Designer Block Puzzle

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This article was written by Martice Smith II

Remember those little A-B-C blocks you may have played with as a child? This tutorial is a spin on that very concept, although, this one is the “grown-up” version! (Well, if you have a baby Einstein on your hands, that’s a different story…) Each side of the wooden block will have a different design. I will demonstrate how to use various techniques from stamping, cut-outs, stenciling and masking to create a beautiful designer block puzzle. Let’s get started!

Create a Designer Block Puzzle

Need to add a bit of visual interest in a corner of your living room, craft space or maybe even a coffee table, this designer block puzzle packs some major punch of creativity! It may look challenging- given that there are 10,077,696 different combinations – but don’t let it fool you. This puzzle is very easy to create yourself.

Gather supplies

Gather supplies; wooden blocks

Any size blocks will work. For this tutorial, I used nine 7.5 inch wooden blocks.

Gather supplies; stencils and stamps

Stencils, stamps

Spray paints (various colors) and a face mask

Masking tape

Prepare the wooden blocks

I love the natural look and feel of the wood, so I let them remain that way.

(Other options to consider: use a clear gesso or wood stain on all six sides of the wooden blocks. This will need to be done in stages to ensure that each side is dry before doing the next side.)

Set up the blocks

Set up the blocks and mask off sides

Working on an even surface, set up the blocks three wide by three long.

Use low-tack masking tape around the sides to secure them together, leaving six surfaces facing up together to make a 7.5 inch diameter square surface. (The tape prevents any over-spray from the spray paint.)

Use a stamp to design SIDE 1 

Use a stamp to design SIDE 1

SIDE 1 is designed with my popular chevron stamp (tutorial on how to make your own)

* Let dry and turn each wooden cube to a random side, so that there are 6 blank surfaces on top again. (I will call this step: “Reset the blocks“)

* Re-tape the sides to prevent any over-spray.

Let dry and turn each wooden block to a random side. (Reset the blocks)

Spray paint the cardboard cut-outs and stencils for the remaining sides

Spray paint the cardboard cut-outs and stencils for the remaining sides

Wearing a face mask and working in a well-ventilated area, spray the first color of spray paint over the cut-outs using a steady, consistent motion.

Design SIDE 2 with lightweight cardboard

Here’s how cardboard stencils and masks can be used as well. I’ve used circular, hand-cut shapes as masks and my custom made ampersand cardboard as a stencil. (Side note: The ampersand is on SIDE 6).

SIDE 2 shows how I arranged my circular, hand-cut shapes in an interesting pattern. Kind of looks like bokeh from photographs!

Design SIDE 2 with lightweight cardboard using circular, hand-cut shapes

* Apply spray paint. (Note: Spray paint can remain tacky for up to 30 minutes depending on the humidity.)

* Remove the shapes.

* Once the spray paint is completely dry, reset the blocks

Design SIDES 3 and 4 with commercial stencils

A couple of my favorite commercial stencils from StencilGirl!

SIDE 3 is designed with Square Dance.

Design SIDE 3 with commercial stencil; Square Dancing by StencilGirl

* Spray the stencil; let dry

* Reset the blocks

For SIDE 4, I used the Art Nouveau stencil.

Design SIDE 4 with commercial stencil; Art Nouveau by StencilGirl

Design SIDE 5 and 6 with handmade stencils

Add more of your own flair to this project! Here are two handmade stencils that I cut out by hand. This one has a tribal and primitive feel, displaying the triangle and rectangular patterns.

Design SIDE 5 with handmade stencil for personalized touch.

Reset the blocks

Finally, for SIDE 6, I took a more bold and graphic approach by using the “and” symbol (technically called, the ampersand. Look how much style this has!)

Design SIDE 6 with lightweight cardboard using the "and" symbol.

Now that all sides have been designed, you can create different looks for your visual pleasure! This will keep your imagination fresh and give you a good challenge to recreate your own, unique combinations.

I will use my designer block puzzle as props and a cool backdrop for my product photo shoots!

01Aug_MFS_DesignerBlockPuzzle-Pic12

Try utilizing this puzzle in unexpected ways. Add visual interest in a corner of your living room, craft space or maybe even place them on a coffee table. It’s your choice!

