our first show and tell involved making a sampler of background techniques.

	Cherry's backgrounds: Zig 2 way glue and foil plus pigment stamped hand covered in Stewart Gill Marcasite embossing powder   Stickles   Chalk Ink - like this a lot especially the way you can still see the text clearly. Applied with a Sponge Dauber   Chalk - nice if you want a subtle effect - applied with a cotton bud   Stewart Gill Alchemy Pacific paint - I love these paints and love applying them with my fingers. Much easier to get it relaly thin with your finger and no paint gets wasted!   Watercolour pencil with no water added. I like how the texture of the cardstock backing has come through slightly.   Metallic rub ons - waxy and a really nice aged metal effect when mixed together.Again applied with my fingers. Takes me back to my childhood this!   Lumiere Copper paint - WOW I have had these for ages and never used them. This colour is gorgeous in real life. This class will be good even if it just gets me using things I have had for ages and never used!   Distress Inks - Walnut Stain applied with a colour duster - love these inks. Nice aged look but still readable.   Stewart Gill Pearlise Oyster - recommended by Tree and I love it. NIcest way to get your fingers messy I know!
	Michelle's backgrounds: P&M's Blopens in washable (so the box says) grey ink - fun to blow through. Chocolate Sauce - absolutely great to play with, with brush. 24 hours later, despite a desperate attack with a heat gun, and it's still tacky to touch. Not recommended, but a yummy experiment. Utee - 3 layers heat dried on clear embossing ink - I had intended waiting for it to dry, then bending to crack the finish. I've since learnt that the thin dictionary pages (even with cardstock backing) are too thin to allow bending and cracking. Ranger Inks Jim Holtz Distress Ink in Vintage Photo - applied with a dry baby wipe. Pigment Ink - Shadow Ink, direct to paper Watercolour pencil and water applied with brush. I messed it up, and realise I need to practice this technique, as I've never used it before. Real potential for liking this one. Tombow brushscript watermarker pen and doodles - the ink sinks right into the paper. Pastel chalk, applied with finger, and erased using a chalk eraser. Then glossy accents (similar to diamond glaze) poured over for shine. Then I got impatient and heat dried this, resulting in bubbles and a layer of dented glossy skin. Like it. Tipex correction fluid - my favourite Pigment ink again, this time regular direct to paper dabs, and the addition of glitter glue. Plaid Dimensional fabric paint. Don't like this, especially when heat dried, as it bubbles up Brush n Leaf antiquing paint - normally used to make candlesticks gold. Really oily, but I like the finish.
	Sarah's backgrounds: Coloured pencil - red Vellum - white Chalk - turquoise Acrylic paint - yellow Gesso - white Inked stamp - green ?? - brown Strawblown paint - turquoise Metallic rub-ons - green and pewter
	Sez's backgrounds: 1. Stamped direct from pigment stamp pad (2 colours) ..  i like this, but i'd do it a little lighter next time to show more texture. 2. Dye ink from a pad rubbed on with cotton wool. 3. Photographic dye (used for retouching), undiluted, painted on 4. As above, diluted 5. Writing/drawing ink, painted on 6. As above, applied with natural sponge 7. Small pieces of hand made (tissue-like) paper, layered on with Mod Podge glue 8. As above, but i screwed the paper up a bit... i quite like the textured effect :) 9. As #7, but with dark brown ink rubbed on lightly ... doesn't show up really in the scan but i quite like this effect... i may try and NOT use my fingers next time though! 10. As Shimelle suggested... shoe wax! Interesting effect... 11. Blue wax rubbed on from a candle. Very subtle. 12. Plain candle wax, then painted over with (photo) ink .. i think this could make an interesting 'border' for a title or word. 13.Pigment ink pad, dragged over the page. 14. Watercolour paint. 15. Watercolour-like brush pens ... i rather like these. The colours are subtle, like watercolour, but less wetness to ruin your paper! 16. Pigment ink from a pad, sponged on 17. Biro doodles! The idea seemed silly to me at first, but actually, i think it could be an interesting background. It fits in quite well with the backing dictionary paper. 18. Ink dropped into water, and tilted around to let it run. I think this could look nice with similar colours, ie blue and green.
	Tammie's backgrounds: walnut ink in spritzer bottle and sponged onto edge pigment ink and a wad of saran wrap dye ink and rubberstamp image that has been clear embossed watercolor pencils and a blender pen ink pad applied directly in two colors black powdered pigment painted first then sprinkled onto wet page (cool!) ink sponged on in two colors versamark and hologram embossing powder
	Theresa's backgrounds: 1. Watercolour pencil - the outside edge has had water applied with a brush, the inside left as 'scribble!'   2.  A mixture of pink and purple chalks applied with a cotton wool ball (top rhs)   3. Lumiere halo violet gold paint applied with a brush (2nd row left)   4. Stewart Gill pearlise paint applied with a brush and sparkly gold embossing powder on the edge. (2nd row right)   5.  Moonglow incandescent copper spray...a mixture of walnut ink and sparkly copper, left a couple of little puddles from the spraying to see how that looked - not sure if the sparkle shows up but it's quite subtle and rather pretty. 3rd row left)   6. Vivid raspberry dye ink on a rubber stamp (3rd row right)   7.  Chalk inks applied directly in a swooshing motion (bottom row, lhs)   8.  Ancient page and Brilliance Cosmic copper applied with a sponge. (bottom row rhs)
	David's backgrounds: 1. dark wood stain 2. child's crayon 3. french polish 4. linseed oil 5. oil pastel 6. chalk 7. watercolour board-marker 8. watercolour 9. child's watercolour pen 10. acrylic and water 11. gold ink 12. watercolour flicked from a brush
	Shimelle's backgrounds 1. Violet lumiere paint 2. Green lumiere diluted in a spray bottle 3. White neopaque paint 4. Pigment ink on cotton wool 5. Stewart Gill Byzantine in Cardinale 6. Chalk ink on rubber stamp 7. Walnut ink wash 8. Brilliance white ink pad

questions? e-mail shimellelaine @ hotmail.com
original guide words series and instruction content (c) 2004
contributor content the work of collaboration members