How about some more Christmas ornaments? I had told you that I'd share some porcelain stamping tips soon, and I wanted to do that tonight. Several people have asked what kind of ink to use on them. I used to use Staz-On Black, but since I colored these with my Copic markers (also solvent-based), Staz-On was not an option. Instead I used Black Brilliance ink and dried it for a bit with my heat gun. I still try to stay pretty much in the lines, trying not to scrub at the black ink with my marker.
Nicholas and Daddy
For the first ornament, I used the Lockhart limited edition snowglobe from last year, Nicholas and Daddy. This one was a bit tricky because I didn't want the actual snowglobe to show. I stamped the image, then immediately took some damp q-tip swabs and wiped off the base of the snowglobe as well as the globe part. After I had it as clean as I could get it, I then heat set the remainder of the image and colored it with the following Copic markers: 0, R14, R27, G28, YG93, YG99, B00, and BV000. I drew in a bit more snow with a .03 Black Copic Multiliner--the perfect pen for something like this! To protect my ornaments, I spray one or more very light coats of Krylon Workable Fixative--available at most places that sell art supplies. Light is the key, because if it puddles, you will start seeing your image dissolve! In fact, I usually spray from at least a foot away, and I keep my plugged in heat gun handy just in case I see some shine on there indicating a bit too heavy of a coat. If you get just a tiny bit too much, you can zap it with the heat gun and prevent a problem.
Meet the Flurries
For the second ornament, I stamped the Nicholas Flurry first, then used a mask cut from Eclipse paper to mask him off while I stamped Mama and Papa Flurry. (I wish I had gotten the Papa a bit higher and the Mama a bit lower, but I can live with it.) After heat setting my black Brilliance ink, I colored the images with the following Copic markers:T5, C1, YG93, YG99, R14, R27, BV000 (for snow shadows), and 0. Next I placed masks over all three snowpeople, masked off the snow, and used my Copic airbrush system to airbrush the sky with B00.
Skater's Pond
Now to change directions, I thought that I'd try some of my Cornish Heritage Farms Thomas Kinkade stamps as ornaments. Again, I stamped these in Black Brilliance ink. The first one, Skater's Pond, was colored only in selected spots.
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Village Christmas
On the second one, Village Christmas, I used a bit of Copic marker (on the car, clothing, lamppost, and house lights), but I used mostly chalks. (These ornaments actually look clearer in real life than in a photo.) The best thing? These didn't take long to make--I'm thinking Christmas gifts. . .
In case you missed the link that Robin provided us with for porcelain blanks the other day, here it is. (These porcelain blanks are manufactured by Cridge, but I'm pretty sure that Cridge is no longer selling them.) I hope that helps with your Christmas list!
