Artbooking Metal Art

Artbooking Metal Art

I love how you can take aluminum adhesive tape and create something so fabulous.  It's so easy, that's the beauty. The fabulous frame is the new hinged shadow box frame from CTMH. Here's what I am talking about:

Here's how I made it:
I cut my images using Close to my Heart's Artbooking Cricut Cartridge (except the tomb stone is cut from CTMH's Artiste Cricut Cartridge).  I used 2 layers of cardstock instead of thin chipboard, so, I cut each image out twice and glue them together before adhering to the 12x12 chipboard base.

Cut the aluminum tape in strips to go passed the edges about 2 inches on either side. Start at the bottom and work your way up laying the strips overlapping by about 1/4 inch. Tip: only peel part of the protective paper off and use a rubber brayer to help lay the aluminum tape smoothly.

Flip over and fold the tape over to the back.

Start to burnish the aluminum over all of the detailed images by using a stump (used by artists for pastels and charcoal shading). This is a picture before:

After: 

 Be careful not to let aluminum tear. Burnish all flat areas as well as along the edges of all images.

 You may want to add more texture by using metal texture tools.

Spread acrylic paint over entire surface.

 Remove as much or as little acrylic paint with paper towels as desired. Tip: gloves are a good idea for this part.

 Paint will remain in deeper grooves.

Add color by using alcohol inks with a Q-tip.

 I added cheese cloth dyed with re-inker, plastic spiders, black gems and a skull in the corner.

The skull in the tomb stone is by Tim Holtz.