The Low Down on Masks
Expert Tips from Scrapbooker Heidi Swapp
 I think that the most common question I am asked is: What is a mask?
Here is the low down...
A mask is a TOOL! It’s the opposite of a stencil, so you get the negative of the image instead of the positive. They are made from a durable vinyl type material, with a repositionable sticky surface on the back- so it will stay in place as you are working!
Although masks are made to be used with any and all color mediums, hand-held ink pads are probably the quickest and easiest! Any type of ink will do! I think that my favorite is the “chalk inks”, just because they are so easy to blend, and so forgiving! Here are a couple of quick examples that will get your creativity going!
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 Star: This one is a one-step deal!
Select the background paper and an ink pad along with the mask of your choice, (keep in mind, you can cut the masks down into little portions if you’d like). Simply position the ink pad over the mask and press firmly. This will create a perfect rectangle embellishment for your page. |
Horizon: Here is a fun way to create a circular embellishment for your project... cut a hole in a piece of cardstock with a circle cutter. This will act as another “mask” in a sense, as it will contain the ink to that designated area. Choose a mini-mask, alphabet mask or portion of a larger mask and place it on your background paper, in this case, I chose white cardstock. Position the circle cut out as desired, over the mask. I chose 4 different colors of chalk to blend together. Start with the darkest color and work up. Dab the ink softly up and down right over the mask. Continue with each color! This is seriously so easy!
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 Floral bouquet: This is more of a free-form approach.
Lay the mask as desired on your project.
Try different solid and patterned papers. Dab, or drag the ink pad over the mask... this is a great technique for creative, unique backgrounds. |
~ Heidi
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