How will you use your Designer Block Puzzle?

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Author bio:

Mixed-media illustrator and designer Martice Smith II

Martice Smith II is creative director of Martice Smith II – Illustration & Design Studio, based in Kansas City, Missouri and owner of Uneek Art Boutique. She established herself as a freelance Illustrator and graphic designer after receiving her Bachelor of Arts Degree. Her stunning illustrations reveals her love for fashion, typography and wildlife- using a combination of analog and digital techniques.

Martice also contributes as an article writer for the Creating Mixed Media Art website.

You can see more of her work via her Facebook page or her blog. She invites you to join her monthly newsletter, Uneek Art Letter, for art biz tips, advice and free digital goodies!

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Filed Under: Tutorial Tagged With: , , ,

Mixed Media Postcard Art Tutorial

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To celebrate our 4th birthday, Michelle hosted a crafty online tutorial to create mixed media postcard art along with give-aways (now closed), a challenge and blog link swaps, all thrown into one action packed tutorial!

Together we will review our favorite mixed media techniques and put them together to create postcards that we can share with our friends and family. Regardless of your current skill level or preferred style, you will come away inspired to get creating for the Holiday season, as well as “meeting” member of our Mixed Media community.

Using gesso and acrylic paints to create postcard art

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Postcard Tutorial

Thanks for coming along and playing with us. If you missed our tutorial, here is the recording

Our competition to win one of our fabulous postcards is now closed! The winners are (16 in total!):

  • Jasmine – Ottawa
  • Lucille – British Columbia
  • Carol – Winnipeg
  • Meredith – Calgary
  • Marsha – Des Moines
  • June – England
  • Jean – Australia
  • Karen – Virginia
  • Jan – Ohio
  • Marilyn – Alabama
  • Clemencia – Florida
  • Sue – Pennsylvania
  • Virginia – Texas
  • Janet – Missouri
  • Dana – Ontario
  • Marion – Germany

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Why Postcard Art?

And WHY postcard art? you ask. We will play with many mixed media techniques that can be as simple, or as complex as you like. Regardless of your preferred style, you can create wonderful backgrounds that can then be turned into postcards, ATCs, bookmarks or greeting cards. We’ll look at postcards that are easy to make and easier to post to our global mixed media community.

mixed media art on cereal box cardboard

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For more inspiration:

our Mixed Media Art Technique Sheets ~10 projects and techniques available for immediate download ~ are here

Mixed Media Art Technique Sheets

or buy them individually here ~ just scroll down and choose the one you want NOW!

 

or our Creating Layers in Mixed Media Art book

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 Share your Postcards

Whatever has inspired you in this months online tutorial, whether it’s to create your own postcards or something else, we would love to see what you’ve created.

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Create Your Own Original Backgrounds While You Play

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This article is written by Linda Giese

For the past year I’ve been putting papers over my plastic covered workspace. It began when I found a roll of thermofax for a dollar at a thrift store.  I put it on my workspace and soon it filled up with random stamps, paint splatters, doodles and notes.  I tore off another sheet and saved the first for collage fodder. I progressed to large sheets of newsprint that came as packing material in boxes.  A friend even gave me old architectural plans she was going to throw away.

making backgrounds while you play

This is an easy way of making original collage papers to make your art unlike anyone else, and it won’t even take extra time!  Now I glory in messing up my surface papers with ideas and oversprays.  Since I teach at my dining room table, there are class notes and ideas for what my students want to learn next.  I test out new stamps and “stamp off” ones I’m using.  There are scribbles trying to get a pen to write or see what color it is.  Sometimes there is even a random fruit label!

making backgrounds while you play

I’m not likely to run out of clean papers to mess up, but thought of an idea if I did.  I’d take sheets of junk mail with clean backs and tape them together.  Or as I’ve done, use sheets of scrapbook paper I don’t like that perhaps came in a stack of paper.  If you take a class, perhaps you can mess up newspapers under your work there too!  Good luck and happy splatters!making backgrounds while you play

