Bubbled Brayer Backgrounds

Block printing ink + brayer + bubble wrap = dots!

1. Squeeze some water-soluble block printing ink into a plastic container. This Speedball block printing inks are brilliant. We use these inks for block printing and mono-printing; it's opaque, consistent, vivid and cleans up easily. Perfect for this bubble wrap printing project.
2. Ink a brayer. I used a 2" Speedball soft rubber brayer; it rolls effortlessly and cleans up with water.
3. Roll a stripe of ink onto bubble wrap.
4. Turn bubble wrap over onto a piece of paper. I used watercolor paper. Any paper will work.
5. Roll a dry brayer on the back of the bubble wrap gently to get the ink dots to the paper.
6. How fun is that?
7. Repeat with different colors. The ink dries quickly, so you can reuse the bubble wrap color over color.
8. Cut the bubble wrap into different shapes, and use them as stamps. I cut it into circles. In Bubble Wrap Stamps, I stamped the cover of a moleskine journal with other shapes.
9. Try this * in an altered book * on a loose art journal page * in a journal *in your moleskine * as an art journal background *
10. Cut into * artist trading cards * note cards * bookmarks * gift tags *

More, more, more...

• The Official Guide to Daisy Yellow Creative Prompts
• Art Journaling 101
• Get "You" Into Your Art Journals
• Psychedelic Foam Print Backgrounds
• Art Journaling Without Rules
• Did You Register for 21 Secrets? I'm teaching! {Workshops run April 1 - July 31, start anytime}
• "No Frills" Creative Prompts {every Friday}

Update: A few days after this was published, I got an email from Doro at Punkt.Punkt.Komma.Strich telling me about the bubble wrap project she and her daughter created. Check out the beautiful bubble wrap artwork! I was amazed that someone half way around the globe was doing a project from Daisy Yellow. Wow. That's what it's all about!

Comments

[imelda]

I always like to see your journal proces. I joined your groep but forget to take pictures all the time. This seemes another playful way to make backgrounds. Thanks for sharing.

[Rachel]

This looks like SO much fun! I can't wait to dive into this project. I'll be linking.

[E-J]

The painted bubble wrap is a work of art in itself!

I love the concept of your "While waiting" group ... I keep imagining I never find myself waiting for anything, but I've just realised that's not entirely true. I could work on something while waiting for dinner to cook ... :)

[doro]

i love this! the making, the results...
my daughter had a lot of fun and i'm with her.

i set a link to your blog in my latest posting.

thanks.

doro.

[kristen]

love this!!! can you tell me where to find this ink?

[gypsy]

Here's a link to Dick Blick for Speedball Water-Based Block Printing Inks.

[SnippetyGibbet]

This is such a wonderful idea. I'm going to do it with my preschool class.

[jodie]

Great idea! I had one piece of bubble wrap so I cut it into fourths, gave each of my girls a pie plate, laid the bubble wrap in there, had them paint on pink+red acrylic paint and then press envelopes on top! It worked great for a 2 and 3 year old! And now we have cute Valentine envelopes to mail our cards!

Great idea and I'm linking you on my blog this week when I share my toddler version of this awesome idea! thanks!

[lenny]

are you selling the heart image? i really love it!
image second from the bottom???

[SnippetyGibbet]

I linked to this post on my blog. Come see my preschoolers singing and printing in a video there. http://snippetygibbet.blogspot.com/2009/02/printin-and-singin.html jan

[Jessie]

Dude, this would be a great way to make the texture for a castle in a playroom. On a wall: draw the castle on it, tape off the area, do this all over it in gray for the castle, in green for the trees... I can't wait until my kids are older now and want to repaint their rooms! I hope they go for something that cool.

[Helene]

I LOVE it! And I mean really, really love love love it. So pretty~!

Also, I find it highly inspirational--I could only imagine what having a bubble-stamped notebook would do for my art; I'd be sketching nonstop!
Will definitely be doing a project(s) with this! Thank you so much for sharing!

[Maria]

I have done this in a recreational art class I give at a day center for developmentally disabled adults. We have used tempera paint, but now I will see if I can get my hands on some block printing ink- the colors are delicious ! They love this project. I have used the paper to cover journals that we offer for fundraisers. Thank you !

[Tara Diane]

Thanks for this! Totally simple enough for the artistically challenge, like myself!