In the last post, I discussed how the addition of 2 key tools can make a huge difference in the results you see when making rubbings with Paintstiks. Today, I have two more tips for making rubbings.

A little history…

When I began working with paintstiks, I always used the end of the paintstik for making rubbings. That’s what I read about, and it’s just like using a crayon. It never occurred to me to do anything else. It wasn’t until Nancy Kazlauckas and I were doing the photo shoot for the Leaves pattern that I even thought about what I was doing.

I asked Nancy to model for some photos (not too bad a job when it’s only your hands) and she said, “I don’t make rubbings that way.” I just looked at her in surprise and asked her how she worked, thinking to myself “ok, I’ve been making rubbings for years — just what have I missed?” Nancy just looked at me, smiled, and said “I use the side of the paintstik, not the end.” As you can see from this photo, Nancy gets great rubbings using this method.

I felt like I was in one of those V8 commercials where someone smacked me upside the head. Not to mention that I felt a little silly that I had not thought of this myself! I grabbed a piece of scrap fabric, tried out Nancy’s technique and was simply amazed at the results. I think you will be too!

The “standard” instructions for making rubbings

I’ve been teaching people to use paintsiks for about 7 years. Doing what I had always done, I used a “standard” set of instructions.

• remove the film from the end of the paintstik
• place a textured object under your fabric
• hold the fabric down securely with one hand (or tape it down)
• apply paintstick color directly to the fabric, working in one direction, away from the hand holding the fabric (don’t try to rub back and forth)
• continue adding color until you are happy with the results

Nancy’s method for making rubbings

To use Nancy’s method, we need to make a change to the beginning of the process:

• remove the paintstik from the cardboard tube
• using a small paring knife, peel the film from the side of the paintstik rather than the end

In the photo, I removed the film from the end of the Blue paintstik. To prepare the red paintstik, I removed it from the cardboard tube and used a knife to peel the film from the side of the stick. (I generally peel the film about 1/3 to 1/2 of the stick, not all the way around.) Nancy likes to use the entire length of the paintstik when she works, but I find it easier to work with something a little smaller. If I am working with minis, I peel the film off the full length of the stick. If I have full size paintstiks, I cut the stick in half. I use one half for the rubbings and leave the other half intact for another project. Unless, of course, I need more paint…

Why use the side of the paintstik?

So, why do I think this is the best thing since sliced bread? It’s pretty clear once you give it a try, but I’ll do my best to explain. When you make rubbings with the end of the paintstik, you are working with a very small surface area. If your textured surface or rubbing plate has large open areas between the design elements, it’s easy for the paintstik to drop down into the “holes” in the design and for the rubbing to get rather messy. If you use the side of the paintstik, you are working with a large, flat surface area. Your paint will stay out of the holes, and it’s much, much easier to get a nice, clean image (especially if you do this in conjunction with the things mentioned in the previous post!)

The right technique for the right job

Should you always use the side of your paintstik to make rubbings? Not necessarily. It’s a matter of using the right technique for the right job. If you are making rubbings from small, detailed textures, the end of the paintstik will be a much better tool. For example, this photo shows the first step in using Laura Murray’s StarBuilder shapes to make star parts. (Click over to Laura Murray Designs to find out more about StarBuilder.)

But, if you are adding lots of rubbings to your fabric using our rubbing plates or large textured surfaces, using the side of your paintstik is much faster and gives beautiful, clean images. You’ll be making gorgeous yardage in no time at all!

The bottom line on better rubbings

The best 3 tips I can give you for making better rubbings (from this post and the last one) are

1. Use a Grip-n-Grip mat to keep your rubbing plates from sliding around as you work
2. Spray the top of the rubbing plate with 404 spray to keep your fabric from sliding around on the rubbing plate
3. Use the side of the paintstik rather than the end to get crisp, clear images

Grip-n-Grip mats are from Bear Thread Designs. 404 spray is from JT Trading.

Have fun with those rubbings!

I must have seen one of the pizza commercials lately – I hate when that stuff sticks in my head! But, it gave me an idea for discussing a common problem, so I won’t complain. So what does pizza have to do with paintstiks? Well…

The most common question I hear is “how can I get a nice clean image when I’m making rubbings?” If better ingredients make better pizza, let’s see how better tools can help us make better rubbings.

One of my favorite things to do with paintstiks is to put textured surfaces under the fabric and use the paint directly on the fabric to create a rubbing. You can make rubbings from all kinds of textured surfaces you find around the house, in the garage, the bottom of your shoes, etc. I like making rubbings so much I started designing rubbing plates just for that purpose. Here’s a photo of some Lazy Girl projects (Wonder Wallets and a Katy Bag) made by some of my friends. These projects are made from plain color silks embellished with paintstik rubbings.

Our rubbing plates are made from plastic, similar to the stuff in pop bottles. (Actually, they are made from recycled plastic, which makes them “green” even though they are black… but that’s another story.) At any rate, the plates are slippery, which means that they tend to shift around as you are work. So let’s go back to the pizza example and talk about the layers involved.

Basic ingredients – (think of your basic cheese pizza)

• Paintstik color
• Fabric
• Rubbing Plate

The 3 essential ingredients are a textured surface (rubbing plate), covered by your fabric, and the paintstik color to be applied to the top. In theory this is all you need, but slippery surfaces get to be a real challenge. Rubbing plates tend to move around on your work surface unless you tape them down, and fabric will often shift as you make rubbings unless it is taped down or otherwise secured. What to do? Just as spices can make all the difference in the pizza, we’ll add a few more ingredients!

Enhanced ingredients – (can you say supreme?)

• Paintstik color
• Fabric of your choice
• 404 Spray from JT Trading
• Rubbing Plates
• Grip-n-Grip no slip mat from Bear Threads Design

Let’s talk about the layers from the bottom up. The Grip-n-Grip mat is a life-saver for paintstik projects. Whatever you put on the mat stays put. Period. Put your rubbing plates on the mat, they stay put. Put your fabric on the mat, it stays put. The mat in the photo above is the original dark orange color. The mats are black now, but still the same wonderful product.

The next layer is the rubbing plate. It won’t move around once it’s on the mat, but that doesn’t solve everything — the fabric can slip around on the top of the rubbing plate. That leads us to the next ingredient, the 404 spray.

404 is a re-positionable adhesive spray. (KK2000 from Sulky is a similar product.) I call it “post-it notes in a can” because that’s exactly how it works. When you are getting ready to make rubbings, spray the rubbing plate with 404 and set it aside to dry. I prefer to set the plates on a drop cloth and spray them so I don’t get any overspray on my hands. It only takes a minute for the spray to dry.

To review, the Grip-n-Grip is the bottom layer, then the plate that has been sprayed with 404. Next we place the fabric over the plate — and this is the exciting part — the fabric sticks to the plate just enough to keep it from moving around while you work! No more slippin’ around! And better yet, the 404 spray won’t transfer to your fabric. Perfect!

The topping, of course, is the paintstik color. And just like pizza, the more the better! Now that you have a way to keep the fabric from sliding on the plate, you’ll find it much easier to use more than one color to add more zip to your rubbings.

Next up — two more tips for better rubbings!