How to Use CCDIY Precious Metals
We are continuing our pledge to bring you a whole bunch of new and amazing products this year. Today, with the help of Misty Leonard of MD Leonard Designs, we are introducing our Precious Metals! These shimmery, shiny pretties are so gorgeous and really fun to use!
When you know you want some bling for your latest creation but mica isn’t exactly it and glitter isn’t quite enough, chances are what you’re looking for are Precious Metals! These babies pack a beautiful punch and have a shine and luster you won’t find in any other product. These gorgeous flakes are made from real metals (copper, brass, aluminum, etc.) so their shine is unlike any other. Because they are made of real metal you’ll never have to worry about them tarnishing or changing colors in your creations. We can’t wait for you to try these in your art work!
How to Use CCDIY Precious Metals
So you may be asking, “these metals sound great but what can I use them for?” The answer is literally any art project where you want some fabulous luster! You can use them on tumblers and phone grips like Misty shows in the video below. You can also use them on pens, canvases, coasters, and in molds. Just remember that these babies are real metal which makes them heavier than glitters. That means that they will sink down into your resin. Adding them to the top of your cured resin pieces is a great way to use them. Then you would just seal them with a final layer of Artist Resin. You could also paint them into the bottom of your mold and then pour your resin layer on top of them. We are sure that you all will find more ways of using them too and we can’t wait to hear about them!
What is Different about Precious Metals?
Like we mentioned, being made of real metal makes the flakes heavier. They also have a different appearance than glitter and they will react a bit differently with the resin. These flakes are more for accents in your art, you wouldn’t use them on an entire tumbler like you would glitter. The accents add depth and beauty to your creations. Also, like our Dispersion Colors, a little bit goes a long way! These flakes are different than gold foil too. They are a bit easier to work with and they come in 3 different degrees of fineness. You can get the in ultra fine, fine, and medium. That way you’ll be able to select the perfect size for your project. They also get sprinkled (or tapped) on like glitter instead of applied like foil. Just make sure you have something to catch the excess like you do when you use glitter. That way you won’t waist any!
Today’s Project…
In the video below Misty is giving you the dish (or the tea, depending on your generation/preference) on Precious Metals. She is also showing us how to make an alcohol ink tumbler and then how to apply the Precious Metals as an accent. As a bonus Misty also explains how to make alcohol ink phone grips and use the metals to add some bling. If you’ve never made a tumbler using alcohol ink, this is a great tutorial for you. These tumblers always look so amazing and they are extremely popular. This technique is a great one to keep in your back pocket!
Watch the Video Tutorial Here!
How to Use CCDIY Precious Metals on a Tumbler
Materials
- Stainless steel tumbler Finished with an alcohol ink marbled effect
- Stainless Steel Tumbler with a matte finish base
- Alcohol Ink Turquoise, Ocean Green, Fog, and Slate
- 70% isopropyl alcohol
- 1/2" paint brushes
- Counter Culture DIY Artist Resin
- Counter Culture DIY Quick Coat
- Precious Metal: I'm With the Band
- Silicone brush
- Plate or paper for catching Precious Metals
Instructions
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Put a few drops of each Alcohol Ink into a separate container. You're basically setting up your paint pallet here. Put a tiny bit of alcohol in a small container too.
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Start with one color of ink and use your brush to apply it to the bottom of the cup. Then dip your brush into the alcohol to get a tiny bit on your brush. Brush this over your ink then continue to the next color. The inks and alcohol will start to run, blend, and do other fun things together! Continue adding colors and alcohol until you are happy with the way your tumbler looks. Then let it dry on your spinner for about an hour.
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Then put a layer of combined Artist Resin on your tumbler and allow it to cure. Applying Quick Coat directly to your alcohol ink could make it run.
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Next, use the silicone brush to apply thin lines of Quick Coat around the "lines" of your alcohol ink. Work over a plate or paper to save any dropped Precious Metals. Tap on the Precious Metals to the areas you used Quick Coat. Let the Quick Coat dry and then use a dry brush to brush away any excess Precious Metals.
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Once everything is completely dry add your final layer of combined Artist Resin and allow it to cure for 24 hours.
How to use CCDIY Precious Metals on Phone Grips
Materials
- Phone grip mold
- Alcohol Ink
- Counter Culture DIY Quick Coat
- Precious Metal: I'm With the Band
- Plate or paper for catching Precious Metals
- Silicone brush
Instructions
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Use the geode phone grip mold, Artist Resin, and alcohol inks to create your phone grip like and allow it to cure.
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Next, use the silicone brush to apply thin lines of Quick Coat around the "lines" of your alcohol ink.
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Lay down a plate or piece of paper to catch the excess Precious Metals. Then tap on a tiny bit of Precious Metals over the Quick Coat. Tap off any excess and set the phone grip aside to dry.
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Once everything is dry add a final layer of combined Artist Resin and allow it to cure for 24 hours.
And that’s it friends! Alcohol ink cups are no sweat (check out the pic below to see a beautiful one that Misty made for her grandmother!). They are super fun to do and, as Misty says, you really can’t mess them up. Using the Precious Metals as an accent to these pieces adds so much to to the design. It takes the cups to a new level by adding depth, shimmer, and beauty! Be sure to check out all the colors we have available, there are sure to be several that you want to take home. We can’t wait to see what you create with these beautiful flakes, be sure to tag us when you post your art so we can check it out!
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If you want more inspiration and information we have a Facebook group for that. Join us in Counter Culture DIY Artist Support where we, and other artists, offer ideas, answer questions, and support each other!