I have a little secret. And that little secret is......that I have a deep and crazy love for corrugated board. Actually, this isn't too much of a secret, because if you've ever visited my blog, you know that I oooooo and ahhhh over the wonderful things corrugated board can do, pretty much on a weekly basis. I thought it would be fun to share a technique that I frequently use, to achieve a gradient, or slightly airbrushed look to painted corrugated board. This technique uses both acrylic paint, and Donna's Smooch spritz, in contrasting colors. I put the piece of corrugated board that I used in this technique demonstration, on an altered cigar box, to create a fun, girlie grunge style "surprise box!"
I started with Zutter corrugated board in the 7x7 size. Zutter's corrugated board has a top layer that easily peels off, especially if you mist it very lightly with water. I occasionally like to leave a little bit of the paper clinging, to add another dimensional layer.
If I am wanting a "cleaner" look, I first prep the corrugated board with gesso (on the right in my messy palette), and then add a layer of acrylic paint; but for a grungier look, I simply use a white acrylic paint as the first layer.
In this case, I simply applied a coat of the white acrylic paint. There's no need to wait for the paint to dry between the steps of this process.
Next, I add another blob of acrylic paint, and then spray, (or carefully pour, depending on the amount needed) Smooch into the palette with the paint. Start with smaller amounts, in the lighter of two contrasting colors.....you can always add more...but you can't take it back. ;) For pastel/light colors of Smooch, you will need to add more to the paint to achieve the color you want. Blend the paint and Smooch together with a palette knife or other blending tool. Keep adding more Smooch until you have the color you are after.
Next, paint the corrugated board using the mixture you created with the paint and Smooch. I find it creates the nicest look to paint starting from the outside, and moving toward the center. Leave an open space in the middle, as you can see in the picture above. Lift the paintbrush slightly as you near the edge of your square in the middle, to get a blended, feathery look.
Next, spray the contrasting color of Smooch (in my case it is River Mossy green) directly on the square that has been left white. For a darker result, spray very close to the surface.
Using your paintbrush (that has not been rinsed clean of the light colored smooch/paint mixture), very lightly blend the darker smooch, this time, from the center out. Letting some of the mist pool into the grooves of the corrugated board is fine...it makes a nice dark contrast, or you can push the brush into the grooves, and blend the dark mist more, to create a lighter, more, fully airbrushed look. Continue to blend the darker mist outward, occasionally picking up just a little bit of the light paint/Smooch blend in your palette, and brushing it *very* gently over the top. On this particular piece, I also added a few sprays of darker mist in a couple of the corners, as well.
Above is the final result of all of that painting, misting, and blending! I also inked the distressed edges of the corrugated board with Donna's Mix'd Media Inx in Truffle. As the piece dries, the hue will change a bit. Sometimes I speed up the process with my craft dryer, because I'm too excited to wait. I added this finished painty/misty piece to my altered cigar box, that has been covered in Donna's Spring In Bloom, Artistic, and Crafty Chronicle papers, and embellished it with gorgeous bling from Want 2 Scrap, a bit of denim, and some more lovely papers. A bit of seam binding ties the box closed, to a vintage lock.
The gears were painted up with Mix'd Media Inx, and some sparkle was added in the form of Fairy Dust Glitter! And, this is called a surprise box for a reason.......
Because inside the box, is a mini album!
This mini is made out of ....of course......more corrugated board! The album is bound with my bind-it-all, and the cover has a banner made from several layers of Donna's papers, and denim. The gold thread is vintage, and came from my grandma's craft box. I thought it would be fun if that sweet chipboard paper doll......dressed in a dress made of spring in bloom paper, spritzed with Smooch, and sprinkled with Fairy Dust Glitter...would be holding tight to the "Joy" banner.
The inside of the mini is loaded with Donna's gorgeous papers that coordinate beautifully, and will be wonderful for the fun Instagram photos I have of my family. It is the perfect size for those small, square photos, and leaves plenty of room for lots of embellishing and journaling, as well! Thank you so much for joining me while I shared my corrugated board love today, and I hope that maybe I inspired you to give it a try!
Supplies:
Clearsnap:
Want2Scrap:
Bind-it-all
Other supplies: cigar box, seam binding, vintage: lace, gold cord, lock and key set; canvas and denim fabric, crown charm
