DIY Simple Sublimation Paint Tote Bag with Iron-on-Ink

Hi everyone! It’s Design Team Member Mandie, back again with another fun idea for your next Iron-on-Ink project! Do you have a child who is pretty sure money grows on trees? Mine likes to send me photos of all the things she thinks I should buy her… and this time I challenged her to make it herself! So I gave her some Artesprix Sublimation Paint and a Tote Bag Blank and I think she did pretty awesome! 

What is Sublimation Iron-on-Ink?
Iron-on-Ink is an innovative craft sublimation medium to create unique designs that you can transfer to a endless selection of blanks. You can create some amazing one-of-a-kind gifts that will last a lifetime. When the finished sublimation design is combined with heat and pressure, the ink turns into a gas and binds to the polyester fabric or poly-coated blank leaving you with a permanent transfer. Between Artesprix's plethora of Iron-on-Ink products and the endless amount of compatible sublimation blanks, the possibilities are endless! Iron-on-Inks is fabulous because you don’t have to invest in an expensive sublimation printer to create some high quality projects right in your home! Plus, if you’re more “hands on” or “hands inky” like me, I feel you can get so much more creative with the Sublimation Inks, Paints and Markers that Artesprix offers!

Supplies: 
Canvas Tote Bag Blank
Sublimation Acrylic Paint Set
Protective Paper Roll
Heat Tape
Teflon Sheet 
Paint Brushes
Lint Roller
Heat Source: Heat Press or Craft Press 
Step-by-Step Tutorial:
My daughter sent me a photo of this tote bag that she thought was super cute, so I told her she should use it as inspiration and create her own!

Step 1: Plan out the size of your design. The Artesprix Tote Bag is quite large so we used the entire 8.5x11" piece of paper. Use a pencil to sketch your design on plain copy paper. 

Step 2: Mix Yellow and Blue from your Sublimation Acrylic Paint Set to make Green! There’s a handy chart you can use to mix your own colors on the Artesprix Website. 

Step 3: Start painting in the design as desired, this is where you can make yours unique!

Step 4: Mix in some Acrylic Lightening Medium for Sublimation Paint, included in your Sublimation Acrylic Paint Set, to get a lighter shade of green.

Step 5: Finish painting your design and let it dry.
Step 6: We are ready to transfer! You’re going to want to adjust your heat source to the recommended settings. For this Canvas Tote Bag Blank it’s recommended 400℉ for 75 seconds. 

Pro Tip: Grab your Lint Roller and run it over the entire surface of the bag to make sure it is link and dust free. After lint rolling, pre-press your design for 5 seconds. 
Step 7: Use your Heat Tape and secure the blank to the design, ensuring the the design is face-down to the blank. 

Step 8: Create your "sublimation sandwich" cutting 3 pieces of siliconized Protective Paper, layering 2 pieces outside of your tote, and 1 in-between.
Step 9: Move your "sandwich" to the pressing surface and transfer for 75 seconds.

Step 10: Once you’ve pressed your blank you can now do a "peek test". Simply lift up the corner and see if your design has transferred. You’ll want to keep the tape in place in case you need to re-press. 
Step 11: My daughter’s "peek test" was successful, the colors looked great, so she revealed her finished project and WOW! Look at the difference between the before and after it has been pressed. Everything is now much more vibrant, that is a part of the sublimation magic! 

My daughter was so happy she now has a great tote bag to take with her when she’s thrifting with her friends! And I love that we were able to spend time crafting together. Come and see what the other Artesprix designers have created with this beautiful blank on the Artesprix Blog! 
Looking forward to sharing my next project with you!
Mandie Wade 
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