DIY Ultra Fan Artesprix Blank of the Month Puzzle

Hello! I’m Alison Heikkila and I appreciate you visiting today. I don’t know about you, but I have always loved doing puzzles. It’s one of the things my mom and I always enjoyed doing, and now I like to do them with my kids too. Artesprix has a great puzzle that you can personalize any way you want, with their awesome Sublimation Markers. The sublimation process is permanent, so you never have to worry about your artwork fading. I decided to use a coloring page I found online with characters that my daughter likes.

What are Sublimation Markers?
Artesprix Sublimation Markers and Ink are specially formulated inks that allow you to use basic copy paper to: color, stamp, and stencil anything you wish and turn it into a heat-transferable design. These designs are then applied to a polyester or polyester coated substrate with heat and pressure. These designs, through this process of sublimation, will become permanent on your substrates.


Materials:
Original Sublimation Markers
Iron-On-Ink Puzzle
Protective Paper
Heat Tape
Heat Source: Home Iron or Artesprix Heat Press
Pencil
Copy Paper
Craft mat
Printed coloring page
Paint Brush
Step-by-Step Tutorial:
Step 1: We don't have a sublimation printer so I printed a coloring page I found with my regular printer. There are many licensed coloring pages you can use for free online. 
Step 2: Flip the coloring page over and trace with your Black Sublimation Marker. I chose to tape my picture to my glass door, but you can also use a light box.

Step 3: Continue to add color with Sublimation Markers to your copy paper. 
Pro Tip: I used all of my markers directly from the tube, except where I needed 2 shades of brown and gray. For those, I scribbled the colors on to my craft mat, added a few drops of water, and painted the color on. If you are using copy paper like I did, be careful to not get these areas too wet, or they will warp and could pill or even tear.  

Step 4: I hand drew a few stars and a planet to fill in my background a little. With this particular blank, it is important to fill in the entire space. 

Step 5: Remove the frame of the puzzle. Using Heat Resistant Tape, attach your colored design to the Puzzle. 

Step 6: It’s time to make our "Sublimation Sandwich". Cut two pieces of Protective Paper that are bigger than your Puzzle. Lay one piece of protective paper down, then your taped Blank/colored design (with the blank on the bottom) and then your second piece of Protective Paper on top. Your sandwich will be:
Protective Paper-Blank-Colored Image-Protective Paper.

Step 7: Press the Puzzle in the Heat Press for 60 seconds at 400℉ degrees.

Step 8: It’s time for the "peek test"! This is a very exciting step! Very carefully peel back part of the copy paper to see how your design has transferred. Be sure to not remove too much, in case you need to press the item again.

Step 9: If your "peek test" was successful, pull back your copy paper. Look at how vibrant those colors are now!
Take a look at the difference between the original colored art and the completed sublimated Puzzle! 

Here is the finished Puzzle! I love it, and I know my daughter does too. I encourage you to try this out with not only coloring pages found online, but perhaps with coloring books you have at home, or even your favorite larger stamps and stencils! The results are fantastic, and I am so pleased with how the Puzzle came out. How would you like to get more ideas on how to use Sublimation Markers? There’s a Facebook Group that’s just for fans of Artesprix! You can click HERE to join. Also, don't forget to visit the Artesprix store to see all of the available blanks and bundles, so you can get started with sublimation.
Thanks so much for stopping by.
Have an inspiring day!
Alison Heikkila 
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