|
|
|
|
|
|
| Reproduced from the March/April 2002 issue of Expression Magazine. | ||
|
Artful Stamped Tiles
by Linda Reid |
||
|
|
||
|
From the romance of marble decorated with a
Victorian design, to the warmth of terracotta embossed with a Southwestern motif—these stamped tiles are the perfect adornments for our homes and ourselves. |
||
 |
During the recent remodeling of our kitchen, I had occasion to spend a great deal of time in Home Depot. Given that I have always had an eye for surfaces that can be stamped, I spent quite some time looking in the tile aisle. There are many techniques out there for making “faux” tiles, but I thought it would be intriguing to stamp on real tiles—small ones for cards, pins and magnets, and larger ones for home decorator items like coasters and plaques. This technique is easy and yields dramatic results. Moreover, all of these projects employ the same basic technique and supplies. |
|
|
Wipe the tile with a damp cloth to remove all traces of dust. Different colored tiles have different degrees of porousness. For some tiles, you can stamp directly onto the tile surface and the ink will not bleed. However, most tiles need a thin, even coat of the matte varnish to keep the ink in place and preserve the detail of your chosen image. You can also paint the tile with your favorite color of Lumiere paints as a background and then stamp directly onto the painted surface. Stamp your images, and let dry thoroughly, then lightly spray with acrylic sealer. If you are making coasters or plaques, you might want to glue some felt on the back so that the tiles won’t scratch furniture or walls. You can use anything you wish to embellish your finished product, including charms, fibers, art papers, embossing powder and Sculpey® molded pieces. |
||
| Materials Various sizes of floor and wall tiles Memories™ Archival Ink Pads in Document and ArtPrint Brown (Note: Regular dye inks bleed into the tile and smear with the application of a sealant.) Liquitex® Matte Acrylic Varnish (satin finish)Lumiere Paints Acrylic Sealer Weldbond® Glue Embossing powders in various colors Ultra Thick Embossing Enamel™ |
 |
|
| Instructions Box and Pins Sponge a cigar box with Lumiere paints and embellish with art papers. After you have stamped your chosen designs on the box, embellish it by gluing on small mosaic tiles or baubles. The stamps used on the box (pictured on the previous page) were manufactured by the Stampsmith, Acey Deucy, Renaissance, Bella Rosa, Moon Rose and Ornamentum. The hexagonal and square pins (also found on the previous page) feature small tiles painted with Olive Lumiere paint. They were stamped with Memories Document Black, and the Crackle Stamp (from Stampendous) was stamped in ArtPrint Brown. A backing of suede paper was added, and the pins were further embellished with charms and fibers. The round pins feature The Stampsmith’s Shakespearean Heroines stamps on tiny mosaic tiles. Each tile was then glued onto a round piece of leather, which had been embossed with Ultra Thick Embossing Enamels. The two large corner charms were embedded in the melted UTEE and the tile was then glued in the middle of the charms. |
 |
|
|
Tiles The “Woman Collage” was stamped and embossed in the same manner as the “Will & Friends” tile. Three smaller tiles and a Sculpey mold were added to the tile for dimension. This tile features stamps from Bella Rosa, Ornamentum, Stampers Anonymous, Stampendous, PhotoArt Stamps, Postmodern Design and Oxford Impressions. The “Angel Tile” is designed for use as a coaster. First, a diamond pattern was stenciled onto the tile and then the stamped images were added. Be sure to add two coats of satin varnish to protect the art if it is used as a coaster. The stamps used are from Moon Rose and Renaissance Art Stamps. These stamped tiles also make excellent embossed plaques. The tiles are covered with embossing ink and sprinkled with several colors of embossing powder. While the powder is still molten, press a pigment inked stamp into it. Remove the stamp when he powder has cooled. Smaller tiles may be added by simply pressing them into the molten embossing powder. The stamps used on the pictured tile are from Stampers Anonymous, Ornamentum and Stampington & Co. |
 |
|
| Collages This tile technique also lends itself to the creation of collages. The larger of the two pictured collages is backed by a piece of black mat board, which has been stamped with a design and embossed. After the tiles have been stamped, their edges are painted black, blue and gold. To create the collage, simply arrange the tiles in a pleasing pattern and glue them to the mat board. A molded Sculpey image of a saint was also added as a contrast to the tiles. The stamps used in the pictured collage are from The Stampsmith, Photo Art Stamps, Moon Rose, Bella Rosa, Ornamentum and Renaissance Art Stamps. The smaller pictured collage is backed by a piece of black foam core, the raw edges of which have been painted black. A small paper paint sample was glued in the center of the foam core. The tiles have been arranged and glued to the foam core to create a dramatic, geometric collage. The stamps used in this piece are from Stampers Anonymous, The Stampsmith, Ornamentum and Postmodern Design. The gold Madonna and Child icon (pictured on the previous page) is an example of a simple technique that yields dramatic results. Using spray paint, paint a tile gold. When the paint has dried, stamp the image with permanent ink. To finish the tile, stamp and emboss a diamond pattern along the length of two sides. The image on this tile is from The Stampsmith as are all the stamps the collage card pictured to its right. |
Pictured counterclockwise from right, “Will & Friends,” “Woman Collage,” “Angel Tile” and “Collage Plaque.” |
|
|
|
||
| Order Your March/April 2002 Issue Here! | ||