The penultimate project from my recent Lovely As a Tree Class is all about the grunge.
This uses sponge daubers for most of the inking, including colouring the tree in two colours for a natural look.
For the grunge look, screw up a piece of Whisper White Cardstock into a ball several times to create the creases. The more times the scrunching happens, the softer the fibres become and the better the overall effect.
Starting with the lightest colour of ink and a Sponge Dauber, begin by highlighting some of the creases. Then, add the darker colours to build up the layers of creases. As with my other grunge projects, a nail file is used to crack the top of the fibres around the edge to create more texture. Again, use Sponge Daubers to add more ink and highlight these areas further.
The colours for the grunge inking are Crumb Cake and Old Olive, with Early Espresso for the darker areas.
Lots of times people really overthink how to create a grunge piece. My advice is to just go with the flow and it will create itself. Just remember to leave a bit of white space.
I also know that some people have a problem creating projects like this, but it’s great to learn new techniques. Plus, it’s good to step outside of your comfort zone and learn a new skill. Even if you don’t like the design, always remember that you’re not sending it to yourself! Try and think about someone who you can send it to when you are creating to overcome any reservations.
As the grunge layer is not a flat piece, it is stuck to the project using a few strips of Tear & Tape. At the bottom of my project, you can see that I’m showing the creases and texture instead of working against them.
For the layers, I chose Tranquil Tide as a contrast, along with a base card made from Thick Whisper White. This helps to pull everything together.
Finally, a sentiment from the Jar of Love Stamp Set and a strip of Metallic-Edged Ribbon are attached using Tear & Tape.
Happy crafting
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