This tutorial will refer to different distressing techniques that I used in making a sample card.

I have worked with Tim Holtz Distress Inks throughout this tutorial because of their ability to highlight and work smoothly on the paper. With these inks, you can keep adding color on top of color without losing the hues of the colors in the layers of ink.

There are times when you want a background that fits a particular image you are working with and you have to make it. You will need to gather some white paper, a dauber and ink pads.

To start with, take ink pad to paper and run the pad across the surface of the paper completely covering the paper.

To make the ink smooth and cover your paper, use a sponge dauber and in a circular motion, work the ink around the paper.

To add more depth to the paper, now add a darker hue of the same color on top. To do this, use your dauber and in the same circular motion, work the darker color on top of the existing color.

At this point, there are a few options you can add. Let’s start with crackle paint. I used Tim Holtz Scattered Straw Crackle Paint in this step on my sample card. Once you have your paper colored, paint on a layer of the Crackle Paint. The cracking achieved depends on how heavy you apply the paint. If your paint is heavy, the cracks are bigger and deeper. If you add a thin layer, there will be many smaller cracks.

Once the paint starts to dry and the cracks begin to appear, you can speed the process up by using your heat gun.

Once the paint is dry, it should look like this.

The next part is the fun part. One way to distress the edges is to tear the paper along the sides and then sponge on distress inks.

As you work the inks off the paper on, the edges will begin to curl for you if you add enough ink and work the paper enough. To make the crackles stand out more, as you work the ink onto the edges, you can drag the ink further onto the paper.

Let’s look at making the final background layer. The first steps of applying ink to the white paper are the same. As an option, you could spritz the paper with water leaving a blotchy specked look to the paper.

Typically when you spritz the paper with water, the paper will curl. Never fear! Pull out your heat tool and dry the paper. As it dries, the paper will once again lay flat.

For my sample card, I decided to add more depth. To do this, stamp the darker ink pad randomly on the paper.

Then using a sponge dauber and working in a circular motion, even out the ink.

To distress the edges of this layer, (as in the sample card), use scissors. Scrape along the edges of the paper pulling the scissors toward you. It doesn’t matter if you accidentally cut the paper or tear it. To me, it just adds more character to the distressing.

When you start to sponge the edges, dragging in the ink from off the page, the edges will curl and form a shape of their own.

Distressing is one of my favorite techniques, and I hope you try these different styles of distressing.    All of my Favorite Products can be found here at Rubbernecker Stamp Company.