of the way you use them.