Decorative Metal Panel with Artesprix New Stamp Pads!

Hello! I am Adam and I am a paper crafting guru. I love making cards for all occasions and have done so for the past 8 years. I have since progressed to mixed media using stamping and other paper and metal pieces. I am now branching out again into the world of sublimation ink crafts. This is my last blog on the Artesprix Design Team this term. I have loved how Artesprix offers so many different blanks to work with the Artesprix Iron-on ink and decided to create an art piece for a child’s room using the Artesprix metal canvas with easel blank for my project using Artesprix products.

What are Artesprix sublimation products?

For me, I see it as an extension of what I currently use. Artesprix Iron-on Ink offers a complete line of sublimation products that allow artists and crafters to personalize polyester-coated blanks with their own designs. 

I have discovered Artesprix Sublimation Markers and Sublimation Iron-on-Ink are two forms of the same product. It is heat transferable ink. I can color in stamped image with the markers after I stamp the image using the sublimation iron-on-ink onto a piece of printer paper.  This ink in marker form or pad form is amazingly intense and colorful once it is ironed or heat press set onto the metal heart blank used for the project. The ink really intensifies with the heat. It will appear dull on the printer paper but the final product is beyond belief.

Materials:

Heat Press

Heat Tape

Protective Paper Roll

Sublimation Stamp Pad: Black, Blue, Green (Blue and Green available May 1) 

Sublimation Markers 

Copy Paper

Pencil

Decorative Metal Panel

Clearly Besotted Stamp "Picture It Castle" 

Any "Grunge" Stamp

Any "Cloud" Stamp 

Step-by-Step Tutorial:

Step 1: Trace your Decorative Metal Panel on plain copy paper to create your template. A rough sketch is fine since with sublimation it is best to design outside the traced space. 

Step 2: Stamp your designs that will be transferred to the blank panel using the Artesprix sublimation Iron-on-Ink pads onto the template. Since I used background stamps to create the background of the panel, I only had to add a bit more color in the grass area of the design. This would not have to be done if one did not want to take the time to do the extra coloring.

Pro Tip: I usually turn on the heat press during this stage of my creating. This allows plenty of time to get the press to the proper temperature. For this project I set the temperature to 400℉ and the timer for 90 seconds.

Step 3: Once you're finished designing, place the Decorative Metal Panel white side to the design and secure with Heat Tape. This tape will not melt and keep your blank from shifting during the transfer process. 

Step 4: This step is what is referred to as a "sublimation sandwich". Cut two pieces of the protective paper larger than your design. Ensure that the heat only has to go through your design when doing your transfer process. 

Step 5: Transfer according to the specification associated with the blank. The Decorative Metal Panel has a transfer time of 90 seconds at 400℉. 

Step 6: The most important step of the project is the "peek test"! Do not remove the tape from the blank until you lift a corner of the printer paper with the colored image to verify the image did transfer. 

Step 7: Once the "peek test" has been completed, simply remove the tape and paper. Always be careful not to burn yourself while doing the peek test or removing items from the heat press. Wait enough time to allow for cooling of the project before handling. Keep in mind that metal objects take a bit longer to cool down then other materials.

Step 8: I decided to add some mixed media by adding die cut inked images to create a dragon scene for the kid’s room picture. I am a big fan of mixed media art projects and wanted to do one using Artesprix sublimation ink. These additional images were attached to the Artesprix metal plate blank using craft glue.

Step 9: After your Decorative Metal Panel is completed, add the easel that is included in the packaging by removing the protective adhesive backing and add in accordance with the appropriate orientation. 

I hope you enjoyed my mixed media art project made for a child’s gift. Artesprix has great products for all gift-giving occasions. I have had a lot of fun learning about sublimation this term on the Artesprix Design Team. To stay in touch with me, follow me on my Instagram. 

Thank you for all the crafty good times Artesprix! 

Adam Karle 

**This post may contain affiliate links. That means that I may receive compensation if you purchase through the links I have provided. The price you pay for the product or service is not higher, but I may get compensated.**