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Tuesday, January 8, 2019

Graphite Paper Deboss Resist Tutorial

As my favorite TV character said - it's all about the chemistry.

I'll be honest - I SUCKED at chemistry in school. I laughed so hard the day we talked about molarity and molality that I got kicked out of the chemistry class that I was pulling a solid C in. It was so frigging boring and theoretical.

I must insert here, however, that my chemistry class was taught by the cheerleading coach that year because apparently the real chemistry teacher had taken a break to cook meth with Jesse Pinkman or something and so I wasn't really getting a top notch education, BUT. STILL.

It wasn't practical chemistry whatsoever.

What I do now is practical chemistry. I understand the chemical behaviors of solvents, pigments, and water and dyes. I know what they will and won't do. I know every single reaction of acrylic polymers, dyes and pigments with water, solvents, salts, etc.

WHY DID THEY NOT TEACH ME THIS IN CHEMISTRY? I would have had an A+++ instead of D-Hall for giggling about molarity.

Anyway - it's with chemistry that I find the most pleasure in mixed media experiments. I do a lot of scientific testing with every medium - I run them through the solvent paces and see what each of them do.

So today's card is all about that sort of practical science.

From my watercolor sketching, I knew that something that I considered a frustration in watercolor sketching - the propensity of graphite to both resist water and be rendered immovable by water - could be turned into a fun technique, so I experimented. I used this awesome transfer paper with this embossing folder to darken the debossed portion of this card and create a resist on watercolor paper. Then I went over the raised portions with ColorBox ink smooshing to add color where the graphite wasn't.

I added this adorable chubby bird from this beautiful bird set and this word die cut over some sparkly vellum that I put down with my invisible vellum adhesive. The die cut was adhered with this miraculous adhesive that is so neat and clean and easy to apply.

Here's the video on the technique, and the supplies are listed below.






Impression Obsession Rubber Stamps Bird Variety
[ IST ]
Impression Obsession Rubber Stamps Warmest Wishes
[ IST ]
Arteza 9x13" Graphite Transfer Paper, 60 Sheets (Grey) – Arteza.com
[ ARTZ ]
Tim Holtz Sizzix COLLAGE & NOTEBOOK Texture Fades Embossing Folders 656647...
[ SSS ]
ColorBox 23100 Inkpad, Posy
[ AMZUS ]
Colorbox Dyestress Ink Pad - Citronella
[ JGG ]
Colorbox Dyestress Ink Pad - Pansy
[ JGG ]
Colorbox Dyestress Ink Pad - Salmon
[ JGG ]
8 1/2 x 11 White Iridescent Translucent Vellum Paper 27#, Mohawk Curious...
[ PPR ]
Grafix Artist-tac - BLICK art materials
[ BLIC ]
Heavy Base Weight Card Stock- White
[ GNK ]
Heavy Base Weight Card Stock- Black Onyx - Gina K Designs
[ GNK ]
Fabriano Extra White Cold Press Watercolor paper 5x7 Block
[ BLIC ]
Plus VELLUM ADHESIVE Double Sided Glue Tape 38234 at Simon Says STAMP!
[ SSS ]
VersaFine Clair Ink Pad, Nocturne - Ellen Hutson LLC
[ ELH | SSS ]
MISTI Stamping Tool
[ MSW | HA | SSS | ELH | MFT | UNT ]
Rotatrim Professional Series Cutter - 15"
[ BLIC ]
LightView 2in1 LED Magnifier for Woodworking, Drawing, Electric Repair –...
[ BRG ]
Xyron ADHESIVE ERASER 23675
[ SSS | ART | AMZUS ]
Essentials by Ellen Storage Envelopes, Small 25pk - Ellen Hutson LLC
[ ELH ]
Die Storage - Clear Storage Pockets (5 5/8 x 8 1/2)
[ CHC ]
XL Stamp Storage Pockets
[ ELH ]
Teflon Bone Folder - Ellen Hutson LLC
[ ELH | SSS ]
Tombow MONO MULTI Liquid Glue Two Applicators 62191
[ SSS | ART | BLIC | ELH | MFT ]
Lawn Fawn STAMP SHAMMY Cleaner LF1045
[ SSS | ELH | CST | ART ]
Mudder 10 Pack White Buffer Sanding Block Files Grit Manicure Nail Art Tips Tool
[ AMZUS ]


Do some experimenting this week. Do it for Walter White.

