Doodle Embossing and Alcohol Ink on Upcycled Aluminum Cans – Metal Book Cover Part 1
Greetings Friend,
I hope all is well in your day, and I am delighted to have you drop by. So welcome. Sit back and relax and let’s do some doodle embossing. Or, if you are so inclined, you can trace out a borrowed design or use your own sketch. This was all very experimental, but I thoroughly enjoyed this metal embossing with alcohol ink project.
No matter how you choose to make your design, this is a thrifty and fun craft project. All you need is an aluminum can, an embossing tool (I got mine a the Dollar Tree), a foam or fabric pad, and your imagination to get started.
Advertising Disclosure: Upcycle Design Lab may be compensated in exchange for featured placement of certain sponsored products and services, or your clicking on links posted on this website.
If you want to work on a larger surface as I did to make my book cover, you can use painter’s tape to assemble several can pieces.
Then to finish the front side, I used HVAC tape to cover the seams.
You can find out more information in the video below.
I am no expert at embossing or drawing, but I started anyway with no particular plan. That is the beauty of doodling. You just let go. Let your hand move, and don’t evaluate. Then repeat. It doesn’t look like much when you start. Keep going. There are no mistakes.
You can feel the design come to life as you press and stress the metal, slowly releasing the beauty from the blank sheet.
I worked on each small pattern individually, creating the shape on the back of the aluminum sheet and then flipping the sheet over and committing to the form on the front of the design.
But there are no rules you could create your entire design before checking the front and completing your embossing.
It can take some time, depending on the size of your project, but the is the beauty of it. It stills your mind, quiets the noise, relaxes the spirit.
If you choose, you can add some color to your design. Unfortunately, I am not very experienced in working with alcohol ink, and at first,t I thought I had ruined my pieces.
I am sure that I overworked the ink and used “unauthorized” methods of application, but in the end, I liked how they turned out.
I only had these three colors to work with, Crimson, Aquamarine, and Sepia, but as you can see, alcohol inks blend into many more beautiful colors.
Advertising Disclosure: Upcycle Design Lab may be compensated in exchange for featured placement of certain sponsored products and services, or your clicking on links posted on this website.
As with most things, the main point is just to give it a try if you are interested or curious. But, then, have fun with the creative process.
Happy Upcycling,
Cindy
Other posts you might enjoy
Really cool, lovely job, Cindy! I can envision possibilities w/ this for wall art, etc. What did you use to cut the can(s) apart with, just sturdy plain ol’ scissors, or…other? Thanks & blessings! 🙂
Hi Julie – I used an knife to cut the can open and then just the scissors. Thanks for your comment/question.