How to Create a Cork Canvas with Colorbox Crafter’s Ink

Welcome to Ann Butler Designs! Today I am going to share with you a mixed media canvas I created using cork, Ann Butler Crafter’s Ink, and Earth Safe Finishes Ann Butler Iridescent Powders.

First of all, I am thrilled to see how painting on the cork closely mimics the look of stone! All the crags and crevices in the cork really work with the paint to give a dimensional effect.

Materials:

• Round cork trivet, 8″ diameter
• Image printed on paper from laser printer
• Earth Safe Finishes Ann Butler Iridescents: Sunshine, Leaf, Sky
• ColorBox Crafter’s® ink: Blueberry, Limelight, Aquamarine, Ocean Breeze, Bark
• Americana® DECOR™ Light Satin Varnish
• DecoArt® Elegant Finish™ Metallic Paint, silver sage
• DecoArt® MagiKote
• Powertex Powerprint (image transfer medium)
• ZipDry™
• Water
• Sentiment
• Button

Tools: brushes

Directions:

1. Apply 2 coats of MagiKote as per manufacturer’s instructions, to surface of cork.  I know this is made for sealing Styrofoam™ but I figured cork had to be similar, so what the heck!  I mean, it can’t hurt, right?
2. To create the colorful background you will swipe the blueberry, aquamarine, ocean breeze, and limelight ink pads across the canvas, and allow it to dry.  You may use a hair blower to quicken the drying process.
3. Apply the image transfer medium to the canvas and place your image, face down, into the wet medium.  You may use a brayer to help smooth the paper and burnish it to the surface.  Allow 12 hours for this to dry completely.
4. To reveal your transferred image: wet the surface of the paper with a sponge, let it sit for 20 seconds, and then gently rub off all the excess paper. For further information regarding image transfers you can check Google.
5. Meanwhile, brush your paper flowers with a wash of water and (separately) the sunshine, leaf and sky powders, and let it dry.
6. With the bark ink, dip a brush into the ink pad and add shading and definition to the flowers, and let dry.
7. On dry petals, add highlights with sunshine powder by dipping the tips of the bristles of a slightly wet brush directly into the pot of powder, and brushing it where you like.  You may then glue on the buttons.
8. Adhere your sentiment.
9. Add three layers of varnish to the canvas to seal your surface.  You could stop at this point and have a lovely, decorated, and protected trivet.
10. Glue on your flower.

I LOVE how the ink colors just burst right through the transferred image. They are gorgeous!

I hope you enjoyed my project today.