Loveyameanitbye. 

34 comments:

  1. What a great technique. So easy, but stunning on the embossed surface. Thanks for sharing!

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  2. Up next, after coffee, is me trying this out! Thanks Lydia

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  3. What a great idea!!! Great tutorial and card! Thanks for sharing this.

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  4. Gorgeous!!! I love seeing your practical chemistry at work!

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  5. This is amazing, as usual. And I will try it... for Walter. 😁

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  6. I didn't know anything about graphite, but I sure like this!

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  7. Thanks for the video. Your card is amazing! BTW - I sucked at chemistry in high school too.

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  8. Very pretty, Lydia - graphite is new to me! Will have to give it a try!

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  9. SUCH A COOL TECHNIQUE, Lydia! I enjoyed watching your video & reading about your Chemistry years. LOL I wouldn't have made it through Chemistry.... LOL A SUPER TECHNIQUE & a BEAUTIFUL CARD!!! ;)

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  10. This is great, what a stunning card. Never thought of graphite paper like this.
    I also looked at your recommended previous video and have a question (or two)
    - Is graphite paper the same as carbon paper, because I always thought of carbon paper is ink and graphite is the same as in a lead pencil?
    - Can I use the graphite paper to trace a digital stamp and colour it with watercolour markers or ink and a waterbrush, because that would be the same as what you do I think, only you use watercolour pencils. But can I put thicker lines without them running trough my colours?
    Thank you for your postand video and I hope you are in the opportunity to answer my questions.

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    Replies
    1. So carbon paper is what I used as a child and I remember it as very smudgey and messy - this graphite paper is just like a lead pencil - no smudging at all, and yes, used just like you suggest.

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    2. Thank you so much for your answer. The smudgey carbon paper is what I also remembered that why I asked for it. I will give this paper certainly a try for my digi stamps and I am also going to use the awesome tecnique from the card. Now only find where I can buy it, I live in the Netherlands.

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  11. they didn't let me near solvents or
    machines connected to electricity.
    Fantastic technique. Hope to get
    the courage to try it sometime.
    thanks for sharing
    txmlhl(at)yahoo(dot)com

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  12. Wow! Your card is gorgeous! I love the colors! The font on the warmest wishes die is so pretty too!

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  13. The cards are beautiful! I love the technique!

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  14. Great quick technique. Have to try graphite. Thanks for sharing.

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  15. This is so unique and detailed! Great technique!

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  16. This is a cool technique. I need to try it. Your card looks great. I'm wondering about the winner of the Seasons of Giving blog hop. I can't seem to find the post. Thanks for the video.

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  17. Beautiful card! Love that sweet bird!

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  18. Oooh awesome work! Thanks for sharing the details! :)

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  19. So pretty! You've done the background so beautifully!

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  20. love this!! I even liked the look before you inked it up. I'm so glad we are thinking of new and different ways to use all of our embossing folders.
    x Karen

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  21. What a nifty background for this sweet birdie!

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  22. That is such a great new bird stamp set from Impression Obsession!! Love seeing the new release!!

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  23. Great technique, love the effect.

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  24. Great technique for the background and love this bird.

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  25. I have this embossing envelope. Have to try this.

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  26. You may not have been successful in chemistry, but you rocked your cards.

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  27. This is such a 'lydia' card. Only you can make an image shine without coloring it! I adore these birds! And for the record, chemistry was my bane.

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  28. I got yanked from Chemistry after the first 5 weeks for failing it so badly. I got put in a Consumer Science class and learned cool stuff about how and why laundry detergent works, and which one works best, which was Tide... at least among the samples we tested. Funny, I still remember almost everything about that class, and only the dissections from my other science classes. Great technique and card!!!

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