Messy Look, Smooth Feel Crafty Sublimation Sign
Artesprix Design TeamBlank Of The Month, Cricut Machines, Decorative Sign, Paints
Hello and welcome! My name is Linh from LVHandcrafted and I pulled out my gel plate to create a fun, artsy sign for my craft room. Even if you have a small gel plate, you can use multi-layered pressings to create a design large enough to cover your entire blank. The beauty of gel printing is you always get something truly unique and one-of-a-kind!
I used a light-pad to trace the characters and color them in with Sublimation Markers! You can just about trace anything with a light-pad.
**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.**
What are Sublimation Arts & Crafts Supplies?
The word "sublimation" is a chemistry term that describes the process of a substance (like Iron-on-Ink) going from a solid state to a gaseous phase and skipping over the liquid phase. In the world of designing custom goods, sublimation offers a permanent way to transfer a design to a polyester surface. The result is a vibrant, custom designed product that is long-lasting and durable. If you’ve always wanted to try sublimation but thought you needed an expensive, specialty printer, you’re in luck because Artesprix makes it possible to sublimate without a sublimation printer!
Supplies:
Decorative Sign
Gel Plate
Brayer
Copy Paper/Cardstock
Step-by-Step Tutorial:
Step 1: Trace your blank onto some plain paper. Instead of printer or copy paper, I went with something a little thicker - lightweight (65lb cover) cardstock because acrylic paint has more body to it and I’ll be creating a lot of layers on my design.
Step 2: Apply paints in the color of your choice in “blobs” on your gel plate.
Step 3: Using your brayer, roll over the paint, moving it across your gel plate until there’s a thin, even layer. You don’t have to cover the entire gel plate.
Step 4: Place your paper onto the gel plate and using your hands to apply gentle even pressure across the back of the paper. The longer you wait to allow the paint to dry, the more cleanly the paint will peel off your gel plate. But you can also peel up your paper sooner and leave some paint on the gel plate for your next layer.
Step 5: Repeat Step 2-4 until your entire paper is covered. Each time you press your paper into the gel plate, you can move it to an empty area on your design and/or overlap it with existing paint on the page.
Step 6: Using an electronic cutting machine, cut your sentiment into this design. Don’t forget to mirror your design, especially if your transfer contains text.
Step 7: Place your design face down, paint side touching, the white side of the blank. Apply Heat Tape to secure the design to your blank from the back.
Step 8: Tape all the “insides” of letters on the front of the design.
Step 9: Place protective paper below AND on top of the blank & design to create a sandwich.
Step 10: Press at 400°F for 105 seconds.
Step 11: Take a sneaky peek by lifting a corner of your design. If you feel like you got a good color transfer, remove your blank. If your transfer looks light, try heat pressing again perhaps with more pressure.
Step 12: Peel off the design and all enjoy!
Step 13: Add included gray ribbon or personalize with your favorite color ribbon or rope!
I hope you’ve enjoyed my project on the Artesprix Blog! Share your next sublimation project in the Artesprix Iron-on-Ink Inspirational Group on Facebook, we would love to see your creations. Be sure to use the tags #Artesprix and #IrononInk so we don't miss it. If you want to learn more about me and see more projects click here: @LVHandcrafted.
Thanks so much for checking out my project. Have a fabulous day!
Linh Van
**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.**
