The Swirly Bird Hanging Around

Morning Peeps,

It is true! I have a new addiction! Yes, I am well and truly smitten with the Ten Seconds Studio's metal art :O))

I had a lot of a pain today, so I sat with my feet up, cushions aplenty, and a lap tray on my knee and played with some of the metals and new tools I have. And, I came up with this design :O)) Who said crafting had to be hard work eh? LOL




I started by sketching a little birdy in pencil - this one is similar to my new designs that will be out soon from The Artistic Stamper by the way...anyway, I digress. I sketched a little swirly bird onto some copy paper, I used a Sharpie Marker (top tip from the TSS DVD) to trace over the bird and then taking a largish piece of copper metal, I used a pointy tool (I really must get up to speed on the names of these tools) and traced around the Sharpie design on the flip side of the copper.

I then used the same method and made the word "birdy", again on the flip side, I traced over the letters. I now had my birdy design and word embossed onto the copper side. Thanks to the amazing DVD, I next knew I had to take a fine tip pointy tool and draw around the embossed lines on the copper side to make them "pop". Once this was done, I used an erasing round tipped tool and "puffed" the birds wing out. I was a bit worried that I was going to mess this up so I took it nice and steady and gently pressed the eraser tool into the wing on the flip side of the metal. This effect stretches the metal out so the embossing looks even better. In one of my piccies, I have tried to get an angle so you can see the puffed out look.




I used some stitchy type tools and free hand drew them across the copper side of the metal, making a little frame for the birdy. I also used a fine stitchy tool and went around the inside of the bird, just like my Stitchels designs!! I then used a sanding block to gently remove some of the copper colour from the foil.

Later on, once my meds had kicked in, I disappeared into my Room of Stash and got thorougly messy with lots of shades of alcohol inks, basically, splotching them straight onto the copper side of the metal, using a blending tool and mixed them together and then once they were dry, buffing with a soft cloth. To antique the design, I used Espresso Arcylic Paint (Adirondack), applying the paint with my fingertip, waiting for it to dry and then using a nearly dry babywipe to take off the excess.




Finally, I mounted the metal onto some mountboard, I haven't got any Spackle, which I need to use really to fill in the puffed out bit of the wing to stop it from getting squished, so next on the shopping list is Spackle!! Once the piece was mounted, I placed it into a mini coathanger which I got from The Artistic Stamper. I decided the design looked unfinished though ... mmm ... then I remembered that my lovely Secret Santa had given me some delish ribbon with beads and leaves on for Christmas, so I taped this to the bottom of the mountboard and hey presto! Another metal art project completed.

I just have to add that I asked Grim to photo this piece as I needed it to be hanging and I can't reach my arms up, bless him, he did the photography bit and then promptly nicked off with it - it is now hanging in his Study...blimey, he will be all metalled up if he is not careful LOL




Thanks for looking and if you read all of that....thank you, I am so excited that I have got a new passion and addiction I just tend to waffle on! Oh, and a few of you have asked if the TSS DVD is good....yes, without a shadow of a doubt, I have watched it twice already and have gained so many tips from it.

Hels x