Materials I used for my canvas:
Underpainting is blended background of Americana orchid, butter and baby blue
I applied the torn collage papers with Americana DecouPage as well as the Dover clip art woman image
I used the above paints plus Americana cad red, bright yellow(to make the flesh color) and true blue for shading

making backgrounds to add to your mixed media art collage

use backgrounds to create layers to mixed media art

using backgrounds to create layers in mixed media art

 

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Linda Giese encourages comments, questions, and sharing your art journey at linda.giese@yahoo.com

She teaches classes privately and at a local scrapbook store, The Stamp Addict

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Filed Under: Mixed Media Techniques Tagged With: , ,

Making LOTs of ATCs

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Artist Trading Cards (ATCs) are wonderful little pieces of art that are traded between crafters. For a crafting show, ATCs are often traded between other attendees as a memento of the occasion. Sometimes there may be a theme to guide the participants. The challenge of making lots of ATCs for these shows is to keep the design simple and one you can easily replicate many times.

What is an ATC?
Artist Trading Cards are small pieces of art made with the intent to be traded between fellow crafters. There are all manner of groups on the internet that have swaps and challenges based around these cards.

An ATC must be the set size of 2 1/2″ by 3 1/2″ . They are usually in portrait orientation but don’t have to be. Besides the size, there are no other rules to ATCs – you can make them from cardboard or fabric or any other thin material. And you can decorate them with paints or stamping or collage or quilting or any other craft you like.

The back of the ATC is to contain your details, like a business card would. Your name and e-mail address (or postal address, if you wish) is  a minimum. Sometimes the title of the ATC, or theme or occasion, and it’s number or edition is also included.

There is one other rule regarding ATCs – I have been always told that ATCs are only ever for trading and never to be bought or sold. Some crafters will create what are called ACEOs (Art Card, Editions and Originals), which are ATCs to sell. I believe that is against the spirit in which ATCs are created.

Key points to making lots of ATCs
– Start with large sheets of card (12″ x 12″ or A4) which can easily be decorated to make the background and then cut to size
– Stamping allows you to reproduce the same image many times
– Consider embellishments like punches or cutter dies that can create lots of the same in a short amount of time and for little cost
– They don’t all have to be exactly the same; if making cards to a theme, you can still alter the colour or type of some elements
– Instead of written your details on the back of many ATCs, use your computer to type out your main details (name and e-mail address) then cut and stick these to the back of your ATC. You can then sign it.

How I make lots of ATCs
1. Use walnut ink or tea or coffee stain to antique many sheets of card for the background. Use the same method to antique sheets of text from an old book or conference proceedings (if the sheets curl, place thereunder a heavy book to flatten, after they are dry)


2. Using a large background stamp, cover the background card (lots of small stamps will also create the same effect)

3. Cut background card into 2 1/2″ by 3 1/2″ piece

4. Cut the text pages into 3 1/2″ strips. Then tear them into smaller strips at about 1/3 of ATC width. Use a brown or sepia ink to sponge the torn edge of each piece.

5. Glue text strip to backgrounds using a glue stick

6. Add image or embellishments: I cut these T’s using  a puzzles cutter.

7. To finish the ATC, edge the entire card, using the inked directly onto the edges and stamp “time” using alphabet stamps in a lighter colour.

8. Don’t forget to add your details onto the back. This can be done my hand, using a ATC template stamp or using your computer.

The final part of ATCs is to go and swap them freely. I will always remember one of my first craft shows I ever attended and I didn’t know anything about this swapping thing. Many ladies were very generous and happy to give me an ATC when I had nothing to give in return. And this is the spirit in which I attend craft shows today.

If you are a little shy, place your ATCs in a plastic bag and use a safety pin to attach them to your carry bag or jacket, then anyone else who has ATCs can see you have some and you can start a conversation. Some craft shows will have a time and place that people can meet up to swap.

And remember the spirit of ATCs – if you are going to a show where you are going to meet people you know, you can make some special ATCs for those people, but keep them separate, so they are easy to find and you don’t accidentally hurt someone elses feelings. I have heard of occasions of some people refusing to swap their ATCs when they see the other persons ATCs and it didn’t meet their standard. Thankfully these incidents are few and between but remember that we all had to start somewhere, so be generous with your ATCs.

Happy Creating,
Michelle

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